Excitement has been building as the world-famous Cirque du Soleil brings 'Luzia' to Brisbane.
'Luzia' the spectacle was born in 2016, and takes the audience on an imaginary tour of Mexico, one of the truly amazing cultures of the world. The word 'Luzia' itself reflects this imaginary status, a play on the Spanish words for light (luz) and rain (iluvia). The audience is well aware of the importance of the use of water in the show, and anticipation is high around the visual impact of the water curtain in particular. The show incorporates a massive water feature, an incredible undertaking to send on a large tour such as this, and 'Luzia' is the first show by Cirque which integrates the use of water under the grand chapiteau (big top). As with all Cirque du Soleil shows, acrobatics will be the focus, so we are curious as to how they incorporate this water feature into the show. Put together by a huge creative team, the show promises to be a momentous evening.
The cast are of course the feature of the show, and they comprise performers from Australia, Canada, Colombia, Finland, France, Italy, and a dozen other countries. Around 40 per cent of the entrants into the Cirque du Soleil are reportedly retired athletes or dancers, and after watching the show, it is obvious that such a background is a given. The performers are truly incredible, twisting and contorting, pushing their bodies through tiny holes with incredible accuracy. The mastery of their art is on full display.
The 'Luzia' performance itself commences as a parachutist lands in a field of marigolds (cempasuchil), beside a giant metallic key. As the key is turned the adventure commences!
Image © Anne Colliard
The first part of the adventure provides one of the iconic images of the show, that of the monarch butterfly. The butterfly’s six-metre wing span, floating gently as the acrobat runs forward on the treadmill, is supported by assistants just off stage, and we are treated to an interpretation of the butterfly’s migratory journey from Canada to Mexico. As many know, the monarch butterfly is played by Queensland’s own Helena Merten. Hoop diving follows, another iconic act from 'Luzia', as the acrobats dive through a series of hoops, ever higher, all the while wearing outrageous yet beautiful costumes (this time the multi-coloured hummingbirds). It’s a joyful segment, with athletes diving forward, backwards, all the while moving on a treadmill which reverses course depending on the nature of the dive.
One of the hummingbirds is Australia’s second acrobat for the show, Nelson Smyles, who has toured with Cirque since 2017. Another feature of the hummingbirds on the treadmills and hoops is that we hear ‘Asi Es La Vida’, the best-known piece of music created for the show. The fantasy moves to a slower segment, the Adagio, where a female acrobat is flung skywards, then at times being used as a skipping rope. It's in the Adagio segment that we really start to understand the vital importance of trust for these acrobats.
Trapeze artists join the stage for the next act, another one of the iconic views, where an artist rolls around on a hoop between agave plants in the desert. The rain creates a stunning visual, as a trapeze artist is held high above the stage performing her own beautiful movements. Shortly following was the night’s highlight performance, where a male acrobat is raised into the air by one arm by a strap, constantly dipping towards the water below (a magical sink hole, known as a cenote), all the while interacting beautifully with, and befriending, a larger-than-life jaguar (again important in Mexican mythology). The jaguar is manoeuvred by on-stage actors, and the segment provides a stunning visual impression of the relationship and growing trust between the acrobat and wild animal.
The show moves forward with incredible juggling, and a surreal scuba diving session where the protagonist declines the ropes head first with a full skin diving kit, providing a range of humorous interactions with fish as he descends. The unbelievable Russian swings follow, at times difficult to watch, given the repercussions of the slightest timing miss. Seeing Helena Merten suddenly end this segment atop the swing, cantilevered out above the crowd, is an incredible and fitting end to this act!
Image © Anne Colliard
The show’s visuals are totally mind-blowing in every aspect! The sets and props are put together by Eugenio Caballero. His vision was to present the colour, traditions and modernity of his native Mexico, while proving an incredible visual scape to support the stories. The costumes, designed by Giovanna Buzzi, are exceptional, and work perfectly with the sets.
The music, composed and directed by Simon Carpentier, evokes Mexico completely, and in this reviewer's opinion, the music on the evening is even more enjoyable than the recorded soundtrack, sounding slightly more mournful, with a real focus on the trumpet and massive tuba (along with the drums, guitar, and marimbas).
The much talked-about water feature has its greatest impact when rotating early in the show, dumping thousands of (constantly recycling) water in various shapes, many of which are mystical, lit by a truly amazing – yet very subtle – lighting setup.
This show's crowd includes young families, couples on dates, serial 'Cirque' attendees. . . Seeing the smiles on faces there is no doubt as to the success of this show. This is one of the reasons why families and couples, people of all ages, keep coming back, show after show, year after year, to see the incredible performances put together by this beautiful creative team.
To my mind, understanding exactly what the story is, and exactly who each of the protagonists are, is not the point. This is a surreal show, it does present a world suspended between dreams and reality led by the mythology which is key to much of Mexico’s incredible culture, and with this in mind, one can go and enjoy the show the way it should be enjoyed.
