I first saw C!RCA perform during CINARS last December. They were (and continue to be) a very strong troupe technically. My only real criticism at the time was that, as an audience member, I felt that the artists weren't projecting enough emotionally and that I had a very hard time connecting with them. I was curious to see if that was a result of the the CINARS presentation being a series of excerpts from a bigger show. The verdict? I'll get to that later...
First, the show.
C!RCA describes itself as a blend of athleticism, contemporary dance, burlesque, cabaret, poetry and humour.I cannot stress how important it is to know that going in. I can only speak for myself, but I think I've started to take the structure and esthetic of contemporary circus for granted. I go into a show expecting a certain thing and typically, that's what I get.
And certainly, there are many elements of Wunderkammer that fit squarely within that notion of contemporary circus. But they weren't joking when they included burlesque and cabaret in the roster. Between the nipple pasties, stripping, light domination, allusion to pony play and a lot of bare tush, you definitely get a healthy (and usually tasteful) dose of raunch. And if you ignore that reality going in, and it's something that doesn't interest you, well... you might just find your panties in a bunch.
And I admit, there were moments when I was a little uncomfortable. The nipple pasties came in at the very beginning and I'm not sure the audience was immersed in the show enough for that to make sense and be embraced. But then, that might have been the point. Flesh can still shock. And there were many moments in the show where I was surprised by just how little attention was paid to the way the artists would use each others bodies (the breast jiggling moment comes to mind), but then I wondered if that wasn't the point? Not the idea of surprise, but to take the human body and say "There's nothing shameful here. There's nothing shocking. We're all like this, let's have some fun!"
But I'm getting ahead of myself. What of the show itself?
Wunderkammer is inspired by, and takes it's name from something called a "cabinet of curiosities". It's defined by wikipedia as "[...] an encyclopedic collection in Renaissance Europe of types of objects whose categorical boundaries were yet to be defined. They were also known by various names such as Cabinet of Wonder, and in German Kunstkammer or Wunderkammer (wonder-room)."
I only read this as the lights began to go down and it didn't really have a chance to sink in. I wish I had read it earlier because it was only mid-way through the show that I remembered, and it was only then that things started to make any sense.
You see, Wunderkammer is pretty spastic. The show begins with a hula-hoops act. The artist remains completely neutral in expression throughout, though the act itself is performed with urgency. The lighting is stark and the music is sparse. It definitely sets the tone. Then comes a moment where a balloon is inhaled through the nose until it comes out the mouth. Then an acro-dance piece. Then the nipple pasties and a reverse striptease. And then... and then... and then...
The entire beginning of the show happens so fast. There is seemingly no connection between each tableau, and really, there aren't any transitions either. The rhythm remains virtually the same as well, and while I suspect of that stems from the idea of "a collection of curiosities", it was exhausting to watch. It was only with the introduction of the rope act that I could finally breathe.
From there on out, the pacing was much better and certainly more varied. There were many wonderful moments in the show, both of the poetic and absurd varieties. Personal favourites include the popping of a sheet of bubble-wrap, the impressive singing of the "Countries of the World" song from Animaniacs, the many group hand-to-hand moments, and a solo-acro moment by one of the male artists. I have the names of the artists, but I don’t know who is who so I can’t credit it.
There was also a moment of audience participation…
I’m not going to lie. I really hate it when I go to a show and one of the clowns or some other character divides the audience into sections in order to create a mini “orchestra” by simply clapping out some rhythm. I hate it. It’s almost always the same rhythm used (clap clap, clap clap clap, clap clap clap clap, clap clap) and has been done to death.
But this time, oh this time… For the first time ever I witnessed an audience sound out stripper music while one of the artists stripped and ripped off bandages, throwing them into the crowd (of course). It was funny, and silly, and even a little sexy. I admit I had to eat my hat a little bit.
There was definitely a lack of variety as far as the disciplines go, however. The entire group was very skilled in hand-to-hand and utilized those skills with several wonderful group choreographies. There was a handstand act that was not at all up to the level of the show (the handbalancer could barely hold her one-arms) and seems to have been added as an after thought, as though they realized they needed something other than group hand-to-hand numbers.
I do question a number of choices made by the director. While his use of silence was wonderful (and the artists filled it well), the lack of transitions, the shaky rhythm and, at times, the direction of the artists often left the show incomplete. Often times, a scene would end and the artists would just walk off. One of the basic rules of theatre is that you’re not off-stage until you’re well into the wings. It often felt as though the artists broke ‘character’ as soon as they turned to leave.
Moreover, the way the artists carried themselves seemed far too neutral. And so, once again, I felt that I couldn’t connect with the people on stage. But only sometimes. Usually, if only one person was on stage, they managed to create a connection with the audience. And a good one, at that. But as a group… not so much. And I wonder if it was a choice made by the director, or if the director was unable to bring that out of his artists.
There was one artist in particular that I found quite frustrating. She had a wonderful presence. As soon as she came on-stage, your attention went straight to her. And yet somehow, even though your eye was to drawn to her, she seemed completely disconnected to the point of being disinterested! I’ve never seen anything like it!
Overall, it was an enjoyable, if not disjointed, show. If you’re looking for something a little different, it’s worth checking out. But I would stick to the more affordable seats and save treating yourself to the best seats in the house for a different show.
Wunderkammer runs until July 16th. For more information and tickets, go here.
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