In Awe of Feats: What to See at Downtown Disney
Written: Oct 23 '01 (Updated Dec 14 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: You'll never see anything like it (except another Cirque du Soleil show)
Cons: There's so much stuff competing for your cash in Orlando, this might get overlooked
The Bottom Line: Downtown Disney is fun for the whole family -- and Cirque du Soleil is its shining star!
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| sumo_rhino's Full Review: Walt Disney World |
The Best Time We Nearly Never Had
We almost missed it. We almost didn't go.
We almost shrugged our shoulders and passed on the opportunity to attend a showing of Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba, the resident production at Walt Disney World's Downtown Disney in Orlando.
The Cirque facility is located at the end of Downtown Disney -- a functional outdoor shopping mall that includes DisneyQuest (an indoor interactive park spanning five floors and offering fun via real-time3D and virtual reality attractions and rides), a vast World of Disney store, a Lego store with impressive Lego sculptures, a Rainforest Cafe restaurant, Planet Hollywood, and House of Blues, as well as other shops, eateries, and nightlife spots.
You should definitely include Downtown Disney in your Walt Disney World dealing. Unlike the parks, of course, there's no parking fee or admission cost. Just stroll around and enjoy!
La Nouba opened in December of 1998 in a fabulous new building of pure white with dramatic spires that suggest circus tent poles and a surrounding portico that maintains the tent motif. Cirque du Soleil is an incredible fusion of bizarre visuals, unbelievable acts of agility and physical skill, dazzling art production, breathtaking derring-do, and a theater-of-the-absurd hodgepodge of artistry set to the mood-inspiring original live music.
During our stay in Orlando, which included visits with our kids to all the major Disney parks (i.e., the Magic Kingdom, Disney/MGM Studios, Epcot, and the Animal Kingdom), La Nouba was the runaway highlight for my wife and me.
All the World's a Stage (And I Had a Walk-On Part)
The summer we were in Orlando, my brother-in-law had been stage-managing La Nouba since it opened.
Our connection helped us land front row seats, and we settled in for the show in time to watch two clowns "work" the arriving audience. Their bits were hilarious and seemingly spontaneous -- though their timing and artful performances exhibited the greatness of a well polished act.
Part of their schtick involved antics surrounding the movement of and arrangement of stacks of boxes. As they made their way down to the stage (a modified thrust that put the downstage action with audience on three sides), they toppled their cargo on top of my wife, our oldest daughter, and me.
Once the show began, we were visually and aurally assaulted with an overload of sights and sounds. The music played an integral character in the show, and we later purchased the soundtrack.
The show unfurled with fluid transitions, the basic process being a series of acts melded together.
Two guys rolled out in circular hoops like pared down hamster treadmills. Then, working in tandem, they manipulated the hoop-wheels like gymnastic apparatus, as they flipped, spun, and rolled with them.
A highwire act appeared above the stage.
We watched a nimble fellow stack a series of chairs atop one another. He built a tower -- ascending as he went -- and performed handstands and other balancing acts high above the audience.
A trio of young Chinese girls trotted out and displayed amazing timing and expertise with diabolos, working in unison and interacting.
All the while, a storyline took form amidst the astonishing acts, and the wildly costumed characters interacted and reappeared with their distinctly individual personalities.
At one point, a muscular man appeared and grabbed a long, flowing, red scarf/curtain that descending from the ceiling. He used the curtain to support himself and take flight high above the stage, contorting his body with amazing strength and flexibility.
The set continued to evolve and transform throughout the show, and scenes were connected with freakish visuals and punctuated with exciting music.
Trampolinists took the stage to leap gracefully into flips and twist, often using set pieces of building facades to transition from one trampoline bed to the other -- sometimes disappearing in a window and diving out of a window on a different floor of the symbolic building.
The clowns repeatedly appeared to offer hearty laughs and comical capers.
Late in the show, a runway of trampolines were revealed in a large X on the stage floor, and an onslaught of tumblers and acrobats flipped and bounced with frenetic delight.
There were two acts involving entertainers on bicycles -- performing various stunts, balancing maneuvers, and generally exhibiting total control of their bikes.
One of the cyclists left the stage, bouncing his way down among the audience and up the aisle. Then, a clown approached me and a spotlight followed as we returned to center stage. He whispered so the audience couldn't hear. (During the show, the audience never hears the characters speak.) "Welcome to the circus," he said. "Lie down on your back."
I did as I was told, all the while wondering what was going on behind me and what was in store in the coming moments.
It occurred to me that lying on my back with my feet to the audience, it was very likely the swell of my gut was lifting my shirt to expose skin between my shorts and shirt. Oh, well. Humility in the name of the circus. Or, at least, all in the name of a laugh.
The clown was now on the floor beside me and he snuggled up to me, explaining what was going to happen and putting me at ease. But, I'd already surmised what to expect, and I was convinced I was in no real danger.
The cyclist returned to the stage and bounced his way next to me opposite the clown, who mugged mercilessly by patting my paunch and signaling he'd be safe hidden behind its soft cushion.
Soon, the cyclist bounced a few gentle times next to me and sudden sprung his bike and himself over us.
I was returned to my seat with kind applause from the crowd. And an usher soon sneaked up beside me with a special certificate to officially document a "magical moment" at Walt Disney World.
After the show, a kid seated near by came up to me wide-eyed, as if I were one of the cast members. "That was cool! How'd you know what to do? Did you practice?"
Of course, I wanted to launch into a mischievous fib about my extensive training, but I just told him the truth. Well, most of it. I didn't bother explaining that my brother-in-law was stage manager and that I suspected (and later confirmed) he'd told the clown to select me for the stunt.
As the crowds cleared out, we met my wife's brother and he gave us a backstage tour, meeting some of the performers. We saw the training room and the technical workings above the stage. And we met people who worked in the costume shop, repairing and maintaining the vivid outfits and props.
Later, we watched the show from the control booth.
We were so glad we acquiesced and attended the show. Not only was it the highlight of our trip (for us adults), it converted us to certified Cirque fanatics. We've since seen Alegria, the Cirque show that closed its residency at the Beau Rivage resort in Biloxi to begin a tour. And we'll see Dralion in Dallas this December.
For more about the world of Cirque du Soleil, visit www.cirqudusoleil.com.
If you visit Walt Disney World, know that it'll be money well spent if you set aside funds to attend a performance of La Nouba.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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sumo_rhino
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Location: East Texas
Reviews written: 23
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It's not what you know, it's how much you weigh
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