Review: CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE... at KANSAS CITY MUSIC HALL

Cirque du Soleil’s excellent new Christmas Show, TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE… opens at the Kansas City Music Hall for eight performances beginning THE NIGHT BEFORE…Thanksgiving Day and continues through Sunday, December 1.

Cirque de Soleil is a friendly cousin to traditional circuses. Each Cirque production has a unique story to tell.  Like a more traditional circus, they consider each dancing or acrobatic or gymnastic performance an act. 

Following a basic training period at the Cirque headquarters in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, four separate tour companies of TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE… were dispatched for extended rehearsal periods at their first tour destination.

One of those touring companies has been preparing at Kansas City’s Music Hall for almost a month.  I was fortunate enough to be invited to witness a rehearsal of TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE… and was blown away.

At the stage entrance I met Jahsmine Beauchemin, Cirque Coordinator for Public Relations and Social Media and Jonathan Miousse, the overall Production Coordinator. They allowed me an unusual peek backstage.

I should not have been surprised, but the lilt of the French-Canadian accents somehow adds to the uniqueness of the experience. Cirque du Soleil cast and crews come from all over the world. 

If you have ever wondered what happens to all those wonderful Olympic Gymnastic athletes from around the world, wonder no more.  Many of them and dancers and stage personnel, end up being employed by one of the  Cirque Productions.  Cirque employs upwards of four thousand people worldwide.  This group numbers forty-four souls including twenty-six onstage performers.

“TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE…is an outreach designed to introduce the Cirque du Soleil brand to the youngest audience members,” said Production Coordinator Jonathan Miousse.  

As we approached the third-floor lobby, cast members practiced with spinning discs on lengths of rope.  On stage, other jugglers/performers practiced with up to eight rings in the air at once along with accompanying choreography under the stern eye of the traveling company Artistic Director. Edesia Moreno Baratta. The act concluded and the director mounted the stage with notes. 

This performer was a native Spanish speaker. The tour artistic director, a former performer herself, spoke seamlessly to him in Spanish, the dancers in French, and to others in English.

Each act had an assigned time slot of ten to fifteen minutes during morning rehearsals.  You cannot help but be impressed by the professionalism, seriousness, and rigor displayed.

Backstage I was offered a great look at tour and introductions.  These very nice people from around are world-class athletes.  Cirque carries a physical therapist and medical personnel plus workout equipment to care for athletes and dancers.

I was introduced to Cassie Audifffrin, a dancer and acrobat in her first year with Cirque after being recruited from Paris France.  Cassie is one of only nine people in the world who have mastered her particular acrobatic skill on a modified hotel cart that soars high above the stage. 

Make-up for all the actors is described in detail on cards.  All make-up looks the same for all characters on all tours. Quality control is essential, I was told a representative from Montreal was due to check costumes and makeup ahead of performances. Sets, costumes, and even shoes are made at Cirque workshops in Montreal.

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE… is a reference to a classic 1823 poem and images imagined by American writer Clement Clark Moore’s “A Visit from St. Nicholas.”  

Playwright James Hadley deconstructed the poem and spun it with familiar holiday music into a production for the entire family.

Many families holiday traditions survive their children’s earliest years.  Some read “A Visit from St. Nicholas” in the warmth of fireplaces, Christmas trees, with cups of hot chocolate all around, and maybe a plate of cookies and milk for Santa.

Parents eventually discover their kiddoes have grown up much too quickly and gotten past the pleasant imagery of Clement Moore’s poetry.   This may be more a disappointment to parents than to the kids, but it is the premise upon which the story for TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE…  is built.

A Dad (played by Nikolas Pulka) struggles to relive his traditions, but his daughter Isabella (played by Marion Thomer) is no longer interested in hearing “A Visit From St. Nicholas.”  She takes to her bed and the stage erupts with lights, music, and dance. 

Dad storms off and suddenly and Isabella’s magical journey begins. There are aerialists on straps (Denis and Jiliana Bazhenova), a baggage cart suspended high above the stage (Cassie Audiffrrin), the Diablo (Li-Chi Tang, Ho-Li Tsao, Tzu-Yu Juan, and Shao-Wei Hsiao). Additionally, there are Hoop Divers, Roller Skaters, Jugglers, a hair suspension act, an acrobatic bicycle, and more. Tiny sparks of light serve as transitions between acts.

The two-level set design by Genevieve Lizotte consists of a colorful backdrop, a slanted wall/ramp, a cascade of garlands, and icicle curtains accented by Nicolas Brion’s impressive lighting.   Music is reimagined arrangements / vocals of familiar hymns, secular favorites, and original compositions

Will Isabella ultimately rekindle her holiday spirit? Will St. Nick make an appearance? Will audience members be included?

Over the years, I have seen multiple Cirque shows in different kinds of venues.  Whether a big top tented show, an arena extravaganza, a Las Vegas residency, or a holiday specific show, audiences are always in for a treat.

“A Visit from St. Nicholas” was first published anonymously in the Troy (New York) Sentinel on December 23, 1823.  It invented the notion of a sleigh pulled by reindeer.  Santa was modeled on the author’s friend Washington Irving. Other publications shared the poem and Clement Clark Moore finally claimed authorship in the late 1840s. 

If you are wondering what to do with all the traveling relatives visiting for Thanksgiving weekend, TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE… might be an eighty-five minute answer that keeps everyone entertained.  Tickets are available online at www.cirquedusoleil.com.  Discounts may be available.

The tour continues from Kansas City to Durham, South Carolina and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Photos provided by Cirque du Soleil and MSG Entertainment

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