This returning production, whose Spanish title translates approximately as “jubilation” is one of Cirque du Soleil’s classics, and most spellbinding. It was last staged in London at the O2 Arena in 2013, and returns a little over a decade later to the Royal Albert Hall in this reimagined version, directed by Jean-Guy Legault, subtitled In A New Light.
At the outset, the audience is presented with Mr Fleur (played with panache by Bohdan Zavalishyn), a humble jester with an eye on the throne in a kingdom that has recently lost its king. Alegría explores the power struggle at play between the old order and the youth striving for hope and renewal. In terms of the acts, the show is comprised of over a dozen finessed tableaux, bookended by two jaw-dropping aerial acts. The first of these is the Synchronised Trapeze Duo (Roxane Semiankiv and Nicolai Kuntz), a pair of Angels, who swoop and spin across the stage performing breathtaking synchronized maneuvers. Even though you can see that the performers are secured by safety wires, there is still a gasp factor watching them swoosh around above the stage, apparently defying gravity.
The clowns (Pablo Bermejo and Pablo Gomis Lopez) inject some knockabout hilarity to proceedings with their pratfalls and gobbledegook patter, even roping in a hapless but game audience member, plucked from the front row to engage in their bumbling antics.
There are several spellbinding acts through the show: from Samoans playing with fire (quite literally – Falaniko Solomona Penesa dances with flaming knives), to Yulia Makeeva and Alexey Turchenko’s mid-air pas de deux, which they execute whilst dangling from vertiginous straps. My daughters’ favorite act was The Nymphs – a pair of female gymnasts (Daria Guryeva and Halina Sarevich) whose gymnastics and contortions were utterly captivating to watch.
In the second half the stage is reconfigured with a deep rumble (symbolizing the ‘shaking of the shaking of the waning aristocratic order’s foundations’ according to the programme notes) into a criss-crossed trampoline Power Track for a troupe of Bronx brimming with torque who shimmy and soar into the air with exquisite energy and precision.
Just when you think the show has reached its apotheosis, the finale begins, with 13 of the world’s finest aerialists performing in High Bars, a truly mesmerizing act guaranteed to leave you clammy-palmed and a little breathless. Their daredevil acrobatics, which involve swinging back and forth and catching each other – take place above a giant safety net, but with no wires attached. It is a truly stunning conclusion to a spectacular show.
The generosity and quirkiness of spirit which is quintessentially Cirque du Soleil is strongly evident throughout Alegría: In A New Light. An unforgettable soundtrack, coupled with a kaleidoscope of colors, surreal costumes, vibrant sets, regular interjections of humor, and a rich blend of elements – including fire and ice (during the pre-interval snowstorm) makes for a visual feast for all the senses. It is a truly immersive experience that is knitted together with a joyous je ne sais quoi and magical texture that is an inimitable hallmark of Cirque du Soleil productions.
Cirque du Soleil Alegría: In a New Light at Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, South Kensington, London SW7 2AP until 3 March 2024.
