Cirque du Soleil VOLTA: Show Review by Barbara Adler
Right off the bat, I want to say I am a huge Cirque du Soleil fan. I have seen several Cirque shows in Vegas, most memorably the Beatles tribute which was so enchanting it sent my admiration for the Cirque brand soaring even higher. Cirque du Soleil shows are known for their mind blowing athleticism, acrobatics, contortions, enchanting sets and riveting music. I attended Cirque’s latest creation, VOLTA, in a Big Top on the grounds of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum’s in Uniondale, NY on May 17, 2018.
Cirque’s 41st show, VOLTA, is themed around extreme sports. The atmosphere under the “Big Top’ was electric as this was opening night for the Long Island performances. While the show started noticeably late, the audience was quickly forgiving when the music started and we got our first glimpse of the beautiful costumes.
The “storyline” is about a popular game show host named Waz, who is distracted by fortune and fame, but starts a personal quest to find his true self by sifting through his childhood memories. After discovering a group of “Free Spirits” who encourage him during his journey, Waz apparently finds his true self, although the storyline was difficult to follow and at times, imperceptible. Admittedly, the story stopped mattering as I was being dazzled by the stunts, unexpected moments of modern dance, and colorfully creative costumes.
The Big Top is a one ring circus in the “round” so every seat is offers fantastic views. The small set kept the entertainment and flying antics contained and focused. The scenes included cell phone obsessed “Greys”, the BMX flying acrobats, parkour, shape diving, a three baton twirler, and many other nods to the younger audience members who likely had the greatest grasp of this performance. My favorite act was called the “Hair Hang”, which featured performer, Danila Bin suspended by a knot of hair on top of her head doing graceful and seemingly impossible aerial dancing. Besides being visually stunning, the suspense of her obviously dangerous position brought us all to the edge of our seats.
Anthony Gonzalez, from the French music band M83, wrote the riveting score for VOLTA which added a unique dimension of electronic melodies dotted with, at times, ear piercing vocals by Darius Harper and Camilla Bäckman.
All in all, VOLTA delivers its visually and musically stimulating show with humor and awe inspiring acrobatics. While it doesn’t compare to the large scale productions in Vegas, I would definitely recommend it as a family outing during the Long Island run through July 1st, 2018.
Visit https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/volta
