When someone asks which shows I prefer the answer is always the same -- those that surprise me.
In that, Cirque du Soleil never disappoints.
"Totem," the Cirque production that has pitched its blue-and-yellow tent complex on a riverside parking lot in the Strip District, delights, dazzles and, most of all, entertains.
Wednesday night's preview showcased performances that could be described as awesome had that word not been worn down through over usage.
"Totem" blends dance, live music, acrobatics and gymnastics into an artistic whole. Its performers test the boundaries of strength, agility, balance, courage and inventiveness.
Just when you think you've seen it all, Cirque's performers accomplish seemingly limitless feats to bring a new twist and level of accomplishment to the art;:
• A juggler inside a giant beaker spins, catches and propels illuminated balls
• Two foot-juggling females turn and toss spinning sequined velvet squares through the air
• A team of businessmen-turned-acrobats ascend the heights to twist and turn atop incredibly tall, bending poles
• A Native-American Indian swirls hoops through a complex dance
Supporting their talents is a wealth of artists who have created a technically complex and lushly beautiful setting for their activities.
Writer and director Robert Lepage wraps a story-line of creation myths and evolutionary progress around the acts that you can choose to ignore or appreciate for Lepage's ability to weave multiple threads into a cohesive narrative.
A design team of imaginative artists headed by director of creation Neilson Vignola provide a swift succession of locales. Lush projections and lighting effects help move the action from an amphibian-filled primordial swamp onto rushing rivers, wave-splashed beaches, arid desert, lava fields, bogs of bubbling mud and, finally, into outer space.
Meanwhile, amphibians perform literal leaps of faith as they crisscross each other, turning and twisting and moving among a domed structure of parallel bars or a pair of canary yellow-clad young acrobats discover love and each other as they dangle, drop and swoop in a vertical trapeze dance.
This carefully conceived, lushly executed show gives audiences its money's worth of jaw-dropping exploits and gymnastic daring. It's as likely to impress veterans of other Cirque shows as it is to astonish newcomers.
Additional Information:
'Totem'
Produced by: Cirque du Soleil
When: Through May 29 at 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 4 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 1 and 5 p.m. Sundays
Admission: $55-$225; $38.50-$187.50 for ages 2-12; $49.50-$212.50 for students, seniors and military
Where: Under the Grand Chapiteau, near 20th and Smallman streets, Strip District
Details: 1-800-450-1480 or website
