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'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house…..
Every
small
child
learns
to
recite
the
fifty-six
lines
of
this
late
19th
century
limerick
(of
disputed
authorship)
and
probably
carries
with
them
into
adulthood
the
quaint
story
of
St.
Nicholas'
midnight
ride
to
deliver
gifts
throughout
the
world.
My
own
earliest
memories
of
the
poem
involved
a
Christmas
Eve
phone
call
with
my
uncle,
then
living
in
Detroit,
when
I
insisted
on
reciting
the
entire
poem
while
my
mother
tried
to
dissuade
me
from
running
up
a
long-distance
bill!
The
charming
traditional
tale
has
inspired
many
a
dramatization,
song,
or
visual
offshoot
story
over
the
years,
so
it
is
no
surprise
that
the
mega
entertainment
franchise,
Cirque
du
Soleil
has
created
its
own
version
of
the
story.
The
eighty-minute,
one-act
retelling
was
part
of
the
company's
2022
holiday
touring
program,
and
I
was
able
to
catch
a
recent
performance
at
the
Wang
Theatre
in
Boston.
Cirque du Soleil originated as a street performance troupe called Les
Echassiers (The Stilt-Walkers) in Quebec City in 1984 and rapidly evolved into the theatrical, character and narrative-driven approach of its current productions. Notable are the absence of animals and the cohesive use of story, music, and circus skills to tell the tale. Currently, the largest contemporary circus company in the world, Cirque du Soleil is a multi-billion-dollar enterprise, employing almost 5,000 people and fielding multiple shows simultaneously worldwide.
The
formula
is
classic.
Into
the
framework
of
a
simple
plot
line
–
preferably
that
of
a
familiar
story
or
a
well-known
character
–
enhanced
with
live
(or
recorded
tracks
on
tour)
music,
again
chosen
from
existing
repertoire,
given
a
lavish
visual
production
with
colorful,
glitzy
costumes
and
as
many
special
effects
in
lighting
and
stage
magic
as
the
venue
will
permit,
the
signature
circus
acts
are
inserted,
each
performed
by
artists
who
"own"
that
particular
act.
The
ensemble
features
artists
learning
their
circus
trade,
performing
simpler
acts
and
"apprenticing"
to
learn
starring
feats
or
even
to
create
their
own
act
one
day.
Cirque's 'Twas the Night Before is the company's first-ever Christmas production. The libretto takes a slightly different twist on the familiar tale with Isabella, a jaded young girl, wandering away from her father into the night to search for the meaning of Christmas. The soundtrack uses well-known carols and holiday songs, while the choreography applies the eight core circus performance routines to interpret lines of the poem.
The program starts with the duo straps performing an intricate aerial pas
de deux of dazzling lifts that suggests the child, Isabella's fascination with
the snowfall and the magic of the night. The seeming weightlessness of the
pair and their effortless, airborne balletic grace launches the air of
wonderment. The ensemble of elves provides the next interlude with
dancing, juggling, and flying sparks of light. Next the company continues
with a funny group act on the Acro table using tumbling and other
gymnastic acrobatics to suggest the rambunctious children not in their
beds, but very excited for Santa's arrival.
Then comes another master solo act: the hotel cart. An aerial bellman's
cart serves as a very elusive platform for the artist portraying Ava, a spoiled
starlet, who discards the presents she disdains one by one.
Her choreographed piece includes head stands in mid- air, arabesques, and
triple axles – all in the precarious confines of the cart. She is followed by a
duo on roller skates who suggest a dance on a frozen lake. Their virtuosity
and perfectly timed feats conjure up their trust and love.
Another ensemble piece provides the segue. In Diabolo, a quartet of young
men toss and juggle glowing diabolos that complement the verses about the
merriment and twinkle in Santa's eyes. Then Isabella's father, who has
come in search of his daughter, doffs his long robes and performs
choreography on the aerial lamp.
The metallic disc soaring across the stage suggests the moonlight "on the
breast of the new fallen snow" in the poem. Together with the next act, a
woman performing an aerial balletic solo that allows her to use her arms
and legs freely because she is attached to the flying pic by her hair, are
perhaps the most breathtakingly lyrical of the show.
A fast-paced ensemble performance of hoop diving through a pillar of five
hoops high and ending in limber somersaults follows. The antics of the
eight gymnasts are meant to embody the frolicking of the reindeer, as
Isabella and her father are reunited and reopen the story book with the
poem they began at the start of the evening. Santa appears, and the
company all bring the performance to its joyously exuberant dancing
conclusion.
'Twas the Night Before is Cirque du Soleil served up in holiday garb, and
yet there is an indisputable magic all its own. There is comfort in the very
predictability of the story, music, and the circus acts themselves. The
audience can focus its attention on the dazzling virtuosity of the performers
and marvel at the danger-defying choreography they execute. The aerial
acts summon a sense of otherworldliness, while the acrobatics return us to
earth, albeit with a sense of superhuman strength and suppleness. Time
races by – helpful in sustaining the illusion and the tension. For less than
two hours, we become part of an experience that defies gravity and human
limitations. The fearlessness on stage is contagious, and we are inspired to
imagine ourselves travelers in a brightly colored world of infinite
possibilities.
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