For the second time in as many months, we enjoyed the spectacle of Cirque du Soleil last night. On this occasion though, the circus quite literally took us to The O2, rather than the more traditional Royal Albert Hall. The invigorated Dome and our company were as enticing as the performance itself, especially as I’d never made it to Greenwich when the circular venue was in its previous life.
Treated to a Live Nation VIP Experience, we ate, drank, and made merry at Gaucho at The O2 first, before moving through to the arena for the night’s main event. Just what contrasts would there be between this show by the Canadian entertainers, and the last?
Quite a lot as it turned out. Delirium is ‘a multimedia theatrical production’, and is billed as ‘a Cirque du Soleil live music concert’. Usually played out on a lengthways stage cutting through the arena floor, at The O2 it bisected the arena across its width, and told its stories facing the audience. Just like a typical arena-type pop or rock concert, in fact. At all its venues the main stage is flanked by two enormous screens, onto which are beamed animated, pre-recorded, and real-time projections, to help carry the modern-day story along.
And that story is one which may be familiar to many. The show’s main character, Bill, is on a quest for balance in a world dominated by devices such as television and computers, and pressures on his time. Living in a bubble which floats around the stage, his urban life draws him more into a virtual world, but by the end of the performance he has grounded his energy back into the real world. If it sounds whimsical, that’s exactly what it was, but isn’t that what Cirque du Soleil is all about?
The music was contemporary and was made up of remixes of existing Cirque du Soleil tracks, taken from the troupe’s other performances. Re-written to include English lyrics, the tribal beats and electronic sounds reverberated well around the steeply-banked and domed interior of the arena, but did it feel the same as the Royal Albert Hall? In a word, no. But then you wouldn’t expect it to, as the two performance spaces are so different. I’m glad that Delirium wasn’t the first time we’d seen Cirque du Soleil, as I think we would have missed something.
The Royal Albert Hall is a much more intimate venue, and as a member of the audience, you feel more involved. Traditional circuses are staged in the round, after all. As a flat-on staged performance, this show felt lacking a little in audience engagement, especially when net voiles screened cast members from view.
It was still an enjoyable night, though, and it will be interesting to see how The O2 Arena deals with a proper audience participation show next week – I’m there again next Tuesday when Dancing on Ice The Tour sashays across the arena floor.