richard-46842
My wife and I went to a matinée performance of Cirque du Soleil's "Varekai" in the Nottingham Motorpoint Arena. As you would expect, most of the acrobatics were absolutely amazing, as were the costumes. Like other Cirque du Soleil shows, there was some sort of story but with most of the language being their traditional invented one that no one understands, this was not clear. But this didn't really matter. The music and vocals (even though I didn't understand them) were also very good. Regrettably, the circus tradition of using clowns was taken much too far, with about a quarter of the show dedicated to them. Their slap-stick antics were often bizarre or amateurish and at times downright irritating. They may have been entertaining a few decades ago but frankly fell flat and in some cases were risqué and unsuitable for the young children in the audience. So for us, this ruined what would otherwise have been an impressive and entertaining experience. Time for a re-think, SdS?
Zoe
Today (26/02/17) I saw Varekai at The First Direct Arena, Leeds. This is the second Cirque du Soleil I have seen (La Nouba - 2008), so I expected something spectacular. If I am honest I was not blown away. The performances were very good, but throughout the show there were only about 4 major performance parts. I expected to be blown away the whole way through. The music was very good and the performing was seamless, I just expected more. This experience was not helped by the fact that the seating arrangement and placement of the stage meant that we could not see a part of the stage for the whole performance. This was not noted when we bought the, very expensive, tickets, that I thought were close to the front. Instead, they had taken away a portion of the lower seating to have a deeper stage, but this meant we were high up with a bar in front of us, which then dropped down to where the stage was, this blocked our view. This was not indicated in any seating plan when booking the tickets and it really did ruin the experience. I would not watch the show again, I will wait a few years and find a show that is set up properly in one place and not a travelling one, because I am sure an established show in a single venue would not have this problem.
Marc Philippe
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....
orangeyred
Varekai is much more than just a circus, it tells a story.There are no flaws in the performance, the acts were all done perfectly from the stunning hand balancing by Olga Pikhienko to the astonishing, gripping Icarian Dance.Olga Pikhienko is the best performer in the show, the lead female vocalist Zara Tellander also has a spectacular voice (sung Varekai 831 times)It isn't all perfect however, there will be parts that won't appeal to you but overall I think it will shock you. Not all the acts are brilliant and you can't expect that from anyone.Throughout the show there are no let downs, the music is wonderful although the sound on the DVD does not capture the energy behind it.The DVD does not quite capture the magic of seeing the show live. I have seen many Cirque du Soleil shows and Varekai is for me the best travelling show.It's definitely a must see show.
