CIRQUE DU SOLEIL
Monsoon moments
Cirque du Soleil’s use of water wowed audiences at the Royal Albert Hall. Read on and discover how
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irque du Soleil returned to the Royal Albert Hall in January, and wowed audiences with its own brand of colourful performance and nail-biting acrobatics. Luzia, the entertainment giant’s touring production that celebrates the sounds, faces and places of Mexico, runs until February 27, and comprises 46 performers, each demonstrating undeniable levels of balance and skill. The 110-strong touring cast and crew – which features 19 technicians and a wizarding wardrobe department – returned to London to mark the 25th anniversary since Cirque du Soleil first performed at the iconic venue. Luzia incorporates rain into many of the acrobatic performances and a giant water curtain is just one of the three central elements featured in the set design. A huge moving disc, measuring 6.9 metres in diameter and weighing 2,000kg, rotates horizontally and a perforated paper, lantern-like curtain, which is 30-metres wide and 11-metres high, is key to the show’s narrative. But what fascinates audiences more is Luzia’s imaginative incorporation of water and a stage floor with 94,657 holes through which water drains into a 3,500-litre basin hidden underneath. The water in the basin is channelled to an external 2,500-litre tank where it is treated and pumped up to a bridge 17 metres above the stage. Here, the water is maintained at a constant 28C (82F) for the wellbeing and comfort of the artists.
© Matt Beard
12 n www.standoutmagazine.co.uk
