Cirque du Soleil Brings Spectacle to Budapest

Photo: EPA

The other positive aspect was that the troupe, which started its 25^th season this year, has recruited another Hungarian member. The excellent Milán Újvári got the opportunity to show his talents at the Cirque du Soleil's show Delirium performed in Budapest on October 30 and 31. The fact that the Hungarian appeared in a surprisingly disappointing, although professionally presented, commercial show by a troupe that was unusually small by Cirque du Soleil's standards was a bit of a shame.

 

Thanks to a series of DVDs shown on Duna TV and a number of other Cirque du Soleil shows broadcast on other Hungarian television channels, many people had waited with eager anticipation for the chance to see the Cirque du Soleil perform live. And many of us went to see them, only to learn that this was a somewhat different show.

 

The surreal lyricism they have managed to maintain despite their growing fame, the continual innovation that is recognised even by the harshest critics and the daring novelty of their shows that clearly shines through even if one watches them on the television was coupled in Budapest with a seriously commercial overtone.

 

Live music is a characteristic element of modern circus productions and Cirque du Soleil has offered many opportunities to very talented and innovative musicians to contribute unusual and experimental sounds that become an integral part of the performance. Delirium (even the title suggests something very different from what we could experience) often felt like a concert performance set for the stage, with the music dominating almost every aspect of the show. This did not mean though that one had to sit close, considering that, thanks to the excellent sound equipment, the quality did not deteriorate with the distance from the stage. Yet, despite the highly professional musicians, the music played would not have sounded unusual even on a commercial radio station in Hungary.

 

Fair enough, the lack of a tent and a ring meant that this show had to meet new challenges. Even though I sat toward the front of the stage, the excellent acrobats appeared rather like ants to me. The large projector, which was not exactly sharp, only slightly managed to improve this, failing to always follow the main action. For instance during an exasperating scene involving a pyramid shaped canvas, the projector kept showing two singers standing on the sides of the triptych-like image.

 

The Cirque du Soleil's shows tend to stretch the boundaries of human acrobatic performance and present it in an overwhelmingly beautiful setting, but an intimate experience of Delirium was only possible for those fortunate enough to sit in the front rows. The rest had to settle with a spectacular and grand projection, parts of which indeed managed to inspire awe.

 

It is not to say that we have lost a myth. The Cirque du Soleil is a unique and great institution whose history, rise to fame and present glory is like a fairytale.

 

The sorcerers at the Cirque de Soleil, who enchant viewers and playfully bring out the awe-inspired child in everyone, brought a performance to Budapest that was easy to digest and did not waste much time on digging deeper in the human soul. It employed some popular images to transport us to far-away destinations, including Senegal, Rio and even the Cosmos.

 

As for me, I cannot stop thinking of an earlier image associated with Cirque du Soleil: four fragile and petite Chinese girls covered with golden dye, using strings to spin tops with breathtaking skills. In the final moments of their performance, the camera turns to the audience and shows that many have tears in their eyes. There were no tears in Budapest, only the usual action, albeit presented with absolute professionalism - which in itself deserves much praise.

 

Author: Tamás Halász