Cirque du Soleil soars into Meridian Centre
When former gymnast Fredric D. Umali first joined Cirque du Soleil in 2004, he figured it would just be a summer job. A brief detour from his studies to be an architectural engineer.
He soon discovered Cirque du Soleil is a tough family to leave.
“I think my first contract with them was four months,” he recalls. “I thought, ‘Great — I get to go to Montreal, travel a little bit.’”
Thirteen years later, he’s still performing in the show he started with — Corteo. Though there was a few years’ break to start a family and perform in one of the company’s Las Vegas shows (Viva Elvis), Umali has been part of the Montreal company’s largest touring show since it premiered in 2005.
“I really fell in love with this job and the lifestyle.”
Heading to Meridian Centre in St. Catharines for eight performances July 11 to 15, Corteo gathers 51 musicians, singers, actors and acrobats for the poignant story of a clown imagining his own funeral as a high-flying, festive carnival. After more than 200,000 people saw the original run in Montreal, it went on tour for 10 years, hitting 64 cities in 19 countries.
Last November, the company announced it was sending Corteo back out on the road. The new production premiered in New Orleans in March. The show played Ottawa June 27 to July 1, and plays Kingston July 4 to 8 prior to the St. Catharines visit.
Even if you’ve seen other Cirque du Soleil shows, Umali says something about Corteo stands out.
“This show, for me, has a very personal quality in terms of how they present the show, how they bring the artists on stage,” he says.
Unlike many Cirque produc-
tions, costumes and makeup are minimal, he adds.
“Our director wanted us to be seen, as humans. We’re not like insects or fantasy creatures. I think that’s one of the things, when they created the show, that made it really unique compared to some of the other shows for Cirque.”
Formed in 1984 with just 20 street performers, Cirque du Soleil went on to re-define circus entertainment. It currently has 4,000 employees, including 1,300 artists, and has staged dozens of productions around the globe. It is best known for its permanent Las Vegas productions such as Ka at the MGM Grand Hotel and The Beatles Love at The Mirage.
It’s estimated the company’s various Vegas productions play to more than 9,000 people every night.
Umali, who primarily performs in Corteo’s Tournik Act, says touring such a physical show puts every performer through the grind. Even mentally, spending much of the day in a dark theatre or arena takes a toll.
At every tour stop, he seeks out a park to simply lay in the grass for a while.
Physically, he puts in about 90 minutes of gym time every day to perform the show’s jaw-dropping routines.
“I’ve put a lot of miles on this body, but if you take care of yourself, eat well — I don’t abuse my body outside of work — I’ve been able to extend my career,” he says.
“The show itself gives you the freedom on stage to be different every day. That helps mentally and physically to not feel like you’re in too much of a routine.
“That’s another unique thing about this show. It’s going to be a very different show on a wide scale every day, because each person is very unique in our show.”