‘Varekai’ spotlights nomadic spirit

Tom Titus

It’s been far too long since Cirque du Soleil pitched its

extraordinary tent in our neck of the woods, and its current

incarnation on the Orange County Fairgrounds offers an eye-popping

glimpse of some astonishing circus artisans.

They may or may not speak English, but they’re fluent in the

universal language of showmanship.

Now on its first leg of a North American tour, the new production

-- entitled “Varekai,” or “whenever” in the Romany language of the

gypsies -- is billed as a tribute to the nomadic soul and to the

spirit and art of the circus tradition.

It’s all that and more, an exhibition of artistic athleticism

created and directed by Dominic Champagne and featuring an

international cast of more than 50 performers from 15 countries.

Audiences are accustomed to the strange and wonderful at this

animal-free circus, and they welcomed the latest troupe to Orange

County with repeated standing ovations at Friday’s opening

performance.

Of all the varied and remarkable acts on the program, the most

impressive are the Russian Swings -- two huge metal vessels,

carefully coordinated to disgorge its acrobats alternately into the

center section, where they either are caught by two other performers

or are pitched onto one of two giant vertical canvas nets. They also

are catapulted from one swing to the other, twisting and

somersaulting in flight.

Members of this outstanding finale warm up early in the show with

the “Icarian Games,” in which the gymnastic artists flex their

talents and test the skills of their catcher, who responds

emotionally after each increasingly more challenging effort, stirring

the audience to even louder and longer applause.

Solo artistry is demonstrated most luminously by Irina Naumenko,

an enticing beauty whose hand-balancing and contortions on a series

of canes draw gasps of admiration. Another single performer who

particularly impresses is Anton Chelnokov in his “Flight of Icarus,”

which consists of twisting and spinning in a web-like cocoon as the

evening’s opening number.

No circus would be complete without clowns and Cirque du Soleil

has some beauties -- particularly the weathered Skywatcher (Gordon

White), whose grimaces and gestures are more than readily

translatable. He’s paired primarily with guide Rorique Proteau,

garbed in black and brandishing two gigantic white wings, who fans

the audience’s attention.

Two other clowns who draw loud appreciation are magician Claudio

Carneiro and his bumble-footed female aide, Mooky Cornish,

hilariously attempting the rabbit-out-of-a-hat trick as the remotely

controlled bunny scampers about the stage. Carneiro is a scream

attempting to sing the French version of “If You Go Away” while

chasing the elusive spotlight, which repeatedly well, goes away.

Juggling also is a tried and true circus act, but it’s doubtful

that you’ve seen any performer juggle like Octavio Alegria. Alegria

expands on the three-balls-in-the-air tradition by first one, then

two balls, while shooting another high into the air from his mouth

and catching it on the return.

Three young Chinese performers excel as Water Meteors, whirling

their roped instruments high overhead and (most of the time)

capturing them again. Four agile ladies demonstrate synchronized

showmanship on the Triple Trapeze and Vladimir Ignatenkov offers a

solo dance performed on crutches.

With bandleader Michel Cyr conducting the driving accompaniment

from the seven-piece orchestra, “Varekai” is a visual repast of

rollicking humor and spectacular aerial artistry. In short, it will

knock your socks off.

Now 20 years old, Cirque du Soleil has a dozen variations

crisscrossing the United States and the world, two of which are based

permanently in Las Vegas. Local entertainment lovers have a chance to

catch this unique production in their own back yard through Feb. 26.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews

appear Fridays.