Review: ALEGRIA: IN A NEW LIGHT, Royal Albert Hall

How you arrive at a Cirque show very much determines how you will react to it. Are you a newbie whose eyes will be veritably popped, or are you a veteran, whose eyes occasionally roll, having seen much of it before?

Cirque du Soleil’s Alegría is the longest-running show in the company's history, Returning to the Royal Albert Hall for the first time since 2006, this is a version of a 1994 production that has been revamped to "resonate with modern times", hence the addition of In A New Light to the title. Happily, the show feels suitably refreshed and well curated.

The show’s name comes from the Spanish for happiness or joy. The storyline is as irrelevant as ever, but supposedly revolves around a divided kingdom in turmoil after its leader’s death. One group is the more traditional nobility who cling to the old ways, and the other being a new movement who seek to bring harmony to the land. If you followed that in the show, well done.

The trouble with so many Cirque shows is having to sit through what feels like some tedious water-treading, while waiting for the more spectacular stunts. However, to a large extent, Alegría: In A New Light subverts this expectation with two adorable clowns who are both genuinely funny and more than a little homoerotic. Refreshingly, the standard trope of getting an audience member up on stage is more about the clowns themselves than flattering a pretty girl, which so often happens. There is also an impressive blizzard staged at the end of act one that must be horrendous for the cleaning staff, but is a real spectacle for the audience.

However, the worldwide success of the company is due to the reliability of some seemingly impossible feats of physical strength and dexterity. The show is as slick and polished as you would expect, even if the heart rate remains stable throughout most of the evening.

A striking display on Acro Poles opens proceedings, showing extraordinary dexterity and balance. Multiple aeriel somersaults are landed on the thin poles with nonchalant ease. Denim-look costumes of 18th Century pantaloons and waistcoats are less eye-catching.

Hand to Hand (main photo) features an elegant and fluid display by gymnasts Daria Kalinina and Halina Starevich. Sinuous and effortless, the displays of strength and balance from both performers are genuinely dazzling.

A rotating artist, Jacktai Laban is compelling in the Fire Knife Dance; admittedly I couldn't see where the knives were, but this visually beautiful act combines deft agility with incredible speed.

The flying trapeze finale shows nothing new, but still managed to quicken the pulse with both the height achieved and just how close the performers swing to the platform during the act. This is what a Cirque audience expects and no-one really does it better.

The anodyne world music used in many Cirque shows can also be draining (or is that just me?), but this show contains some excellent tracks that build suspense, excitement and atmosphere. It’s not a surprise that the original Alegría show was actually nominated for a Grammy Award back in 1995. The musicians are in top form and singers Sarah Manesse and Cassia Raquel both excel throughout.

Whether this is your first time at a Cirque show or your tenth, it's not non-stop excitement, but there is a lot to enjoy here. 

Alegría: In A New Light runs at the Royal Albert Hall until 3 March

Photo Credit: Anne-Marie Forker Photography

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