Originally Posted By kennect The minute I arrived I made a beeline to the office regarding the local hires...Supposedly got the whole issue straightened out but I still don't feel the gal believed me...Final word from here was "you better get back outside since they are ready to walk you to the tent"...They are trying to be so formal about how all of this is handled...I get the feeling once the show opens Friday it is going to be complete bedlam in regards to all of the rulse and regulations...More below...
Originally Posted By kennect OH God, Once again I am typing in a very dyslexic manner...Hope you can read through all of the mistakes... Thankfully, We were at the front of the line going into the tent...The way they handled it you would have thought we were paying customers...Liz and I ended up on the front row...In some ways that was great but in other ways I was very un-impressed...I would never pay to sit that close to the action...You lose so much detail of the overall setting.... The show started as usual with clowns in the audience but it seemed rather brief unlike with some shows where it goes on forever...I got picked on by one as he did his thing...It was cute knowing I hadn't paid but had I paid I am not so sure I would have been that thrilled...Still though that whole piece was rather brief....Funny thing tonight was the idea the clowns were doing their bit as if the place was full...That was kind of weird...Quickly the main clown made his way to center stage to handle the whole "Welcome Cirque" routine...That was funny and took very little time to happen...After that, house lights down and on with the show...More below...
Originally Posted By kennect I really don't want to say too much about the show to ruin it for anyone...But if you don't want any spoilers don't read any further...The opening setup's the relationship between the "innocent" and the "trickster" characters...The only thing I could figure out was the idea that the Trickster took the Innocent apparently to worlds he couldn't imagine...Whatever!...And I guess by the end of the show somehow the Innocent got it/whatever again...Or maybe the Trickster passed his wand on to the Innocent... While the acts were very good it was really hard to say what was really great about the show...The wheel of death had to be the jaw dropper but there was a weird angle to it...While there is no safety net, etc. they do roll these things that look like shower curtains over the audience area where it does, I can even explain it...Unfortunately our seats were right on the edge of that and I would be pissed had I payed for tickets that expsenive to end up looking through vinyl that distorted the view.... Overall, I thought the show was great but still not the best that Cique has done on tour...More below...
Originally Posted By kennect I will say this though....The cast was on spot even playing to virtually a zero audience....The close proximity of our seats gave us ample opps. to check out thing up close...There were numerous times throughout the show where we had cast sitting right in front of us...I mean just a few inches from us...I spent those times checking out the details of the costumes...I pity the person that is in charge of wardrobe...The costumes are just brilliant in their detail...Also, when we had the cast persons so close to us they did nothing but make eye contact with us and smiled or laughed, whatever was appropriate... There is just so much that I can't even begin mention here...Another great thing were the rats...And I mean rats and more rats... I guess the strangest thing though was something in the audience...They actually have one seat in the tent that is rigged so they can raise it...Big laugh from the audience when this one socalled patron goes shooting fifteen feet or so up into the air...But trust me, that person isn't the only plant in audience, there are numerous ones throughout the show....
Originally Posted By Rsey103 Interesting... Would you say the dress rehearsal was more for the cast or the audience? How much do they continue to rehearse a show that's already been on the road for a while? I want to sit in the seat that shoots up into the air!
Originally Posted By kennect Rsey, We were told the reason for the two dress rehearsal's were based on the fact that the performer's were coming back from their two week holiday break...And that it was to make sure they were up to the quality expected by Cirque...What I saw lastnight was done in front of less than two hundred people...Tonight's dress rehearsal I have no clue about...It was supposedly done with everything up and running, meaning food, the Cirque store, etc....So tonight was obviously more special than what I saw lastnight.... All I can say about lastnight is the fact that the cast acted as if there was a full tent of people there...Everyone made their bow's as if the entire tent was full...Everyone seemed to be spot on and professional as they would be if it were a standard show...I feel sure they hated it knowing it was a dress rehearsal for a small group but they didn't show it....But it just goes to show one thing...If you are a performer in a Cirque show you have to be on top of your game at all times regardless....While I might not be too crazy about this particular show I can more than appreicate the cast that performs it every night...Every single member has to be at their best to make it happen...And I say that from an entertaining level but also a safety issue regarding the overall cast...I really don't think the audience really gets any clue as to how hard the characters work to make a show happen...
Originally Posted By kennect I don't think I will even go there...The show does have some striking moments...But someone that is so into Cirque and know everything they have done in the past might love or hate it...It would just depend on your personal taste....I would definitely give it a ten on costumes as opposed to the Alegria costumes...And will also say the clowns don't even get close to what they were in Alegria...
Originally Posted By kennect Ah Rsey103...I take that back on the costumes...They actually are very much in line with some of the ones in Alegria...They use a lot of white tones on several of them...The major difference is the idea, to me, the Alegria costumes were much sexier for the men than what these are...
