Theatre Review: Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Luzia’ makes it rain, sticks the landing

Cirque du Soleil Luzia at Atlantic Station Photo by Jacob Nguyen The Cirque du Soleil big top is back at Atlantic Station this holiday season for a production of Luzia another high-flying jaw-dropping spectacle and the show s biggest wow factor rain Luzia doesn t have the same punch as the steampunk-inspired Kurios or the daredevil antics of Volta It has a more mysterious enchantment about it with a more minimal style closer to Echo As with most of Cirque productions Luzia has a very loose story arc Subtitled A Waking Dream of Mexico the show opens with our guide character falling from the upper reaches of the big top His parachute fails and he eventually has to whip out an umbrella and land Mary Poppins-style in the ring Photo by Jacob Nguyen From this entry point it s two hours of acrobatics trapeze work juggling life-like puppets and traditional Mexican songs and music You ll see nods to Dia de Muertos soccer Frida Kahlo mythical gods and other cultural signposts And then there s the rain I mentioned above This isn t fake or projected water but gallons and gallons and gallons of water falling from feet above the center ring The performers romped through it spun on straps in it rolled in circular hoops through it and played soccer in it Photo by Jacob Nguyen Perhaps the best spectacle of the night was the rain falling in a series of patterns to create the shapes of flowers trees and animals It elicited gasps from the audience me included and a buzz about how they were able to create that special effect Another memorable moment was when a pool of water appeared at the center of the ring and a demigod-like character rose from it and performed a dazzling routine high above the audience Meanwhile a giant leopard puppet stalked the edge of the pool I can t forget to mention the juggler who somehow was able to catch silver batons falling from on high and still keep them all in motion And there s also a contortionist who appears to not have a single bone in his body The last big setup of the evening is teams leaping back and forth from these Flying Dutchman-style swings which is truly butt-clenching to watch The performers and crew received a well-deserved standing ovation from the audience for the sold-out opening night show If you need an escape for a inadequate hours from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season Luzia is just the ticket The show runs through Jan and tickets are available here The post Theatre Review Cirque du Soleil s Luzia makes it rain sticks the landing appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta