![]() ![]() Wish I could have videoed some of the show but it was verboten. Men walking inside and OUTSIDE of crazy spinning cages 40 feet above the stage, pretzel-twisting tumbling routines, a troupe of 8 women doing mind-bending dance moves on unicycles-think Ed Sullivan routines on steroids-had me stuttering “wow” after “wow.” There was a juggler who had SEVEN balls in the air at the same time. Thematically, it blends Disney animation, music, and magic, with the magic, athleticism and wit of Cirque. Want more theater and arts news and reviews? Go to orlandosentinel.Spectacularly athletic and ingenious acrobatics combined with clever slapstick humor, unique costumes and sets, and a great musical score to make the Cirque du Soliel “Dare to Dream” show at Disney Springs one of the most enjoyable pieces of entertainment we’ve seen in years. Where: Disney Springs, 1478 Buena Vista Drive in Lake Buena Vistaįind me on Twitter /matthew.j.palm or email me at. But even with imperfections, “Drawn to Life” is a vibrant, ultimately uplifting salute to creativity, and that’s always worth celebrating. That’s the nature of compromise and collaboration. Ultimately, “Drawn to Life” is probably exactly the show Disney and Cirque wanted - with its family-friendly and life-affirming vibe - and a show neither totally wanted, with the disparate storytelling ideas. The pacing strangely slackens instead of building as the show approaches its climax, and the final number, featuring a team of acrobatic women who leap between two moving plank swings, delivers a female-empowerment message but lacks the pizazz of a larger-than-life, stage-filling showstopper. And the Disney musical cues in the score, appealing in short nostalgic bursts, have moments where they’re too prominent, pulling focus from the current story being told.Ī graceful hand-to-hand act, with additional theatrical tricks, creates a touching emotional sequence between a woman (Myriam Deraiche) and her late husband (Samuel Charlton) in “Drawn to Life” from Cirque du Soleil and Disney. And while Disney wrote the book on mining emotion from parental death - who wasn’t traumatized by “Bambi” as a child? - here Disney references creep in where they don’t always need to be.Ī sequence in which Julie’s mother magically dances with her late husband is powerful and moving - so it’s particularly jarring to see a cartoon mermaid appear as part of this display of adult love and loss. This creates a push and pull between Disney’s literal storytelling and Cirque’s evocative storytelling that doesn’t always gel. At the top of the show, young budding artist Julie reads a letter from her deceased father, a Disney animator, and then sets out on a quest that takes her into the world of animation and imagination. Unlike other thematic Cirque shows that leave room for individual interpretation, “Drawn to Life” has a very specific story line, written by Michel Laprise, who also directed. It’s there in scenic designer’s Stephane Roy’s towering animated backdrops that glide on and off the stage, and the grandeur comes through in Benoit Jutras’ cinematic score.īut things occasionally founder in the storytelling, when it’s noticeable two disparate forces are at work. There’s an epic feeling to much of “Drawn to Life,” grander than the more playful “La Nouba” that preceded it. A double-wheel act provides gasp-worthy moments as the performers keep the wheels in motion high above the stage of “Drawn to Life,” the new Cirque du Soleil-Disney show at Disney Springs.
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