Eleven
of us met to see Cirque du Soleil that evening, most of us arriving early
to get our seats and watch the pre-show with the Clowns. John and I had
never seen a Cirque du Soleil show before (not even on TV) and so were excited
and curious all at once. We had no idea what to expect, though we had heard
rave reviews from many sources about this show.
How to describe La Nouba? There really is no way to use words to paint a picture of this performance, to evoke the same imagery and emotion that this show does. It is a circus and musical, opera and acrobatics, all rolled into one - and then some. It truly is something that must be experienced to be appreciated and understood.
The
Disney Program describes the show as: "Once upon a time, a door opened and
two worlds collided. Dreams clashed with reality. The mundane mixed with
the marvelous. It was no longer possible to tell where one world began and
the other ended. This new place was called La Nouba."
The Cirque du Soleil website describes it as: "This creation is an unforgettable journey through this universe – at once threatening and exhilarating, frightening and familiar. La Nouba is the story of all stories, the site of all mysteries, where dreams and nightmares sleep side by side. La Nouba is memory, individual and universal. It beckons to us, challenges us to uncover passions we thought we'd lost long ago. Here, anything is possible.
"La
Nouba contains two types of families or groups and throughout the ride the
magic and fantasy of the colorful Cirques (circus people) clash with the
monochromatic world of the Urbains (urbanites). But as in fables, it is
not so much this contrast as the interplay between these two groups which
sparks our curiosity and feeds our imagination.
"From this encounter is born fear and ecstasy. From this encounter is born La Nouba. "
La
Nouba was one of the most incredible performances we've ever seen. The music
alone was wonderful and moving, carrying the listener away to the world
the show tried to create, perfectly complementing the various performances
on the stage.
There was never just one thing going on during the performance, and I found myself trying to watch everything going on all at once, my attention constantly drawn away from the main performance by the antics and performances of other characters off to the side and in the background.
I cannot recommend this performance enough. Though it is expensive, this is a show worth seeing.
We
had a wonderful time that evening, oo'ing and ah'ing over the acts with
our friends and family. We couldn't say thank you enough to Michelle for
giving us this as our wedding gift, and we were completely blown away by
the power and beauty of this show.
The hour and a half passed by so very quickly, and before we knew it, the show was over. We walked out, all talking excitedly about our favorite parts. It, like so much else on this wonderful wedding celebration/vacation, was something we would not soon ever forget.
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