The Trickster, defying physics and gravity, snaps in and out of KOOZA, the world he has put together for The Innocent. Flashy, exotic and entertaining, he is thirsty for souls. He creates a world of rhythm—at the pace through which society flows—presenting the boy with the endless pleasures of life. Through a total of ten acts, we learn that there is a quest for identity in everyone’s life even in the darkest of all places.

GENEVA GAMEZ-VALLEJO | March 2010

Call it discipline. Call it coordination, production or even practice. Call it what you may. But what Cirque du Soleil brings to the stage is a phenomenal piece of art, time and again.

On their new venture through our city, Cirque brings KOOZA (from a Sanskrit word meaning 'box' or 'coffer'); the tale of The Innocent, a young and loner boy and his quest to find his place in the world.. The show that starts off with a live orchestra of different characters dressed accordingly, is swirled by varied artistic tenors. It sets its tone with a script that needs few words to create the ambiance of a naive world darkened by the evil forces in our day to day.

The boy in striped pajamas stands alone on the stage, rides his tricycle and is marveled by the very thought of seeing his kite fly. His subconscious is taken over by a great force of darkness and impurity, presented by the Trickster, yet he remains innocent at heart. Melancholically, he wonders why he is alone in life.

The boy receives a jack-in-the-box toy that springs to life a castle-full of hysterical characters that quickly take over his adventure and introduce the audience to The Innocent’s journey as he searches for his identity.

The Trickster, defying physics and gravity, snaps in and out of KOOZA, the world he has put together for The Innocent. Flashy, exotic and entertaining, he is thirsty for souls. He creates a world of rhythm—at the pace through which society flows—presenting the boy with the endless pleasures of life. Through a total of ten acts, we learn that there is a quest for identity in everyone’s life even in the darkest of all places.

Each act is mesmerizing and unrelated to the previous or the next. The audience will be mesmerized by four acts in particular. The Contortion, a jaw-dropping simple act of three staged upon a small wooden circle that will make you drool or at the very least, wring your hands like pretzels every time you see the forms created by the performers who embody surrealism ever so gracefully. It is beyond what you can imagine three rubber bands diligently twisted and curled could look like.

The High Wire act, performed by perfectly fit Spanish men is also a wonder in itself. The Unicycle Duo rides around the stage ever so sensually, and another sensuous couple in the Wheel of Death, dressed in spiky leather pants and with an unreasonable urge for an adrenaline rush, makes everyone under the big-top tremble with fear.

Truly a spectacle to see in KOOZA Cirque du Soleil takes some of its best elements and combines them with the silliest of slapstick comedy, resulting in an extraordinary show which resonates and presents art at its best every which way you look at it.