Cirque du Soleil brings new show to Atlanta

I can't remember what year it was, but the first Cirque du Soleil show I saw was "Saltimbanco" in Atlanta. According to its website, the show made its debut in 1992. But it doesn't say when it started touring.



My friend Oz Roberts had seen the previous show, "Nouvelle Experience," and fell in love with the show. So when he found out "Saltimbanco" was in Atlanta, he insisted I go with him to see the show.



I couldn't believe it. The show was amazing.



Since then, I've seen several other shows, but nothing matches the very first one I saw.



There's a new show, "OVO," that opens Nov. 4 in Atlanta's Atlantic Station.



"The Atlanta visit by Cirque du Soleil is indicative of the longstanding love affair between our tours and the city," said Marie-Claude Asselin, publicist for Cirque du Soleil in a news release. "This love affair started almost 20 years ago with the visit of 'Nouvelle Experience' and has been going on since. We also love Atlantic Station, our Midtown Atlanta home since 2006."

 

OVO means egg in Portuguese. This show is directed by Deborah Colker, the first woman director at Cirque du Soleil. In the show, a mysterious egg appears and disturbs the insects who are awed by the egg. The release says it's a "headlong rush into a colorful ecosystem teeming with life, where insects work, eat, crawl, flutter, play, fight and look for love in a non-stop riot of energy and movement. The insects' home is a world of biodiversity and beauty filled with noisy action and moments of quiet emotion."



The cast includes 54 performers from 16 countries. Acts include flying trapeze, banquine (an Italian acrobatic tradition), Russian swing and swinging chair. The finale features 20 performers running, jumping and leaping up a 24-foot vertical wall.



Performances are 8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4-Jan. 2 in Atlantic Station, 1380 Atlantic Drive.



Tickets are $35-$255, and are on sale now.



Call 1-800-450-1480 or you can go to http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/ovo/default.aspx

This story was originally published September 30, 2010 at 12:46 AM with the headline "Cirque du Soleil brings new show to Atlanta."