We still don’t know what the story was all about, but then that’s always the case with Cirque du Soleil. Yes, it was the Royal Albert Hall again last night with Emma and her guests, taking in the latest show by the French-Canadians. Between us, we’ve seen around four of their shows, but neither of us had seen Quidam, which has been touring the world since 1996.
Much more so than The O2 where we saw Delerium last summer, the Royal Albert Hall allows you to get closer to the show itself, where in more intimate surroundings, the experience is genuinely more enjoyable. Why? Although both venues are circular, they couldn’t be more different.
At The O2, there is much more distance between you and the acts, with a flat screen backdrop distilling the circus experience. In the landmark 1871 Victorian building though, there are few seats taken up by the staging, which envelopes the audience, and is truly akin to seeing a circus in the traditional round.
Not any old circus, mind. Yes , it’s true, it could be noted that once you’ve seen one Cirque du Soleil show then you’ve seen them all. But, that’s not strictly the case. Always a spectacle of acts on the ground and high-wire artists – all in exotic costumes and make-up – for two hours you are welcomed into a magical and musical world, where dreams can seemingly come true.
Notable this time around where the Chinese girls who spun their diablos to spellbinding effect, and the skippers, who never put a foot wrong however fast their ropes were turned. The high-wire trapeze rope swing act was breathtaking, too, although she didn’t get the applause she deserved. A discreet safety wire was attached to her costume in case the unthinkable happened. I made her look like she was cheating. which was very much not the case at all.
The canapés, nibbles, and champagne were all good, too. A fatality at Liverpool Street underground station with knock-on effects on the other lines made the journey home not so, as we had to get off at Aldgate East and find our way back to the mainline station like rabbits in a warren. As is mostly the case on the way back from a night out in town, we wish the trains were as magical as the circus we’d seen earlier in the evening.