If you’re walking down the street in Worcester this week, perhaps having arrived early for a performance of Cirque Du Soleil, you just might happen to pass one of the most talented acrobats in the world.
He or she will probably be wearing ordinary street clothes so you won’t recognize who you’ve happened upon. But later on stage, this person will be undertaking incredible feats requiring unbelievable balance and bodily strength.
And yet, you’ll never make the connection between the person you passed on the sidewalk and the breathtaking talent before you.
So goes the story of “Quidam,” Cirque Du Soleil’s production celebrating human individuality and featuring 52 international performers from 18 countries. The show runs eight times at the DCU Center in Worcester tonight through Sunday.
“The big message of this show comes from the name itself,” says Cirque Du Soleil spokesperson Jessica Leboeuf. “Quidam is a Latin word meaning ‘nameless passerby.’ It refers to the everyman; everyone you pass during the day who you don’t pay attention to. This show is about the individuality of every man.”
Developed in 1996 by the Montreal-based troupe of acrobats, aerialists, musicians, singers, contortionists, clowns and other performers, “Quidam” toured five continents as a big-top production, stopping in major cities around Europe, Japan, Australia, North America and South America.
“At one point, we had been everywhere that can host the big-top show,” Leboeuf recalls. “But the show is a big production, an important production, so we wanted to keep it alive, not only to return to places where it has been, but to bring it to new cities and people who have never seen ‘Quidam,’ or maybe even Cirque.”
To make “Quidam” friendly to venues other than the big top — that is, buildings like the DCU Center — a number of technical and other modifications were made. The most challenging involved condensing set-up and break-down times, since runs tend to be much shorter .
“We have to move more often and have less time,” Leboeuf explains. “Instead of taking six-and-a-half days to set up and three-and-a-half days to break down, now we have eight hours and four hours. We turned days into hours.”
As with all Cirque Du Soleil productions, the sets, music, choreography, costumes — virtually every aspect of the show is done by members of the troupe. Founded in 1984, Cirque boasts 1,500 performers and employs 5,000 people from all over the world. Today the company has 21 different productions playing around the globe.
“We have a different storyline and set for every show. Costumes are handmade specifically for each performer. Music is written specifically for each production,” Leboeuf says. “This creates a different universe for every productions.”
The stories are never told through spoken words.
“Live music is the language of the show,” Leboeuf says. “About half the time the performers follow the music and half the time the music follows the performers. It’s very powerful.”
“Quidam” features six instrumentalists and a male and female singer, the latter of whom portrays the protagonist, a girl named Zoe.
As the show opens, Zoe is in the living room with her parents: her father buried behind his newspaper and her mother not really present. It’s clear that everyone is disconnected.
“Nobody is talking and Zoe seems to be bored and is frustrated with her family,” Leboeuf explains. “Quidam enters her life and imagination, and we follow her on a journey where she meets all these characters. It’s a kind of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ journey, but instead of the Mad Hatter and bunny she encounters aerialists and acrobats and balance performers, among others.”
For her part, Leboeuf says the clowns are a highlight.
“We have two clown routines which are hilarious,” she says. “I love our clowns. If you are scared of clowns, this is great clown therapy.”
“Quidam,” which runs two hours, is a family-friendly show, appropriate for children about 5 years of age and older who can sit through a feature-length movie. It’s also great for a grown-up night out.
“It is a very multi-layered production,” Leboeuf says. “You can come and enjoy it for what it is. Or you can sit and absorb the artistry and the messages.”
If You Go
What: Cirque Du Soleil’s “Quidam.”
Where: DCU Center, 50 Foster St., Worcester.
When: Wednesday, Dec, 14, 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, Dec. 15, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 16, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 17, 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 18, 1 and 5 p.m.
How: Tickets are available at www.cirquedusoleil.com/quidam or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Prices range from $35 to $100.
