Montréal Complètement Cirque

When it was announced last year that Montréal, as the circus capital of the world, would put together its first festival dedicated to circus acts and invite artists from around the globe, I was pretty excited! Of course, idiot that I am I booked my trip to the Balkans during the festival, thus missing basically everything.

But I did catch three shows. . . Okay, so it's nothing to write home about in terms of quantity. But the quality sure than made up to all that I did miss.



- Totem by Cirque du Soleil

Written and directed by the award-winning playwright Robert Lepage (the man responsible for Kà, for my money the best Cirque du Soleil show ever), Totem is a jumble of themes that don't always form a coherent whole. He should have stayed with the Native American theme, for when he attempted to combine it with evolution the overall story arc of Totem suffered a bit. The various acts are perfect, as is always the case with the Cirque du Soleil. But the interludes, which are always more funny and interactive, are for the most part failures to launch. Hence, though each act is as spectacular one would expect, the boredom associated with some of the interludes break the momentum of what could have been another wonderful creation.

All in all, Totem is nonetheless an exciting show. But the magic found in previous Cirque du Soleil productions is unfortunately not always present. Totem will be in Québec City for the rest of the summer, and will make its way to Europe this fall.



- Nofit State by Tabù

This Welsh circus show was totally fucked up! It was their first time in North America after playing in front of over 125,000 spectators around Europe, and I have a feeling that it won't be their last!

There are no stands; spectators stand around as the action takes place before, behind, around, and above them. For those of you who have always wanted to be smack down in the middle of the stage and part of the action, Nofit State will thrill you like nothing you've seen before. There is a live band playing and the organized chaos is absolute. The configuration of the show is such that your experience will vary depending on where you are standing.

Unlike anything I have ever seen, you don't always know what the heck is going on. But a very satisfying circus experience, no question!



- iD by Cirque Éloize

Saw this amazing show last night and I was blown away!

Another "Made in Québec" circus, Cirque Éloize has always been forced to live in the shadow of the Cirque du Soleil. But with quality productions such as Nomade, Rain, and Nebbia, they have shown that they are for real and have made quite a name for themselves the world over.

I didn't really know that to expect from iD. All I knew was that it was some sort of hybrid between circus acts and urban dancing. But man did it deliver! This show was the absolute shit! Every number was great, the music sucked you right into this one, and the performers were incredible.

The Cirque Éloize will bring iD on the road this fall as they start their tour in Toronto. Don't miss out on a terrific experience!

I promise to do better next year! It looks like Montréal Complètement Cirque was a success, so I can't wait for the second edition of the festival to hit the town in 2011!