Cirque du Soleil ‘Quidam’ preview
A day before Thursday’s opening of their Honolulu engagement, the cast and crew of Cirque du Soleil’s “Quidam” gathered for a Hawaiian blessing of the show. Soon after, the backstage area was a bustle as everyone got ready for a complete dress rehearsal, complete with staging changes for some of the acts that were just added earlier that day.
As the performers got ready, I made my way back to find a seat with 20 or so others in attendance for the dress rehearsal, and this show did not disappoint.
A real treat for me happened after the show, when I had a chance to chat with Jessica LeBoeuf, the public relations person who travels with the show.
Here are some interesting bits of trivia from our discussion:
– Cirque du Soleil means “Circus of the Sun.” Inspiration for the name came when Cirque founder, Guy Laliberté, visited Hawaii and wanted to share the sun with the rest of the world.
– The songs in most Cirque du Soleil shows consist of a made-up phonetic language containing aspects of French, Spanish and Italian. The phonetic characteristics of the songs are determined by the theme of the show. “Alegria” has a lot of Spanish and Italian influences, while the music in the Asian themed show, “Dralion,” has characteristics from the Chinese language.
– It took approximately 12 hours for stage hands to build the stage, sets and overhead grid system.
– Quidam uses 15 semi trucks to transport all the equipment they need for the show.
– At the opening of “Quidam” the father character is reading a newspaper. The paper is more than just a prop, it is that day’s local newspaper from whatever city they are currently performing.
– Based on the current tour schedule, the next Cirque du Soleil show to come to Honolulu will either be “Dralion” or “Verakai.”
Here’s a sneak peek at the amazing acts in the latest touring Cirque du Soleil show to visit Hawaii.
Video highlights from the dress rehearsal
