FUTURE, the protagonist of Cirque du Solei’s ECHO invites you into a fantasy world of animals and human characters all in white. This is Cirque’s 20th show and it blends theatricality with circus and narrative. It’s a soft production, with impressive video design and creative circus artists work. The evening features a series of acts that fall within the spectrum of stunning to underwhelming. Overall, ECHO is full of talent, theatrics, and beautiful design, but the production on a whole misses the visually stunning category.
The story unfolds with FUTURE (Louana Seclet-Monchot) and Ewai the Dog (Philippe Dupuis) guiding the audience through to discovering the cube. This giant physical cube sits center of the stage, and the projection design has paper animals gliding across it. The animals occasionally look like porcelain and paper mixed together. Dancers perform a vertical ballet on the cube, as it spins. It’s beautiful and especially striking when you realize that the Cube has doors within its structure.
In the act titled Extraction and Icarian Games two acrobats Robel Weldemikae and Meareg Mehari perform flips and rotations that are jaw dropping. They move and balance like there is nothing holding them back. The way in which Weldemikae carries Mehari is a feast for the eyes.
It is worth mentioning that Double Trouble, the clowns Clement Malin and Thomas Gaskin are a delight with their antics, while the scenes are changing and the set is transitioning. Their first act with a ladder and their second act with carrying many boxes is entertaining and they definitely got the crowd involved.
The ariel act of Alma Danira Quintanar and Penelope Elena Scheidler also in the first half, has them flying through the air suspended by their hair and sometimes their mouths. This act is an innovative theatrical act but the surreal nature of their strengths wears off by the end. It’s like this act isn’t dynamic enough, though the talent is impactful.
The first half of ECHO also includes the act titled Resist and Express – Banquine and Korean Cradle, where a handful of acrobats spin, leap and catch each other midair. Think multiple artists standing on each other’s shoulders. The speed is mind bending and their final sequence is impactful.
The first half comes to a close with a life size, red robot and FUTURE in its hand. It’s a bit of a shock after the whimsical softness of the opening. It’s theatrical and the act is made much better by the singing and live band in the back of the stage.
The second half features Double Slack Wire artists Taras Hoi and Evgeny Vasilenko. Balancing on a tightwire is expected in circus shows, and these artists are certainly talented, but their act didn’t hold the tension as well as it could. This act didn’t feel as impressive as it could have been.
Both FUTURE and Ewai have acts in the second half, FUTURE as a trapeze artist and Ewai as a juggler. Both of these acts are underwhelming, especially in contrast to the talent and theatricality of the previous acts. FUTURE does work on the trapeze, but it feels less powerful when the previous acts had the artists hanging from their hair. Ewai’s juggling is a little muted and is the slowest act in the second half.
The contortionist Eddie Brown is a wonder to watch. His bends and flexibility is unreal and he does it with such flair, dressed as a lizard. This act is dynamic and entertaining and almost painful to watch. The accompanying music and vocals adds another layer of complexity..
The half wraps up with a triple teeterboard act. They are dressed as birds and soar through the air to land on a particular part of the teeterboard. It’s quite mesmerizing, high energy, and a great act to end the show on.
The narrative of each act features animals costumed by Nicolas Vaudelet. The animals are all in white with masks and this imagery creates a sharp theatrical flare to the production. The musicians and singers are costumed as stags in black. Their movement contrasts with the white animals or other humans throughout the performance. The superb lighting and video design elevates the production with The Cube dominating the stage in simple design.
ECHO by Cirque du Soleil is on tour under the Big Top at Stampede Park and runs until October 19th. Tickets and more information is available online.
Photos: Jean-François Savaria, Costumes: Nicolas Vaudelet, Cirque du Soleil 2023.