Cirque du Soleil tried a tangent - Banana Shpeel written and directed by David Shiner -- a clown show mixed with the super-gymnastics of Cirque's usual spectacles, and achieved partial success. It is basically a vaudeville show, circus act after circus act, like the amazing twirler Vanessa Alvarez spinning umbrella-like cloths contrapuntally on all four limbs, with clowns in between. However, the show has an unfunny opening, then good dancing to irritating music, and most of the jokes as we progress are not funny. (I have this weird idea that comedy should be funny.) There is some good tap dancing, but over-amplifying the tappings dissipates the effect with its reverb.
Thank goodness for the entrance of Patrick De Valette, a hilarious skinny dancer/mime with a Buster Keaton deadpan who gives us the laughs we hope for. There is a terrific hat-juggler, a gymnastic duo, and then some physical clown shtick that works.
Act 2 has a terrific black-light dance, pole dancers, and one of the best segments: Claudio Carneiro in a Mime piece about a date. There is good tapping by the chorus, a puppeteer with a live puppet, three serpentine sister contortionists, etc. Costumes by Dominique Lemieux, lighting by Bruno Rafie and design by Patricia Ruel are all imaginative and effective. Ultimately, the show, despite the forced, extended, trying-to-be-funny of the main clowns, is entertaining, mostly because of the amazing, athletic, gymnastic performers. Nice try, David.
