Cirque du Soleil - KOOZA

Cirque du Soleil not only knows on how to put on a show, but they know how to treat their audiences.

Cirque du Soleil Photos credit OSA

(SALEM, Ore.) - During times of stress I don’t dream of chucking it all and moving to a desert island. I dream of chucking it all and joining the circus.

Not just any circus. Cirque du Soleil — Circus of the Sun. If you haven't seen it you’re missing out on the best show on Earth.

Over the years I've watched at least half a dozen Cirque du Soleil videos, but I've never caught one of their performances even though they appear somewhat regularly in Portland.

I always hear about it after they’re gone. If I hadn't been in Portland for Mothers Day, I might have missed it again. My son pointed out the tents as we passed by. I bought tickets through their website just as soon as I got home.

The title of this particular show is Koozå. (This is not to be confused with kazoo.) If you’re scratching your head wondering what that means, I don't think it means anything. It’s only a sound perhaps. Or maybe the meaning slipped by me in all the excitement.

Like most of their productions the show has a fantastic story-thread which loosely binds all the acts together. In this case The Innocent, a young boy in a striped outfit, is presented a series of miraculous experiences by The Trickster.

Now like any circus you got your contortionists. You got your aerialists, your acrobats, your clowns, your Wheel of Death guys leaping about in a couple of giant, twirling gerbil wheels, even a hoop performer (who hulas like I've never seen before)--all backed up by a fusion rock band and a couple of sultry lady vocalists singing I-don't-know-what-but-it-all-sounds-good-to-me.

But none of this is run-of-the-mill circus entertainment you’d find anywhere else.

What I'm thinking is that these performer aren't exactly what you’d call human. If you’ve seen the X-Men movies or read the comics you’ll be familiar with Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngers who are in fact mutants with abilities far beyond those of mortal men.

Now I'm not saying these people are genetically different than you or me, but they certainly perform like super-beings and heck they’ve got their costumes already picked out. You can't tell me that someone who rides around on a unicycle (as does Yuri Shavro) twirling a full-grown woman around his neck isn't super-human. And super-beings (see: FOX News report) might not be as far fetched as you might think.

Cirque du Soleil not only knows on how to put on a show, but they know how to treat their audiences.

You have to understand that Cirque du Soleil sets up in any large, flat space. Completely self-contained as far as can be practical.

They bring everything they need and everything you need including comfortable seating and clean, sanitary restroom facilities. This latter item can be more important than you might think.

And listen to this: The stage is smaller than I thought it would be which puts the performance practically in your lap.

There isn't a bad seat in the house--well, there is one seat better than the rest, but why I should say that you’ll have to find out by seeing the show for yourself.

You won't need to bring your binoculars because nobody sits all that far from the stage. The sets, lighting, props and costumes are all surreal in Cirque du Soleil’s trademark fashion.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. What makes me think I could be in a circus? I'm not super-human. I'm not even an ordinary aerialist or a contortionist or a clown. (No wisecracks out there!) While I do some sleight-of-hand with coins and cards, sadly it’s not going to play big enough to fill a circus.

So should I just forget about it? No, because I do play bass and guitar. All I have to do is to convince Cirque bassist Jean-Louis Locas to take a year’s sabbatical and then I could sit in his chair.

That would be the thrill of a lifetime.

What if Jean-Louis is happy where he is? Maybe I could be a roustabout or maybe just sell tickets. It really doesn't matter what.

Here’s link anyone can follow to be part of the most thrilling show on Earth: cirquedusoleil.com/jobs/index.asp#

Now you can run off and join the circus, but if that’s more than you’re up for at least catch their show before they leave on May 23rd.

To learn more about Cirque du Soleil see:

• cirquedusoleil.com
• Photos credit OSA
• Images Costume credit: Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt © 2007 Cirque du Soleil