I spent a decent portion of Cirque du Soleil’s latest Brisbane offering, KOOZA, sitting on the edge of my seat, shoulders somewhere around my ears, simultaneously delighted and horrified by the spectacle of people doing things with their bodies that made me question the structural integrity of the human skeleton.
There were several moments where I had a very strong internal reaction along the lines of: ABSOLUTELY bloody not. Then the performer would go ahead and do the thing anyway, usually several metres above the ground, with the sort of concentration you’d hope to see from someone defusing a bomb. I found myself holding my breath through some of the bigger tricks, grinning when they landed and then remembering, several seconds later, that I am actually allowed to breathe.
That is the particular magic of Cirque du Soleil. Even when you’ve seen a similar circus trick before, there is something about watching it happen live, inside the Big Top, that makes your heart beat faster and a sense of wonder flood your brain. The strength is extraordinary. The control is extraordinary. Then there’s the bendiness. Some of these performers appear to have bones made from cooked spaghetti. I was watching one contortion sequence thinking about the human body in a way I have never previously wanted to think about the human body, while being completely fascinated by what I was seeing.
KOOZA has been around since 2007 and takes its cues from traditional circus, bringing together acrobatics and clowning in a show built around the physical limits of its performers.
There is a storyline underneath all the flying, spinning, balancing and apparent disregard for gravity, too. KOOZA follows The Innocent, a lonely, slightly melancholy figure who receives a mysterious box. Out pops the Trickster, who transports him into a strange new world where he encounters the King, the clowns and the gloriously chaotic Mad Dog. The Trickster acts as a kind of guide through this world, with The Innocent gradually finding his way through experiences involving fear, identity, power and recognition.
It gives the show a lovely thread of magic between the big circus acts. The story has a dreamlike quality, with characters appearing, disappearing and returning as The Innocent makes his way through this peculiar kingdom. You can follow the broader journey without needing to sit there trying to decode every detail, which suits the spectacle perfectly. There is plenty happening on stage and the show keeps moving at a lively pace.
Then the circus acts arrive and all my sensible thoughts leave the building.
There is a sheer physicality to KOOZA that is extraordinary to watch. The Wheel of Death is particularly terrifying, with the giant rotating apparatus becoming a giant playground for performers who appear to have developed a very different relationship with risk. The chair balancing act had me doing that involuntary little inhale you make when something looks spectacularly unsafe, while the aerial work had me watching with a huge grin and a growing sense of disbelief.
The clowns provide the perfect release valve. They bring a deliciously silly energy to proceedings, with plenty of slapstick and audience interaction woven through the show. On the night we attended, Mike Goldman, better known as the voice of Big Brother, was pulled from the audience and brought into the action. Given his enormous personality, he was always going to be a good sport, and he threw himself into it with excellent humour. Watching someone who has spent years on the other side of reality television suddenly become part of the circus was a particularly Brisbane little bonus.
The costumes deserve their own mention because they are spectacular. There is so much colour and detail packed into the characters that even when you’re watching a performer doing something that requires your full concentration, another visual detail catches your eye. The production has that unmistakable Cirque du Soleil look: theatrical, slightly surreal and packed with visual surprises.
KOOZA understands the simple joy of circus. You want the gasp when someone launches themselves into the air. You want the laugh when a clown gets into trouble. You want to watch a human body accomplish something your own body would struggle to achieve while reaching for the remote.
I walked out needing a massage after spending two hours sitting completely slack-jawed while clenching my butt through every trick that looked remotely life-threatening. I had done absolutely none of the physical work and yet my entire body had apparently been recruited into the performance.
There is plenty of clever theatre wrapped around KOOZA, but the great pleasure is still wonderfully straightforward. Sit down, look up and let yourself be amazed by people who have spent years turning the impossible into their job.
Just remember to breathe.
WHAT: Cirque du Soleil KOOZA
WHERE: Under the Big Top, 261 Curtin Ave East, Eagle Farm
WHEN: Until October 4
TICKETS: Grab your tickets to Cirque du Soleil KOOZA here.
In her spare time, she likes long walks down the makeup aisle and performing in Brisbane theatre. You can follow her adventures on Instagram and TikTok @thebeautypalate.
