Just in case you’re wondering what this is doing in the Disney blog, let me clarify. Cirque du Soleil has been a permanent part of the Downtown Disney experience for at least a few years now. La Nouba is their newest production and if you haven’t seen it, I have to say it’s fairly amazing. Tickets aren’t cheap (the 3rd tier tickets cost us $67 per person) but it is totally worth it in this blogger’s humble opinion.
It’s interesting because we hemmed and hawed over whether or not we really wanted to spend $500 to take the whole family to go see this. As we read the brochure, my husband and I both noticed that there were hardly any words to describe the show. There were pictures and a few apropos adjectives here and there. I thought, “How are we supposed to know if we want to go see this? It doesn’t tell me what it’s about?”
And that, my friends, is the point. It is indescribable in the best possible sense of the world. La Nouba is supposed to be a juxtaposition of the absurd with the mundane. It is set in a city with very ‘normal’ city activities like workers going to work, etc. and then all around there are a host of characters acting out various absurdities.
What is it exactly that makes Cirque du Soleil different? Cirque du Soleil began in Montreal as La Cirque Reinventee (the circus reinvented) and it was the desire of the creators to take street performer acts and make them larger than life in their own circus. Now Cirque du Soleil is a multi-billion dollar enterprise with permanent shows in several cities (Orlando being one of them), as well as traveling shows. Some people criticize it saying that it’s lost something of its street performing roots and maybe that’s true. . .but the show was still spectacular.
All five of my children were transfixed on the show, including the twins. If it wasn’t the driving, and slightly eerie music, it was something going on in the background. Not to mention the acrobatic performances that were front and center stage. If you think your little ones would be scared of clowns. . .even this can probably be over come as the clowns are not in typical costumes. There is one part at the beginning where the performers start out by moving through the audience that my kids were a little freaked out by, but it is short lived and the rest of the show was sufficient to make them forget about it. This is a ‘must do’ on your to do list in Orlando.
And just one more unrelated thing: Can anyone help our family solve an ongoing debate? We want to know how old the Chinese diabolo girls are? If any one can provide me with a link to a credible source indicating their age I would be most grateful!
Other Things to Do in Downtown Disney