Review: Cirque Du Soleil's KOOZA is an amazing experience

After being seen by over 7 million people across the globe, Cirque Du Soleil’s latest production, KOOZA, is finally in Singapore.

KOOZA opened last Wednesday night (12 July) at the trademark blue-and-yellow Big Top tent on Bayfront Avenue next to Marina Bay Sands. A number of local celebrities and social media influencers including Zoe Tay, Joanne Peh, Qi Yu Wu and Xiaxue were present.

KOOZA sees 50 performers including acrobats and musicians from 19 countries, coming together to put on a show that combines acrobatics with the art of clowning. It highlights the human connection and the world of duality, good and bad.

The show starts with the Trickster bursting onto the scene like a jack-in-the-box in front of the Innocent, where he brings the Innocent on a journey to meet many comical characters. Amid the laughter and jokes, KOOZA addresses important issues of identity, power and recognition.

To me, KOOZA was simply amazing. Every thing about it was just so good. From the custom-made costumes, to the live musicians and singers and even the beautiful set design, everything was lovely. But what really blew me away were the performances and characters. Here are a few:

The ‘hold your breath’ acts

I found myself being worried for some of the performers. I was worried that they might fall. I was worried that they might lose their balance. I was worried that there might be an unexpected accident.

After all, aren’t they all humans too? But somehow, they proved that my worries were for nothing as they finished their acts without breaking a sweat.

First up, the High Wire. What’s a circus without a tightrope performance? Four acrobats walked, ran and even jumped over and on each other on the tightrope.

It was thrilling to see how effortlessly they performed in the air feats which most of us would find hard to do even on the ground. That was taken to another level, literally, when the performers cycled on the twin high wires suspended 7m above the ground.

It was amazing how the bicycles didn’t fall, considering how thin the tightrope was. One of them even stood on a chair, on a stick, holding the two bicycles together, all in the air. Colour me impressed!

If you’re scared of heights, maybe it would be wise to look away during the Balancing on Chairs act. But that isn’t an option for China acrobat Yao Deng Bo, who clearly doesn’t get stage fright.

Using a pedestal and eight chairs, passed to him one by one by his fellow acrobats, he created a 7m tower. He then balanced himself on top of that so perfectly, with just his bare hands and body.

It was truly amazing how the tower didn’t collapse, unlike how building blocks will whenever you try to stack them up. This display of the human body and muscular control blew me away.

Imagine running on a thread mill, but one that rotates in circles and is elevated off the ground. That’s exactly what two acrobats from Colombia did in the Wheel of Death.

Weighing 725kg, the Wheel saw the two acrobats leaping and counter-rotating in and on it even as it moved at heart-stopping speeds.

I found myself holding my breath many times as they started leaping and jumping on the spinning wheel, almost defying gravity. The teamwork and fearless acrobatics of the two performers was impressive and was definitely the most electrifying performance hands down.

The ‘WOW’ acts

And then of course there were the jaw-dropping acts. What the human body can do is actually really bewildering. From physical contortion to exceptional balance and mind-blowing twists and turns, it was intriguing, to say the least.

Can you imagine being able to move your body like a snake? Three young contortionists from Mongolia twisted and turned every part of their body from their limbs to their torso and even their necks. It was as they didn’t have joints at all.

While certain of their gestures might come across as a bit disturbing and touchy, I was fascinated by their innovation in movements and positions. The beauty of the whole performance was simply breathtaking.

There were two acts that made use of hoops – the Aerial Hoop and Hoops Manipulation. The Aerial Hoop performer was flying, swooping, spinning and swinging in every direction on a suspended hoop. The best part came when she hanged her neck on the hoop midair, which was followed by a round of applause.

Similarly, the Hoops Manipulation performer left me shell-shocked over how she was able to spin seven hoops on different parts of her body simultaneously! The high level of difficulty and her fluidity of movement was really out of this world.

Supporting characters both a blast and a letdown

The main characters, the Innocent and the Trickster, weren’t bad or lacking anything in particular. In fact, their performances added alue to the whole storyline. However, it was the supporting characters who stole the limelight instead.

The Mad Dog was probably the funniest character in the show. Every time it appeared, there were roars of laughter from the crowd. It does a lot of silly antics, including chasing and barking at everyone, being almost impossible to control. The Mad Dog was clearly a crowd favourite.

The only letdown of KOOZA has got to be the King and his clowns. Each time they came on stage, I rolled my eyes to the back of my head. As the King’s indispensable sidekicks, the clowns try to gain respect of those who are crazier than them by passing the King’s crown around. They also often mock those at the front row, sprinkling them with confetti and popcorn.

Even MediaCorp artiste Shaun Chen, who was seated at the front row, wasn’t spared and was dragged on stage as a ‘volunteer’. Kudos to Shaun for being such a good sport though, at least we had a good laugh. Okay, maybe they weren’t that annoying. They were probably just annoyingly funny.

KOOZA ended with a finale performance which saw some of the acrobats flinging themselves onto a Teeterboard, doing crazy somersaults a good 9m above the ground. By the end of it, there was a standing ovation by the entire audience. It was really that good.

If you’re planning to catch the show too, here are a few tips:

1. Come early. Doors open an hour before the start of the show, and there is a tent where you can walk around to purchase merchandise and get complimentary drinks.

2. Bring headphones. The music and lights may be slightly overwhelming for kids, so parents should consider bringing them in case they start crying halfway.

3. Bring a sweater. It can get a little bit chilly in the 2,600-seater room, especially when you’re watching such nerve-wrecking acts, so don’t forget to keep warm.

4. Don’t use your phone. Just live in the moment, allow your inner child to come out and be fascinated by everything around you.

KOOZA will be in Singapore until 20 August 2017. Show timings are at 8pm on Tuesdays to Fridays, 4.30pm and 8pm on Saturdays and 1.30pm and 5pm on Sundays. Ticket prices start from $88 (via Sistic). More information can be found on KOOZA’s official website.

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