Last night the Ether/Geranium/Sea Cow family spent a boatload of money to go and see Cirque du Soleil perform Saltimbanco. When our kids were little, we checked the Saltimbanco video out of the library a lot. Cinderbelle and Sparkly Sea Cow especially liked the part where the people bounced around on giant bungee cords. It was pretty cool.
We went to see them in Chicago a few years ago, but we got stuck in traffic and missed about a third of the show. I hate driving to Chicago. Still, it was an impressive show. It was in the circus tent, so everything was close, with the trapezes swinging right overhead.
Last night's show was in a large arena, and somehow, it lost some of its magic for me. The music, while well-executed, seemed kind of hackneyed. The whole thing felt just a little too packaged. (Especially knowing that they have permanent set-ups in Las Vegas and Orlando.)
Still, I had fun. The spectacle of the costumes, combined with the physical feats of strength and coordination, took my breath away at times.