Originally Posted By kennect Rsey103, Just wanted to let you know I finally did start a blog tonight about Kooza here in Atlanta...Have no clue what I am doing but the link is below and I will be adding to it daily....Kennect <a href="http://kennectonline.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://kennectonline.blogspot.com/</a>
Originally Posted By beamerdog >>.Also saw the infamous Tapis Rouge tent<< I've been to the tapis rouge tent several times (in better times, lol). I noticed a big difference the last time I went which was about three years ago. The first year there was entertainment - magic tricks, jugglers and other physical performances. That was gone by the second time I went. By the last time, even the lighting in the tent was less dramatic, the food not so great, less variety and less of it. I know that there was merchandise for sale in the tent that was different than what was being offered elsewhere - leather purses and "better" articles of clothing. The tent was becoming a little worn. I do like the idea that you don't have to walk outside again to get inside the big tent. I've had the opportunity to see backstage when I've walked the service puppies to do their business. Not too glamorous, to say the least! But some of the performers' families were there and that was fun. <<<going to your blog right now
Originally Posted By kennect Well Beamer keep reading it...I really won't be able to tell any of the good stuff till the show ends at the first of March...Right now, I feel that I need to make sure that everything I write is rather nice since there are some things I could write that aren't so nice...Not bad but simply things I shouldn't say if I really want to make sure I keep the job....There are some documents/signs that I want to get my hands on and share with the public...Offbeat things, like the evacuation routes if there is a need for such...It shows the overall layout of the property and that is what makes it interesting....But I can't say anything bad about the Cirque people that I am working under...They are the nicest group of people you could ever want to meet... I just got in from working two shows today and have to work two tomorrow and on Sunday....BUT there was a great moment tonight during the show...Even though we can see the live feed of the show all of us missed this...I wish I had seen it...In the final act a performer on stilts was doing one of his big bits of the number...Well, into his first jump/flips one stilt hit another performer in the head which knocked him to the floor...The whole show came to a halt for a couple of minutes as they dealt with the injured performer...Apparently this was a little beyond the minor mishap...That was during the first show....Second show I made sure I watched the same routine to see how it would go...You could see that the guy was a bit nervous doing his bit but he pulled it off in the second show as if nothing had happened in the first... I am just glad I am home now...It was around fourteen degrees here and while the tent is heated you spend so much time running in and out that I couldn't escape the cold...In reality though it wasn't too bad...Tonight I worked the kid's merchandise section for the first time and found that it was much easier than the adult clothing I had been doing...Tomorrow I am getting stuck with doing AMEX...I have only done it once and it is the most boring job you can ever imagine....It really should be considered as "cruel and unusual punishment....Hopefully they will change me to something else when I get there.... Backstage areas are definitely not glamorous at all...You should see where we are set up....We are right next to the recycling dumpster for cardboard... Hope to get a new blog post up in the morning before I go in....
Originally Posted By Rsey103 That's interesting, kennect. I'll have to revisit your blog over there... I was surprised to hear you say the act that had the accident returned for the second show. Did the person who was injured return as well?? I don't know why there aren't more injuries like this.
Originally Posted By kennect Apparently the injured performer is in the hospital... This afternoon they had the police escort someone out of the show within five minutes of it starting...That was fun...I saw them take him out but haven't had a real chance to talk with friends that are usher's to find out exactly what happened...It had something to do with tickets...Apparently he got extremely loud, cursing, etc. and all of this was after show had started...I know the audience just loved that....That info I got directly from one of the cops...I was quite suprised she told me anything....
Originally Posted By beamerdog >>.I know the audience just loved that..<< I'll bet some of them thought it might be part of the show ;-)
Originally Posted By kennect Beamer, I don't think so considering the profanity involved... I am sitting here with the idea to do another blog entry but I think I will wait to tomorrow to do it...Then again I am beginning to think I should just drop the blog period...You the audience sees a perfect show and a good evening of entertainment...Behind the scenes it is just a pure nightmare to some degree...Cirque is very slick and they know what they are doing...It is so in line with the type magic that Disney sells to a customer but not quite as professional as Disney is....But hey, they pay a lot better than Disney does! Please though keep this in mind...I am having fun...A portion of that fun is very boring but the other part is very fun...But like any job, it is a job....Working for Cirque is defenitely not all fun and games...The fun is when you are dealing with customers...The not so much fun is in between those periods where you are running around like a madman restocking, etc....But trust me the time does fly by while all of this is happening...The truly worst part is when you are working the double show days on weekends...If I work Saturday I don't get home until around midnight...If I am scheduled for the next day, Sunday, I have to be back there at eleven thirty in the morning...That just does me in...There is no down time to relax...It is come home and go to bed and get up and go right back....Single show nights are a dream since you don't go in until six thirty....The whole thing is really a crazy mixed up mess....I will try to explain all of this at some point on the blog....
Originally Posted By Rsey103 >>This afternoon they had the police escort someone out of the show within five minutes of it starting... Apparently he got extremely loud, cursing, etc. and all of this was after show had started...<< People crazy.
