On Thursday, we went to a Cirque du Soleil performance at PNC Arena of Crystal. It was pricey at $96 per person plus TicketMaster fees and taxes on top of that. Cirque advertised it as being different because it had ice skating. But, we remember the last touring Cirque show we saw at PNC Arena having a section of ice skating so it wasn't that unexpected, or new seeming to us. What I found striking was that it was in English! I don't ever remember understanding the words in a Cirque show before. (Excepting One and Love, of course!)
So, I am posting about this because usually a trip to the other side of town for a Cirque show feels like a quick trip to a foreign land because you can't understand the WORDS. Not so with Crystal. In English, it felt like what it was, a trip through a red-haired girl's adolescence.
Add to that the fact that at least 4, and maybe 6 different, women played the part of Crystal. In addition, I felt cheated that there was no live singer for Crystal. There were 4 musicians that at least some of the time were live performing, but all the singing was pre-recorded. It was oddly unfulfilling and not because it was mostly performed on ice. I was not expecting English and I was expecting live vocal performances based on past experiences. It was unexpected. I find it strange that what Cirque is promoting about Crystal is the ice and not the change of language when that incomprehensible language has been a trademark feature.
So, on Thursday we stayed in town. We took a very expensive trip across town, but we didn't leave the country for even a moment.
Little Bob hits the road
Little Bob hits the road
