Cirque du Soleil: Without a Net Will Leave One Gasping for Air

While performing in Vegas two of my castmates from The Lion King in Los Angeles moved to the desert and ended up in at Cirque.  I distinctly remember having the best seat in the house (the sound booth) and being mesmerized by every song, dance, trick and costume.  I had never seen or experienced anything quite like it.

More than 215 million people in 70 countries have seen a Cirque du Soleil show. “O” is Cirque’s flagship production featuring the skills of world -class athletes and artists and is the highest grossing single .show in live entertainment.

Directed by Dawn Porter, the excitement is set giving viewers a behind the scenes look before during and after performances.  In March 2020, like the rest of the world, the pandemic descended upon Las Vegas shutting down all shows and leaving this popular franchise filing for bankruptcy laying off a good number of employees who had previously been furloughed.  Within 48 hours, they went from 44 shows around the world to zero, leaving Cirque du Soleil literally without a net.

With the focus being on a few select performers, this documentary is a tale of how the arts refused to die sharing the history of Cirque du Soleil through its toughest chapter and reboot.  Although, I appreciate the desire to keep dancers and other artists employed, it is not lost on me the powers that be were willing to accomplish this during a time where human beings were not sure if we would ever be able to gather in a theatre again, let alone live to tell the tale.  It feels very financially driven no matter what is communicated by the talking heads featured.

Having said that, Porter’s gorgeous attention to detail cinematically places audiences  right in the heart of the action with such specificity and heart that one can’t help but cheer for the seven week reboot to have a victorious opening night. Watching in awe the athleticism, focus and skill it takes all of these performers to excel in their routines in eye-opening and heart stopping. Even more compelling is the discovery of how each of the performers and staff find their way to the beloved franchise.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=5wsnrSYIcEA%3Fsi%3D6VsIbbGQX0HeqqC9