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Cirque Du Soleil

All we can say is WOW!!!

Actually…just about every fitting grand descriptive adjective has been used to describe "O" including "spectacular, emotionally thrilling," "akin to a Dadaist Esther Williams hallucination" and "beyond incredible."

I can only add that "O" is an Aquatic Operatic Circus, something, that before seeing, I would not have thought I would have enjoyed, but boy, was I wrong…

	What we, myself and our music critic Jerry Marcellino, would like to do here is give recognition to the people behind, or somewhat off stage, the scenes. Everyone of course knows of the contributions made by founder Guy Laliberte and writer director Franco Dragone.
Guy Laliberte		Franco Dragone

We would first like to give thanks to our hostess, publicist Brigitte Belanger-Warner. Besides her warm hospitality she arranged for us to interview the music director J.F. Brissette, along with the musicians and singers. As our music columnist says, "The musicians and singers make this ship sail and the music makes the show that much more magical." I believe we tend to take the music in a big production like "O" for granted, however the music sets the mood and tempo and the lovely voices of the female singers: Zara Tellander, Bulgarian-born Kate Conklin, Asia Gizesik (cello and vocals) and Roxane Potvin (lead singer and flute) accentuate that and sets the mood of the show perfectly. The other outstanding musicians are Lei Qiang (Chinese violin), Francois Jutras (drums), Kurt Rasmussen (percussionist), Jeff Marder (keyboard/accordion), Stephane Gariepy (saxophone and keyboard) and Toumany Kouyate (vocals and African harp).

Something unique and truly special…the musicians and singers are spilt in their own cubicles on either side of the massive stage like speakers stage right and stage left behind a glass partition that allows them to be seen as opposed to being buried in a "pit." Special recognition goes to Composer and Musical Director Benoit Jutras who created the works that engage the spectator's and music lover's every sense.

I am not allotted the space to tell of every person that makes "O" a "must see" but I must point out two: first, Choreographer Debra Brown, whose unique choreography blends contortionism, gymnastics and aerial dancing—WOW to her too. Her list of recognition and awards includes an Emmy; and second, Aerial Acts Designer Andre Simard who designed most of the aerial acts in the eight shows that Cirque du Soleil currently performs around the world. For over 30 years Andre Simard has succeeded in striking a harmonious balance between his three areas of expertise: the fine arts, elite sports and the circus. Bravo Andre. I must point out one more person, five actually, the four Contortionists and their coach Angelique Talvat. Their graceful body language, lithe movements, their arrival via the sky during the show and their performance surrounded by water adds a new dimension to this long-held circus tradition. It makes my back ache thinking about them but it was one of my favorite parts of the show.

The list of people, from the clowns to the lighting and sound, to costumes and make-up, to set design and of course the swimmers, divers and aerial and trapeze artists, could go on and on. They make for a surreal, entertaining and never to be forgotten evening.

Although the tickets are a bit pricey for some, it is worth making a few small financial cuts to save $$ to see this show.

"O" is of course at the Bellagio. You can buy tickets by calling 702-796-9999. Show times are 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday.



Frank Marino	Jerry Marcellino
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