Update on Cirque: Zarkana

I actually wrote this post weeks ago when Zarkana was first getting notice, but unfortunately it got shoved in my draft drawer and has lived there since. Anyway, for what its worth....

Cirque, to me, is often art for arts sake. Bizarre for the sake of being bizarre. Beauty for the sake of creating something beautiful. I love that about their work. I think that's partially why I was disappointed in KA even though it was one of their greatest technical works at that time (and potentially, still is.) In KA they built it around a fully realized story. Which was fine. But it lost some of its wonder to me. Mystere, which is by far my favorite, has no real story and is one of their oldest productions. It is thinly tied together by recurring images. And I was in awe the whole time.

(Of course, the beautiful artwork on the ceiling of that particular theatre helped.)

If you ever go to Vegas, see Mystere.

Now, Zarkana!

"Zarkana, according to Cirque notes, “is a fantastically bizarre world where we follow the adventures of Zark, a magician who has lost his love and, with her, his powers. As he cries and begs for her return he is plunged into a world inhabited by surreal creatures. The diverse cast of 71 international artists transports the audience into a fantastical and suspenseful world, blurring the boundaries between the real and imaginary.”

It looks like this is a return to loose stories. Yes, there is a tie between images, but the focus is not in fleshing out the story but in the creations that come from it. I wouldn't like that in all mediums, but for Cirque it works. At least for me.
It also looks like this show includes sand painting, which I would love to see how they handle. The shadow puppetry in KA is one of my favorite moments in theatre and was incredibly beautiful.

(If you have not seen this video of sand painting from Britain's Got Talent you really have to stop and watch it. It just blows my mind every time.)


Distracted. Back to Cirque.

All that to say: their latest video really excites me. I'm a huge Cirque fan. And even though its at Radio City Music Hall and will probably never tour (since it was built specifically for that space), I still want to make sure you at least see the clip.

Video of Zarkana! Cirque's newest addition to their already amazing lineup: