I’m back for now! I am very excited to say I will be attending Quidam in Charlottesville on April 4th! The last time I attended the show was in 2006 in Philadelphia. I very much look forward to finally seeing the show in arena format. My seats are dead center and quite possibly first row! Expect updates on the experience here.
In the meantime, I came across this video today:
Normally when Quidam or any Cirque du Soleil show visits a location a few performers will visit a news station and perform part of their act. This might be the first time I have seen a musician feature their role with the show. Just to note, that is a carbon fiber cello. Enjoy!
I am so sorry to those of you who frequent my site for my lack of updates. I wish I had a good excuse, but it is simply my busy life and putting my priorities in a different order. I did want to post something quick today. Which is the fact that the Diabolo act has changed costumes for the arena tour. I am assuming this is because it is now performed by adults than children (since arena shows can’t have schools). Here is a photo from a performance in Vancouver. What are your thoughts on the costume change? I personally am not the biggest fan. The old costumes portrayed the performers as tin men like characters..which helped the show portray the “Wizard of Oz” fantasy world impression. Also, the Diabolos are meant to follow the children’s games theme. i just wonder if they could have chosen something more youthful or a closer representation of the old costumes. Click the photo for more.
With my other post about the statue act, I thought I would bring attention to this video posted by La Vision (Richard Jecsmen and Yana Semilet). If you compare the performances you will see quite a few differences (and similarities). This group, also seen on the DVD but with Carmita Lorador, uses full body makeup…which I think really enhances the effect of the act. They have some different moves, in particular I notice they do not do what I call the diamond pose where they are in the standing position with the woman upside down balancing on each other’s shoulders and symmetrically lift (or lower) one leg to create almost a diamond shape.
This article is from December 11th about the management that goes on behind the scenes of a cirque show. There is mention of Quidam’s transition:
Surprisingly, he said, except for redesigning a lighter, quick-to-assemble set, Quidam didn’t require major alterations for its arena shift.
The size of the cast remains the same, although the clown act has been pared down from three performers to one (Toto, doing numbers created by David Shiner).
Most of the changes were technical, he said. It was the five-rail ceiling track, or telepherique, that posed the biggest challenge. At the big top, it crossed the entire tent, which isn’t possible in an arena. “What we did is cut a section of the telepherique, and we raised it so that it’s more open, allowing a bigger view of the stage,” he said.
Maintaining sound quality for the multi-layered soundtrack was another challenge. In the tent, Quidam had surround sound. “We have to adapt in each arena because the acoustics will be different,” he said.
I hope everyone is having or has had a great holiday! Hopefully I can use this time to make some much needed updates.
First I want to say that if you are or were a performer in Quidam and find any false information or photos that you would like taken down. Please contact me and let me know, I will gladly make necessary changes. I strive for accuracy with this website and only hope to promote your careers, not hinder.
Quidam has officially left the grand chapiteau and is now in stadium format only. There have so far been performances in Kingston, ON and Montreal, QC. I think the biggest question about this transition is what changes will we see to the show and how will it affect the overall experience? So far I have heard that images of clouds that were projected on to the big top, which contributed greatly to the setting and ambiance are no more.
Here is a great article from the Montreal Gazette prior to their premiere at the Bell Centre that brings attention to the question of the show’s intimacy.
This is a bit of old news since I’ve been MIA, but loads of new Arena tour stops have been added! look after the jump, or just click on the Itinerary section at the top of the page to see the list.
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