Nothing screams excitement like Cirque du Soleil. If you want to see some of the best aerial work, foot juggling, contortion, tumbling and acrobatics, then OVO is absolutely the show to book. It takes traditional circus to a whole new level, so it’s no surprise they’re a global, award-winning company.
One thing about Cirque du Soleil is that they really know how to choose a venue, and the Royal Albert Hall continues to be the perfect home for OVO. Set in a semi-round, you are transported into the lives of bugs. Think A Bug’s Life mixed with Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. You watch different insects showcase their skills whilst loosely telling a story about migration and community.
From what I could gather, the storyline is set in a vibrant, oversized insect world where a community of bugs live, work, eat, play and fall in love. It’s chaotic, colourful and constantly in motion, showing both the tender and messy sides of life. The main focus seems to be a traveller fly who arrives in this unfamiliar ecosystem carrying a mysterious egg on his back.
As he explores this new world, he becomes completely overwhelmed by the sights, sounds and energy around him, and eventually falls for a sweet ladybug. The story follows his journey of trying to fit in, find connection and figure out whether his feelings are returned.
I’ll admit, I needed the programme notes to fully understand what was going on throughout. While the themes of love, belonging and discovery felt clear, the actual storyline itself was quite hard to follow. But let’s be honest, no one really comes to Cirque du Soleil for the storyline. We all came to be entertained and wowed by ridiculously talented people (and secretly wish we could do a fraction of what they can). And, wowed we absolutely were.
Unlike most live performances, Cirque du Soleil actively encourage you to film throughout and post on social media, which is genius marketing. Of course, no one held back, myself included. The audience gasped, cheered and clapped in amazement after every act, and everyone left wanting more by the time the curtain call arrived.
One thing I really loved was the costume design by Liz Vandal. To create such vibrant costumes that not only look like these bugs have come off a flytrap runway, is impressive enough, but they were also cleverly crafted to allow every performer to move freely without restriction.
I also really enjoyed the set design by Gringo Cardia and the lighting design by Eric Champoux. Together, they transported us fully into this magical insect world and beautifully highlighted every performer on stage.
But what I enjoyed the most about the show was the performers. Every single person was brilliant. They were all fearless, confident and talented. Whilst I loved every performance, my favourites were the Aerial Cradle Beetles, who literally flew through the air on trapezes. The duo strap Moths (Caitlin Quinn and Ernesto Lea Place), who were so graceful and captivating to watch.
The hand balancing Dragonfly (Cooper Yarosloski), who wowed us all with his strength and talent, and the contortion Spider (Nyamgerel Gankhuyag), who literally could bend every part of her body that I thought wasn’t humanly possible. I also loved the trampowall and tumbling Crickets at the end. They all need to go into the Olympics after showcasing all those endless sequences of tumbling. The list goes on. Basically, everyone was brilliant, and every performance deserved a standing ovation.
The only thing I would love to see more of was a more obvious storyline, but other than that, OVO is a show to watch. Perfect for all ages and very entertaining.
