25 October 2008

Cirque Du Soleil's Dralion - A review

| johnboy
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Local media and politicians were showered with double passes to tonight’s opening of the new Cirque Du Soleil show (Dralion) running on the southern shore of Lake Burley Griffin until 16 November.

With the face value of each ticket running at $270 this was a substantial gift.

RiotACT was not a lucky recipient of the largesse. But we have friends, and I thus got taken along for the ride.

Canberra star spotting is a dismal business. But the Wright family were in attendance, as were the Seselja’s (Zed on his mobile during the interval), Katy Gallagher was deep in conversation with Virginia Haussegger on the way out (one assumes with ABC rules that Virginia had not taken a comp), Megan Doherty from the Canberra Times was sighted, as was Jorian Gardner from CityNews, and Alby Schultz’s grand children were fidgeting next to Alby in the row in front of me. I refrained from calling him a big wuss over the firing squad thing and will regret it for some time. There might have been others, but that’s what I saw.

The show itself was a bit like the opening of an Olympic Games. Lots of empty hokey symbolism without much plot or character. The music was a grab bag of shallow faux-world arrangements. In parts it descended into Eurovision kitsch.

And yet it was absolutely astounding.

If it seems to drag in parts it’s only building to some terrifying crescendo. The sweeping aerials and acrobatics were timed perfectly with the music and the lighting to take the breath away.

The portion where a merely adequate juggler set the scene for the juggling of humans off trampolines was simply astounding.

So a big two thumbs up from me, even if the beers were selling for $8 for a 250ml Kronenbourg.

Looking around I was reasonably sure that even in the cheap seats you’d get a decent view.

At the end of the day there’s nothing cheap about this production.

Struggling families might have to make do with watching it on DVD.

But if you have a lazy $500 it’s one hell of a show.

[Note: The expensive cattle get herded out by a single exit at the end, it might be worth having another very expensive beer and letting them all clear out before chancing your luck in the crush]

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I went last night.

I loved it. The 8 clients we invited loved it.

I switched off my adult brain (seem to be able to do that quite often these days) and became a child.

Everything was wonderful, the clowns, the dralions, the performers, the band, the singers.

I really felt as if I was at the circus, minus the smell of sawdust and the sad looking animals. The acrobatic feats were fantastic.

I could rip it apart and compare it to other events I have attended, but I prefer to say that if you can, go and see it. we were 5 rows back, and the performers faces were clear as a bell.

Barron said :

Considering the article only mentions seats at $270 and the writer was given a free ticket by a friend (if this was as an invitee of Cirque du Soleil as is implied)it would have been a $270 ticket along with it all the (free) trappings I mentioned.

This is not true. Only very VIPs received the ‘full’ Tapis Rouge freebie. Most got ‘just’ entry — and would be in line for the $8 beers along with everyone else.

That said, having seen the previous show, I agree to some extent that “it is what it is” — circus, not particularly trying to be art. But, it does seem to me to be an opportunity lost, that for relatively little extra cost (in the scheme of these shows) they could engage artistic directors with a more original vision so the whole thing become more than the sum of its parts — adding an emotional engagement in addition to the wow factor.

But, they sure have a lot of wow factor!

I thought the mediocre clowns were a pacing device to make the highs of the WOW stuff higher.

Wide Boy Jake2:30 pm 27 Oct 08

deye said :

I thought Varekai was better last year, but I liked Dralion. However I would have chosen a different act as the finale, it lacked the impact a finale probably should have.

I agree, the two final segments were in the wrong order. The jump rope segment (the finale which received a fairly lukewarm reception) should have preceded the jumping through hoops which brought the house down. Also I found the clowns to be tedious and repetitious. They didn’t even look like clowns, more like businessmen on mufti day. Surely they could have employed another device to link the segments and provide enough time for the performers in the next segment to get ready.

I thought Varekai was better last year, but I liked Dralion. However I would have chosen a different act as the finale, it lacked the impact a finale probably should have.

imagicnation1:30 pm 26 Oct 08

We got our tickets for free, very glad we didn’t have to pay.

It was also nice that the ‘Yes’ tent was serving free drinks and nibblies before the show, which we were lucky enough to get in on.

Thought the show was fantastic, although I did get a bit distracted looking out for ‘Celebs’, including Mary Porter, Henry Jenkins, Bronwyn Bishop and that AIS guy that does the Zentrum ads:/

I’ve been told it’s not quite as amazing as some of their previous shows, although still exceptionally good.

Apologies, yes, Fiona not Judith.

