Le Grand Cirque Interview
Written by Cameron Pegg
Dance In Review
Let’s get this out of the way early: comparisons between ‘Le Grand Cirque’ and its French Canadian cousin are pretty much inevitable. Marketing aside, ‘Le Grand Cirque’ like ‘Dralion’ before it, relies heavily on Chinese acrobats. And after watching both shows you can see why the producers have banked on a similar formula. Old favourites - hoop diving, contortion and Chinese poles are sure-fire hits when staged correctly.
Liu Cen's back bending alone is impressive without balancing five ‘trees’ of lights that look remarkably like candles on her body. Remarkable stuff. If you want to be picky, the male acrobatic duo lacks finesse, and the dancing girls could be more dynamic, but you can't complain about much. Who doesn't want to watch a pyramid of ten people ride a bike around the stage at the same time, for example?
Keeping a clown act afloat isn't easy, and Jonathan Sanford's OTT performance is likeable enough, particularly considering how often he's called upon (pretty much between every act). His best material includes a massive balloon, a leaf blower and some good old-fashioned audience participation.
Dance fans will know the featured ‘ballerinas’ have never taken a ballet class in their lives, but balancing on pointe on your partner's outstretched arm is pretty damn incredible, as is doing the same thing on their head.
It helps that the penultimate act - the 'Wheel of Death' - is everything you'd want it to be. Two teenagers move around in circular ‘cages’ held at opposite ends of massive metallic arms. They either run inside the wheels like mice, or balance on top as the whole contraption swings around powered by gravity and momentum. The setup is amazingly entertaining as it is, but when one performer decides to skip rope on top (and almost slips in the process), the audience were ready to explode.
The act is also an exception in that it's so huge there'd be no missing it in the theatre down the road. While the whole show is big and bright, those sitting at the back might miss a detail or two.
Comparisons can be cutting, but with its easy appeal and family friendly prices, 'Le Grand Cirque' will be a sure thing this summer.
‘Le Grand Cirque’ plays at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC until January 24.
