Loneliness, unrequited love, friendship, shared adventures, searching want ads for a partner, innocence and unexpected answers are some of the themes played out in this red-nosed clown escapade, Fools For Love directed by Jan Henderson, at the Vancouver Fringe Festival.
Two neighboring clowns share their quest for love as they both hunt the personal ads in newspapers. Sometimes in the wrong section. “Looking for someone who can do heavy lifting!” says the enthusiastic Rocket, played by Adam Keefe. “That’s jobs!” returns the more pragmatic Sheshells, played by Christine Lesiak. They pause in the obituaries and pets before they return to the disappointing want ads. “No clowns!”
Another fun moment this summer was seeing “Kooza” by the Cirque de Soleil. Having met clown, Ron Campbell on twitter, and then offline in L.A. last year, I was excited to see him performing live in the big tent in Vancouver.
Cirque de Soleil's big tent
If any of you have seen Cirque de Soleil, you understand that you need to buckle up and get ready for a big ride, and Kooza didn’t let us down!
Excited to see Kooza!
As we entered the space, I spotted Ron as the King of Clowns interacting with the audience along with his sidekicks. I especially enjoyed the threesome as they were very bouffon like and audience members were treated to some “special” attention. Their presence came and went throughout the show, giving physical performers time to change their costumes and prepare for the next spectacle, or to just give us a break to breathe again.
Yes…we spent a lot of time holding our breaths as the physical performers took their lives into their hands with height, spinning cages, wobbly chairs, and thin wires. The whole show was a smorgasbord of pliable bodies folding in unexpected shapes, hoola-hooping beyond imagination, leaping, flipping, climbing, balancing, stacking, dancing, cycling, and impressing us the audience who, by contrast, were frozen immobile in our seats.
All acts were supported sensitively by beautiful live music made up of two voluptuous voices, and an orchestra of talented musicians.
Afterward, we were fortunate to go behind the scenes, meet a few of the performers, view some of the specially constructed equipment (done by the performers), and hear some stories. (thank you Ron!)
Behind the scenes at Kooza
Cirque de Soleil has managed to harness an incredible amount of talent from the performers and creators, to all the behind the scene professionals (riggers, stage designers, costumers, lighting designers) into a spectacular ensemble that takes you on a journey of fantasy and awe.
A true entertainment escape! Have you ever experienced it?
Stay tuned for a few more summer vignettes….
(oh.. and here is a Cirque video, by Chris Wheeler, we happened to pop into that night!)
Trilby Jeeves ~ Bouffon Droppings... 