the latest circus-style equestrian show from Montreal company Cavalia, didn’t so much stampede into the Pepsi Center parking lot on Sept. 17 as wander in, gently.
Under a custom-built tent — 125 feet high and covering an area the size of two football fields — 2,000 spectators watched the stars take the dimly-lit, ground-level stage amid moody music and forest-like set dressing.
The lights came up, the music quickened and the horses began circling the wide, sand-covered area, betraying their exceptional training. Over the course of the next couple hours (not including a half-hour intermission) the cast and crew of “Odysseo” delivered on nearly every promise the show’s bombastic advertisements have made.
It was clear on opening night of this $35 million production, which continues near-nightly at least through Oct. 5 , that Cavalia has learned a thing (or 300) from .
Everything about “Odysseo,” from the high-stepping horses and high-tech visuals to the live musicians in the wings, felt natural. Yes, modern-day circus spectaculars are all about shock and awe. And “Odysseo” had no shortage of these, from the improbably back-flipping, drumming, singing, dancing troupe from Guinea (who, next to the horses, could rightly be called the heart of the show) to the now-standard high-flying aerial work and a 15-ton carousel that descended from the ceiling.
But while Cirque du Soleil, which was co-founded by Cavalia owner Normand Latourelle, trades almost exclusively in the tension between wonder and fear, shadow and light, “Odysseo” is at once more straightforward and more sophisticated. It makes Cirque’s productions seem garish, heavy-handed and plastic by comparison.
“Odysseo,” with its fairytale costumes, tasteful, exotic soundtrack and emphasis on up-close performances, is about as organic as a show like this can get. There’s no faking the exquisite training these horses have received, especially when dozens of them circle in choreographed groups on stage, nary a saddle or whip (or, often, human being) in sight. And the numbers are impressive: the cast features 66 horses — many of them breathtaking stallions — and 52 human performers. All are clearly in peak condition.
But the real triumph of “Odysseo” is the care it takes in presenting its subjects, which results in a richer, more affecting show than any Cirque production this reviewer has witnessed.
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642, jwenzel@denverpost.com or twitter.com/johnwenzel
“Odysseo.” Circus-style equestrian spectacular. Various shows through Oct. 5 on the Pepsi Center grounds, 1522 5th St. Tickets: $24.50-$229.50. 866-999-8111 or cavalia.net.
