circus of the sun

It should be against the law that all schools do not begin at least by the first week of June. After 104 days of “what are we gonna do today, Mom?”...double oy, I am spent. Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids but let’s get real. A couple of Sundays ago was one of those days, with the same old repeat of heat and ‘what to do’ and preferring not to be en pointe and juggling up another day of fun for my two frenetic mini-me's, I decided to let the pros do it. I locked and loaded them and went off to join the circus. Well, for an hour and forty minutes anyway. Delirium, the latest flick from Cirque du Soleil, had rolled into town, with a limited weekend only release. And I figured the next best thing other than seeing them in the flesh would be on screen. So off us Mags went. It was high time for the kiddos to take a gander at something that wasn’t animated and dive head first into some inspiration that only this stellar cast of 33 could provide. Besides, Mama needed to indulge herself a little and it turned out to be just what the doc ordered after three long dog day months of Alvin, his chipmunk pals and what seemed like 85 dip cones at D.Q.

Good Lord. What's up with this incredible troupe of angels..er, rubbery robots... extra-terrestrials...who and what are they?...I mean, they can’t be human and do what they do, right? Well, I guess they are and they can and man, oh, man they do it so very well! Beckham may bend ‘em, but he can’t do it like these kids. When you can stand for ten minutes on one hand holding onto what looks like a door knob which is atop a hydraulic lift going up and down..toes pointed, legs split to high heaven or perhaps spin not one but six hula hoops on every extremity ya got by contorting yourself like a pipe cleaner all the while wearing a radiant smile..well, then good grief, you deserve the Klondike of all Klondike bars.

A nicely shot big tent party of song, dance and twisty pretzel people set against a backdrop of stunning projection wizardry, really tight buns and the usual Cirque mystical overtones, it didn’t disappoint and left my rug rats with their mouths agape and for one beautiful moment in time..silent in their awe and wonder. While the three of us snarfed salty, buttered heart-plugging popcorn, we sat transfixed at the heart-stopping show of dancing, flying, flipping, singing, trapez-ey, gymnastic marvels. My husband and I were first introduced to Cirque’s live show, “O”, in Vegas many years ago; back in the day when we could jet-set off without a care, party ‘til 2am and not have to worry about things like pre-schools and healthcare. Yes, I remember it well..the excitement of the millennium year, 28th floor corner suite above the fountains, gourmet cuisine, martinis galore and, most unfortunately, two things I don’t have to worry about anymore...makeup and sex. To say the show was extraordinary and unique is an understatement. It was absolutely breathtaking and some of the best dough hubby and I ever spent. Delirium, with no water added, is a sort of tribal, electric pop, percussive, hip rolling remix/reinterpretation of the Cirques best tunes throughout their twenty something years of shows. This eclectic journey unfolds for an ordinary urban guy in his little solitary bubble, literally..floating above the proscenium, trying his best to work through the isolation, wrap his head around the quandaries of the cosmos, tumbling and traveling on a high wire through all that he feels..amid a society, a world that remains tucked behind our plasmas, laptops and blue-tooths..sadly leaving many of us to amble through solo instead of amongst the villagers where the true difference can be made. He eventually finds his balance of sorts while lost in a virtual planet of dreams, resplendent in color, light and sound and is able to draw the energy of those he meets along the way..each of them representing an important facet of this odyssey of self, all an intregal part of his truth. Grounded at last, in energy and body..rounding out the complexities, he frees himself from the cocoon that holds him...but more importantly, frees and feeds the lives of those he encounters, drawing them into his song, his dance. Our protagonist finds the perfect balance between reality and dreams..living in grown up fashion but never losing sight nor grasp of his imagination and wonderment..a lesson of lessons for all of us. My oldest is still talking about the punk rocker clown on stilts that emerged from the stage floor. And don’t even get her started on the 80 feet tall volcano dress. Without a Barnum, a Bailey or an exploited animal in sight, we three kids had all the fun and magic our hearts could hold and then some. Thank you, Laliberte and your band of creative geniuses. You Frenchies really do it up right.


“With feet firmly on the ground, eyes forever on the stars”.