Fiona Wright nee Palmer is the restauranteur of note. The Lobby Restaurant and others. “Stroganoff Affair”

Jessica Wright is a Canberra Times columnist.

Her father is Tony Wright, a bit of a legend in the Press Gallery, used to write pretty good stuff in The Bulletin.

Her mother Judith(?) Wright is a restauranteur of note.

GottaLoveCanberra6:49 pm 25 Oct 08

Who are the Wright family?

To johnboy
“When someone debates and has to attack the person it only reflects on the level of their intelligence and lack of understanding of the relevant facts.” Benjamin Franklin.

By your own admission you “snagged a comp” yourself and my comment also mentions the cost of other tickets which your article fails to do.
In “calling me out” on that point shows a misinterpretation of what I was saying and to make a covert racist remark show immaturity and shallowness of your commentary.

I do have many other points I could pull many of the “facts” in the article and comments apart about but lets just stop it. We’re discussing a circus not some earth shattering disaster. I really do have better things to do but please next time just debate the facts.

Durie was in Manpower, AND Cirque de Soleil in Las Vegas.

wasn’t jamie durie in manpower? *blinks*

and are they running the side performances here in canberra?

Wasn’t Jamie Durie part of this circus for a while? I’d pay $8/beer to watch him jumping around.

Gosh Barron, maybe, just maybe, I’m writing for people who might not all be able to snag comps?

I’m going to call you out on another point while I’m at it:

Barron said :

Draloin is a brilliant showcase of talent and the commitment of young people. We here so much about the negatives of young people go and see the ages of most of involved.

So young people if they devote their lives to practice and discipline can contort themselves for the passing amusement of the seriously wealthy. What a happy thing for them.

CDS is a wonderful performance but it’s a touring troupe of foreign performers.

Go jump through a hoop yourself if you want to inspire the young.

Considering the article only mentions seats at $270 and the writer was given a free ticket by a friend (if this was as an invitee of Cirque du Soleil as is implied)it would have been a $270 ticket along with it all the (free) trappings I mentioned.
You can buy tickets from $75 or even the best seats from $119 so a couple of beers don’t seem so expensive.
Go to the football and buy a small plastic cup of beer at $4.00 or a can of soft drink for $3.00. It is no different not that I agree with it.
So I suspect that the writer had free a Tapis Rouge ticket, was served free wine, beer, food and still complained about the price of beer.

Just a few of facts about myself I’m in my fifties, have no formal association with Cirque du Soleil and Barron is my real name.

Barron said :

Had you paid $270 for your tickets ( and there are tickets much less expensive than this) your beer, wine, soft drinks and food would have come as part of the package. that is also what it is Tapis Rouge.

Yeah johnboy, im afraid you were duped.

Happy endings depend so much on ourselves rather than others. One man’s meat..etc.

Does $270 come with a happy ending but?

As a matter of interest, for various reasons, I was sent a Tapis Rouge ticket (it could have been a double or more had I wanted) for opening night as well as entrance to the after opening night celebrations. I am not a local politician (thank god), I am not wealthy and I am certainly not a celebrity. So I am sure had you contacted the Australian office of Cirque du Soleil and presented your Bona Fides you too would have been given tickets.

As for the kitch, etc please accept things for what they. Too much unneeded intellectualising goes on in our society. It is what it is and that Cirque du Soleil.

It is different to the last Cirque show (Varekai) and rightly so. One of the aspects that stood out to me was the almost lack of makeup compared to Varekai.

Consistent with all Cirque shows are the production values, the costumes, the music and most of all the high level of the acts.

Had you paid $270 for your tickets ( and there are tickets much less expensive than this) your beer, wine, soft drinks and food would have come as part of the package. that is also what it is Tapis Rouge.

Draloin is a brilliant showcase of talent and the commitment of young people. We here so much about the negatives of young people go and see the ages of most of involved.

Thanks for the review JB – I’m heading to see the show tonight and it seems like money well spent.

I had a bit of a chuckle when I printed off my e-tickets just before – apparently Canberra no longer belongs to the ACT but is now NSW!

We must be, like, freaks or something!

*chuckle*

tylersmayhem2:13 pm 24 Oct 08

So did I!

I thought it was a very positive review.

Perhaps you should say that to my face.

Perhaps if Cirque Du Soleil had advertised on RiotACT JB would have given them a more positive plug.

tylersmayhem1:00 pm 24 Oct 08

but 270 is a bit steep – we paid US$100 each and that was when the AU$ was about US$0.75 – and for US$8 we could get 30oz (Read 840ml) frozen margheritas(sp)

You sound surprised for some reason Dan?! 😛

Weekday or matinee tix are much much cheaper. And there are a small number of D class tix, but they are almost behind the stage.

