Cirque du Soleil: Varekai (2003)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Fresh and Exciting

Blistering performances.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

I brought a friend to see this show; I was excited to introduce him to Cirque Du Soleil (I've seen 4 of them). I found myself apologising for the show - had to explain that it shouldn't put him off seeing the others. Too much slap stick pantomime and not enough aerial skills. I was embarrassed.

I am normally a huge fun of Cirque du Soleil, the many shows I have seen were always magical and mixed amazing colors, wonderful music and incredible performances that just kept you on the edge of your seat. Varikai on the other was hugely disappointing the music was horrible, the singers average, the performances of the artists nice but not breathtaking and the many supposedly funny intervals between the shows were not funny at all. That was really subpar and I think I even fell asleep at one point... Next time I go to a Cirque du Soleil show I will first read the reviews as I now now that Cirque du Soleil is not always synonymous with extraordinary performances....

This is my third show in 20 years. First, Allegria. Then Kooza. Now Varekai. In an arena, rather than a tent or one of their permanent installations, there is not enough height for a decent aerial show. Many acts I'm used to seeing were absent. It was 80% clowning and only 20% acrobatics (and I am being generous in including a baton twirler, break dancer and juggler as "acrobats"). There was about ten minutes of "Oooh" in 2 hours of "Zzzzzzzz". The plot was fuzzy and difficult to understand. The creepy, mysterious enchantment you're used to seeing is completely absent. The music and dialogue were very canned. Although they may always be lip synching to a recording, you could really, REALLY tell. It was like watching "The Wiggles, Live".

We just saw the Boston production. It was awful. Way too much of the artsy circus stuff...WAY too little of impressive acts. The comic relief was terrible (the performers were good, the MATERIAL was bad)There was one group in the first act that was interesting. The 2nd act was a little better. The jugglers were great. The large swings at the end were fabuluous. The woman contortionst was excellent but the overall production and pageantry was a snoozer. And you would thing they would know how to make a sound system work in their own tents by now. Were they actually singing words? who can tell?Dralion was a FAR superior show.