So I see this is coming to my town (Hartford) - not exactly a cultural bastion (with a few exceptions).
I’ve never seen a Cirque de Soleil show, and from all accounts they’re worth it. Worth the $50 - $80 bucks?
The show that’s coming is Varekai.
Note that I did a search on this show, and there was one older thread on this, but not sure on the rules on resurrecting old threads. Plus I wanted newer opinions.
So…should I go?
It was fucking AWESOME.
And I am so totally not the type of guy to like acrobatics and stuff like that, but yeah, it was great. Go.
–Cliffy
I took my wife as a wedding present to her, and she took me skiing (each activities that the giver enjoys less that the recipient). Anyhow, I sprung for the Tapis Rouge package, had second-row seats in the center, and was very pleased with the whole evening. I was absolutely astounded, I laughed out loud in places, and I giggled like a child at some of the acrobatics and routines.
I thoroughly enjoyed Varekai, and recommend it. I wouldn’t take anyone that you aren’t already serious with – it’s a big chunk of change – but if you’ve got someone, bring them along.
I saw La Nouba in Orlando and it was well worth the price for second row seats. I would love to see Varekai - I’ve seen it on DVD and it’s one of my favorites. Nothing can compare to seeing them live.
I haven’t seen Varekai, but $50-$80 will definitely be worth it for even their worst tours–particularly if you’ve never seen them before!
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Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm lurve
The only Cirque du Soileil show that I have been to is Dralion at the Royal Albert Hall and Oh. My. Gawd!! it was THE most amazing show that I have ever been to!!
From the minute it started to the minute it finished, my eyes were like saucers, my jaw hit the floor and I was just absolutely struck dumb with awe!!
It’s like you’re a child again and you get to see all the wonders of the world all at one in vibrant colours!!
So my advice? GO!! GO!! GO!!!
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I’m going to see Alegria in January (again at the R.A.H.) and I cannot WAIT!!!
We went to **Dralion ** last time they were here in Ohio (openning night) and we’ve got tickets for Varekai this Friday.
When I found out they were coming back, I ordered the tickets immediately, no thought required.
Totally worth it.
My GF and I saw their Mystere show in Vegas (where Cirque de Soleil rules with an iron fist) with another couple. It was pretty good even though some of it is basically naked dudes climbing on each other (my buddy and I kept making Cirque de So Gay jokes all night).
In any event, it’s worth seeing if you’ve never been.
We saw Dralion and then Varekai, two years apart. I was not as blown away by Varekai as I was by Dralion.
I’ve seen La Nouba and Quidam, and while the former was the better of the two neither disappointed. I can’t imagine Varekai being a ripoff. For that matter I have a hard time imagining any Cirque du Soleil show being poor.
Pretty much what Cliffy said.
I saw Varekai in Baltimore a month or two ago: one of the best live shows of any kind that I’ve ever seen (and I’m a big theatre fan). Just amazing. You’ll never see anything else like it – with the possible exception of another Cirque du Soleil show, of course. 
Vareaki is not my favorite Cirque show, they are all good.
I almost started a thread myself, here goes with a hijack;
I just went to Toronto last Sunday to see the new show ** Corteo.** I went with a friend of mine, he joined the Cirque club and gets a weekly email. Last week one said “for the Toronto show, bring a copy of this and we will upgrade your seats if possible” Any unused seats for VIP’s or media or what have you. The box office opened at 11:00. We were in line at ten ‘till, the second people. Our seats were pretty good, but row AA was better. Now you think that AA is the row after Z right? Oh no, AA is FRONT ROW seats 3&4 off the center isle.
This was only the third day of the run in Toronto of the new show. The differences from other shows I’ve seen, it was preformed in the round. Well, two halves. Take a circle and the stage was band across the middle, with a wide round spot at the center. The cast could enter from either side or drop from the ceiling. I’d say the main stage design theme was late 1700’s Italy. The costumes were ‘normal’ clothes. Top hats and Victorian frock coats at times. Very little (if any) stylized make up. Regular faces. We’ve all seen an act where girls twirl, twist, and hang from hoops or a trapeze from the ceiling right? How about done on chandeliers while wearing velvet dresses?
The music was OK, solid, kind of the same as always. (Aligeria is still my fav.) The first half was great, no annoying wretched contemporary clowns like the ones in Varaki. The theme held together, and segued nicely from part to part. After intermission they opened with a jaw dropper of an act. After that…. The wheels fell off the wagon. There were two acts back to back, that bored me to tears. The one was technically wonderful but I hated it. Someday if you see this show, I’ll explain. The other was a vaudeville style comedy routine that was way too long and not very funny. The final act was meh?
I guess I’m jaded. Varaki and this one don’t seem as good as the other traveling shows. With all the attention in Las Vegas I’m beginning to think that they are spreading too thin. A lovely day, a nice show I’m happy I went and enjoyed it, all critiques aside. Did I mention the FRONT ROW SEATS?
I’ll go and see any of them if the chance comes up.
Thanks for mentioning that.
The first Cirque show I ever saw was on the Santa Monica Pier in California. It was fantastic. Then I went again about two years later. Very good.
Then I moved to Las Vegas.
There is a Cirque in Treasure Island, another in Bellagio, another in New York New York, another in MGM Grand, and Dragone also created the show for Celine Dion and just did the new show at Wynn. And surprise surprise, at the Mirage where Siegfried and Roy used to perform, there is a new show, Yellow Submarine from the Beatles being performed by, ta da, Cirque.
Granted, I know these shows are great so that every non-English-speaking tourist can plunk down big bucks and have a nice night and they are also great to take grandma and the little nieces and nephews. But enough is fucking enough. If you have seen one, you have pretty much seen them all.
However, if you have never seen one, by all means go. You will like it a lot.
But with 12,942 shows running worldwide at the same time, I can’t imagine there is an unemployed gymnast left on this planet.
It never fails to amaze me how topics come up here just when I want them…I saw La Nouba just last weekend in Orlando and it was indeed worth the price. It was a good long show too. I kept thinking, well, that’s about it, and then another act would come out. I really liked the little girls (tiny women?) with the spools.
Dung Beetle, I tried out a set of those spools in the gift shop next to the theatre. It is much harder than it looks to keep the spool balanced. Didn’t buy the spool, but did get a really cool hat.
They had the Cirque guys on 60 Minutes last week. The oldest Vegas show is pretty old. I think it started 15 years ago – which is hard to believe. So I can see why they need to add new stuff. People generally don’t see these things multiple times.
Also, the Vegas shows tend to be much more different from each other than the travelling shows are. One is a water act, with a huge pool. Another one is adult with topless bits. And another one has a huge rotating, tilting gimbaled stage. Plus the whole Beatles thing, which is probably a huge mistake.
To the original question: you should see Cirque at least once. It is expensive but no more than a Broadway play. I saw the show in Hartford last year and they have a pretty neat set-up there.
After seeing the show, I was just eaten up with curiosity about these people and how they learn to do this stuff (and why? and how much money do they make? and where do they live? and do they like each other? and do they have to shave their head if they don’t want to? etc.) I have a book about it coming through interlibrary loan.
They are called Devil Sticks and it turns out it isn’t hard if someone who knows how teaches you - even my six year old got it spinning and managed to throw it up and catch it. I’d previously spent years picking them up with no luck. Of course, throwing it up and catching it after jumping off the shoulders of someone and doing a sommersault is probably harder.
Didn’t we used to have a Doper who’s husband travelled with Cirque as a musician?