Cirque du Soleil offers ‘OVO’

Imaginative insects fly high in new show

BY MICHAEL SOMMERS

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

OFF BROADWAY REVIEW

Cirque du Soleil presents an especially lovely, high-flying vision of insect land with its latest touring show "OVO," which opened over the weekend at Randall's Island Park in the East River.

Beautifully designed and imaginatively costumed, "OVO" strings along a series of top-flight acrobatic and gymnastic acts on a theme of biodiversity that's nice yet never impedes the show's thrills and fun.

Several among Cirque's past events have been too arty and/or pretentious to be enjoyable, but this beguiling production strikes the right balance between entertainment and circle-of-life imagery. The various bugs popping up here are fabulous creatures but their top mission is to wow the audience.

A characteristically dreamy melding of atmospheric visuals, luscious Brazilian fusion music and exciting cirque acts performed by a 54-member troupe, "OVO" flows along with extra grace from sometimes sinuous, sometimes skittering choreography provided by director Deborah Colker.

An evocative opening scene that depicts the various denizens of the insect world waking up establishes a cheerful, energetic mood that infuses the entire show with a happy buzz.

Running two hours — plus a generous 30-minute intermission to hit the concessions and souvenir ateliers — the show's highlights include a romantic mid-air idyll between a couple of rope artistes, a bravura flying trapeze act by a brawny sextet and a marvelously precise foot-juggling routine by half a dozen sharply in sync acrobats garbed as red ants. The buggy theme particularly fits the nifty contortionist and hand-balancing acts whose movements suggest the flexibility of insects. A terrific finale integrates wall-climbing and trampoline tumbling by 20 lithe athletes dressed colorfully as fleas and crickets.

Amusing byplay between an egg-toting stranger (antic Francois-Guillaume LeBlanc) and a flirtatious ladybug (adorable Michelle Matlock) passes the time agreeably between some of the circus acts. Let's mention incidentally how nice it is to see a woman of size and color pursued romantically here and plenty of moms in the audience probably will be pleased to note it too.

"OVO" continues through June 6 in its Grand Chapiteau at Randall's Island Park, East River, New York. Call 1 (800) 450-1480 or visit www.cirquedusoliel.com/ovo.