I saw Varekai and it was great, they can really do superhuman tricks and jumps etc.

I do think it would be even more amazing if they could weave a storyline through it as well.

caf said :

Yeah, it sucks performing in front of a dead crowd.

Amen to that. Sang one song out at Braidwood last night and it’s totally un-mic’d, you’re as much as two feet from the audience and the interaction is AWESOME! (See the DIY WOTZ ON guide for a Saturday night gig I urge you NOT to miss. Er, not for muggins here doing a one-song walk-up — I’ll be at the coast, but Martin Pearson and Daniel Champagne will be in Mawson.)

Back OT, I’ve not been to see a Cirque du Soleil show. The cost always has seemed prohibitive and I can’t get within a sniff of a comp ticket for this one. But the kids very rarely come to Canberra these days, and I’d rather enjoy it vicariously through their eyes.

Either way, it’s got to better than going across the border where the animal circus is on.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy11:41 am 24 Oct 08

I booked earlier this week for one night mid next week and was able to get 2 tickets 5 rows from the front for 230 bucks.

I’ve never seen a Cirque Du Soleil for real, so I’m really looking forward to it.

Are we allowed to bring eskies in?

Clowns frighten me.

i saw zumanity in vegas – an astounding piece of theatre, but dunno if i’ll get to this one. while mortgage rates have come down a little, budgets are still tight. will investigate ‘cheap’ matinees, though – ta for tip, george.

I got given a Kinder Surprise easter egg once for being the best audience member ….

We went to see this little show in Chelsea or somewhere. It was called, “All I Want to be is an Ugly Sister” about a young boy with a dream to play an ugly sister in the Cinderella pantomime. One of the ‘ugly sister’ guys in particular just had the female mannerisms down so well that I literally fell off my chair laughing (I think it helped that they let us take our champers in with us).

The performers were cracking up too.

It was a bit of a shock when one of them ran off stage and pressed the chocolate into my hand, and I must have looked a bit horrified, but it did make my night.

: )

la mente torbida10:26 am 24 Oct 08

I must admit to not seeing Dralion. First saw Cirque de Soliel in Adelaide a few years ago and as a spectacle….it blew me away.

Saw the next tour in Canberra, it was very good, but lacked the impact of the first attendance.

Maybe they are the type of shows you go to once. Subsequent attendance does not have the same impact.

Yeah, it sucks performing in front of a dead crowd.

I can kind of understand that, though. Some of the energy has to come from the audience. If they won’t give it back, the show is never as good.

One other thing to look forward to is the chinese acrobats getting shitty that the crowd isn’t giving them the cheers they think they’re due.

You need to be sitting pretty close to see their faces that well though.

stereo henry9:36 am 24 Oct 08

going for gratis is where it’s at… paying $8 for a beer and $10 for bubbly is not, byo and avoid the rush 🙂

i am going tonight with a group of 8 i think, we bought our tickets like 6 months ago, they were (from memory!) only about $120-130 each – not sure whether this was some sort of group booking or early bird discount.

i saw varakei last year which was jaw-dropping spectacular – if dralion is even ‘only’ just as good, my money is well spent!!

Speaking of celebrities, I was there as well 😛

My fiancee had free tickets through work so I got to go for a very reasonable price. I was skeptical going in but I have to say it was absolutely fantastic.

If you have the opportunity, I’d absolutely recommend going for free.

I thought Dralion was remarkable. It is not just an acrobatic show…it’s a gala theatre experience. I was very impressed with the music and mood of the show.

The highlights for me were the young juggler and the trampoline routine. The costumes and staging effects were also breathtaking.

Also seen there were Sir William Deane and Lady Deane, Rob de Castella, former MLA Richard Mulchay, future MLA Steve Doszpot, Queanbeyan City Councillor John Barilaro, and the glamorous Coralie Wood.

Tickets are not all around the $200 mark. I have booked some tickets for a matinee and they were very reasonably priced.

Thanks Cirque for bringing this amazing event to Canberra again.

going with work on tuesday night, we have secured a number of tickets for our clients. I am looking forward to it, and I expect that i will be in for a great evening. Didn’t know what the ticket costs were. now even more appreciative that i have the chance to go. I thought it was funny at the speed at which the tickets were snapped up. makes sense now…

Saw Mysterié in Vegas – all I can say is you have to get there, but 270 is a bit steep – we paid US$100 each and that was when the AU$ was about US$0.75 – and for US$8 we could get 30oz (Read 840ml) frozen margheritas(sp)

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