How we took 4-year old Masha to see Cirque Du Soleil
| November 21, 2010 | Filled under reviews, Where to go with kids in Atlanta |
Last Saturday we saw the most amazing performance. We went to see “OVO” by Cirque Du Soleil in Atlanta.
I won tickets from AtlantaMoms.com. Can you believe my luck?
I was concerned that Masha (who just turned four) might get scared during the show. After all, the show is about insects that “work, eat, crawl, flutter, play, fight, and look for love in a non-stop riot of energy and movement”. I showed Masha the trailer a week before. She said it was not scary at all, and that she wanted to go see the flying gymnasts right away.
And we found ourselves inside the Grand Chapiteau, watching in awe the gymnasts and acrobats performing unbelievable series of tricks and stunts. It seemed like they transformed themselves into insect characters and gained the ability to fly.
A spider stood on his head on a unicycle and pended with his hands on a tight rope – that wasn’t even tight, it was slack and swinging! This is a little hard to describe with words, but taking pictures was not allowed.
There were Red Ants that juggled metal disks in a variety of back-breaking positions.
Performers dressed as grasshoppers walked across a twenty-six feet high vertical wall. Masha said: “Look, Mommy! There is a real Spiderman!”
When I saw these creatures walking up the wall, I thought: “I could not have just seen that, it is not humanly possible”. But they bounced off a trampoline and did it over and over, again and again. I could have watched them for hours.
Sometimes insects spoke. And when they did, it was about thirty percent of English, twenty percent French, and the rest – insect language.
We loved the music. It was an earthy, electronic, and melodic, but with a heavy beat and live singing.
The costumes were simply amazing. They transformed performers into insects from head to toe.
I have to admit that even though I liked the Cirque “clowns” – insects that provided some comic relief, I would rather have watched the acrobatic acts instead.
Masha sat still watching the artists for the entire show. She did not want to leave for an intermission – afraid that the show would start without her.
She was showing me the movements after we left the show. She watched the trailer about 100 times today. It shows the real characters/actors and a few seconds of several acts.
The show seems to have inspired her to be a gymnast – at least for now.
Logistics/Organization:
The show started at 8PM. The first part was an hour long, followed by a 30-minute intermission. The second part of the show was about an hour long as well.
I was afraid it might be cold inside the Chapiteau, but the temperature was just right, even though it was 44 F outside.
We were late because the traffic on the 75/85 connector to exit at Atlantic station was backed-up for miles. Once we finally made to the parking deck, there were no signs for Cirque Du Soleil Parking, so we spent a good 20 minutes going through the parking garage when there is in fact a dedicated lot just for Cirque du Soleil. I wish there had been signs pointing to the Cirque Du Soleil parking in the Atlantic Station parking deck.
Also, it would have been nice to get programs for free.
Overall, the show was very colorful and full of energy. I think I became a fan of Cirque Du Soleil for life. In fact, I joined a Cirque Club today.
I am looking forward to seeing another Cirque Du Soleil show soon.
Review disclaimer: I received no monetary compensation for this review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.
