They were here before dinosaurs, and they will be around long after the human race vanishes from the face of the Earth. From household creepy crawlers to Art Nouveau dragonfly women tiny insects penetrate our lives in so many different ways. Cirque du Soleil’s latest mind-boggling show finds inspiration in this most numerous class, bringing onstage spineless spiders, jumping fleas, and singing cockroaches. From romantic butterflies to team-working ants, from masculine scarabs to fragile crickets, the Cirque’s insects are ubiquitous, mysterious, gracious, and endlessly fascinating, just like their real-life prototypes. As an all-capitalized Latin word OVO (egg) used for the title graphically suggests an insect with large round multifaceted eyes and antennae, everything else in the show – the set, the costumes and makeup, the special effects – builds up on the power of suggestion. Mosquito, walking sticks, and “creatura” costumes are simply awe-inspiring, as well as those of comic relief characters – Lady Bug, Flipo, and Foreigner. As is always the case with Cirque du Soleil, its international team of performers (many many Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian surnames) defies gravity and physical limitations of a human body, and is way beyond comparison – in a class all its own. OVO runs through January 24, 2010 under the blue and yellow Grand Chapiteau at the AT&T Park, Third St. and Terry A. Francois Blvd., San Francisco. Opens in San Jose, CA February 4. Call for tickets 1-800-450-1480, or visit cirquedusoleil.com. Image courtesy Cirque du Soleil.
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