Cornwall is almost exactly half way between Ottawa and Montreal, with a drive of about an hour for each. My friend organized for us to meet last Saturday for the newest Cirque de Soleil show.
We were glad for any excuse to see some of our favorite people, and we have see some amazing shows (Allegria, Varekai). It was supposed to be on ice, which is not the kind of show we usually go to, but it sounded interesting, so we ate supper at Thum's for Thai, and then headed to Cornwall's arena.
The first thing I remember was thinking that the arena was warmer than I expected for a show on ice.
The second thing I remember was the light show. It was geometric in black and white, amd became colourful as it went on. It was so different and mesmerizing that I found myself willing my attention back to the characters at hand, who were doing impossible things on skates, but it didn't translate well from the complexity of what they were doing and the mistakes that looked simple to avoid.
The third thing I noticed was the music. A lot was copyrighted music, and the main character, Axel, an androgynous character in jeans and on skates, sang a lot of it. He was not a alone, with a live band that moved around, and were part of the show at different moments.
Mad World Gary Jules 2001
I Feel Like Dancin, by All Time Low 2011
Jump Van Halen 1984
Creep Radiohead 1993
The story seemed lacking, with stereotypes of superheros and villains, and two female characters that seemed identical, but while taking bows at the end, clearly weren't.
I am still not sure I liked it, but there were interesting elements, and the girls (ages 11-14) loved it! I would pan it more, but the performers gave it their all, no matter I felt about the arrangement. It is so easy to be a critic, but, although this may not have been the greatest show on earth, I would do the evening again, but maybe this time wait until it came to the Bell centre.
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