Last Friday night, as my companion and I strolled through the South of Market on our way to opening night of Kooza, I caught a glimpse of Cirque du Soleil’s mammoth blue and yellow “Grand Chapiteau” (big top) in the parking lot of A.T.&T. Park, and I found myself feeling a bit nostalgic. I remembered so vividly seeing my first Cirque touring production — Quidam — about ten years ago, and being so absolutely astounded by the thrilling athleticism and exquisite artistry of the performers, the unparalleled creativity of the choreographers and designers, and the sheer ingenuity of the production team (who pack a monster of a show into a fleet of trucks every six weeks or so), that I immediately ran out and bought tickets for my entire family for Christmas.
Since then, I’ve seen and loved numerous other Cirque tours, as well as their decadent Las Vegas productions. I’ve got the Cirque website bookmarked and I’m in their e-mail club. As hard as I try to resist, I almost always end up purchasing a shopping bag full of [ridiculously overpriced] merchandise every time I attend a production. Much to the chagrin of my theatre-snob friends, I’ve become somewhat of a “Cirque-head.”
And so, I wonder if it’s because I’m so well-acquainted with this brilliant company’s work that I walked away from Kooza feeling a little underwhelmed. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a gorgeous show, and the performers are fabulously gifted athletes who absolutely deserved the enthusiastic standing ovation received on opening night. But, Kooza, which is making its U.S. premiere here in San Francisco, just doesn’t feel as aesthetically consistent or as tightly executed as other Cirque productions I’ve seen over the last decade.
The title of the show, inspired by the Sanskrit word “koza” which means “box” or “treasure,” is a nod to the concept of the production as a “circus in a box.” The show’s writer and director David Shiner, who began his career as a street mime in Paris before becoming one of Cirque’s most revered clowns, envisioned Kooza as a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil, combining acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. Indeed Kooza is by design the most “circus-y” of all the Cirque productions, with a line-up of slapstick clowns, high-wire artists and acrobats not unlike those found at a Ringling Brothers show.
The fabulously ornate set by Stephane Roy, was conceived to resemble a public square that morphs into a circus ring, and features a massive traveling tower and layers of sheer tapestries which unfold like a giant origami sculpture. At the same time, according to press materials, “there has been no attempt to conceal or disguise the acrobatic equipment… Everything is done out in the open with simplicity and transparency in order to concentrate the audience’s attention on the artists and acrobatic performances.” OK, fair enough; I just found it a little difficult at times to concentrate on the performers, when stagehands were clearly having a few technical difficulties with enormous props and safety equipment (which is thankfully incorporated on the more daring acts).
