FLIGHT of FANTASY
Cirque du Soleil soars into OKC with show inspired by ‘Avatar’
W hat looks like a gray rock seems to protrude solidly from the floor of Chesapeake Energy Arena, until a sprinting performer suddenly bounces high off the deceptive surface and gracefully twists into a complicated flip.
Things aren’t always what they seem when Cirque du Soleil comes to town.
By the time the first Oklahoma City performance of “Toruk — The First Flight” began Wednesday night, high-tech projectors were creating the illusion of flowing lava, rushing rivers and lush green vegetation on that seemingly dull gray floor.
“We have 40 projectors that help re-create the world of Pandora,” Laura Silverman, spokeswoman for “Toruk — The First Flight,” said backstage during a practice run Wednesday afternoon at the arena. “It creates a truly immersive experience … and a visual spectacle for the eyes.”
Along with new technology, Cirque du Soleil’s latest touring production uses animalistic puppets, avian kites and canny makeup — heavy on the deep blue hues — to transport audiences back to the fertile forest moon depicted in James Cameron’s blockbuster movie “Avatar.”
A prequel to Cameron’s groundbreaking 2009 sci-fi epic, “Toruk” centers on three teenagers among the
Na’vi, the cobalt-colored humanoid inhabitants of Pandora, who go on a quest to save their world. To do that, they must seek out the Toruk, the fierce flying predator that rules the skies above Pandora.
“This is very different from any other Cirque du Soleil show,” Silverman said. “In all of our other shows, the story is fairly abstract and supports any acrobatic elements. It’s really the acrobatics one after the other, that’s the focus. And here it’s pretty much the opposite: The story is really the focus and the world of Pandora coming to life, and then all these acrobatic elements help support the story and move it along.”
Performing fantastic feats
In her alien makeup and costume — complete with tail — Michelle Wuthrich, 25, is virtually unrecognizable Wednesday night as the Australian acrobatic performer who casually scaled up and suspended from a forest of towering poles at that afternoon’s rehearsals.
“We paint ourselves blue every night and put on our blue costumes … and it’s great,” she said with a grin. “Kids love it. … We’re getting a lot of great feedback. It’s really colorful. We still have plans to improve the show, as it is new. So, we’re looking forward to all those changes, but for now, the response has been fantastic.”
While “Toruk” may focus more on storytelling than other Cirque du Soleil shows, it still boasts plenty of fantastic feats of flexibility and strength. Aerial silk artists deftly spiral around cords that resemble vines, acrobats balance on a seesaw decorated like a giant skeleton while doing flips and handstands, and performers in harnesses go airborne while keeping the beat on colorful drums.
“We have some air beds that are part of the stage, so we do a lot of kind of like trampoline work, jumping from side to side. There are some kites that we fly in the show, some big flowers that we manipulate … and then we have what’s called the Loom. It’s like a big, vertical grid structure, so we swing around and we weave in and out of that,” Wuthrich said. “It’s quite a lot of fun. Quite diverse.”
“Toruk,” which made its world premiere in December in Montreal, Quebec, marks Wuthrich’s Cirque du Soleil debut. She started in gymnastics when she was 3 years old, added dance and sports acrobatics when she was still a youngster and attended circus school when she was 15. She got her first job as a performer when she was 18.
“From there, I’ve kind of built my way up to the ultimate … which is Cirque du Soleil,” she said. “It’s a whirlwind, traveling every week to new cities. It’s been great.”
Populating Pandora
“Toruk” itself is a whirlwind of exotic vistas, strange creatures and epic tasks, keeping the cast of 39 performers from 18 countries busy every show. The story introduces viewers to five clans of the Na’vi, and most of the acrobats play members of three different ones. The quick change area just backstage is where they hurriedly swap out the distinctive headpieces and accessories that represent each tribe.
“Everything that was created new for this show — the different creatures, the clans, all of that — was approved by James Cameron and his production company,” Silverman said. “He’s been involved in the process. He’s seen the show twice … and had great feedback to give, was really emotional and excited to see these characters and this world he created being brought to life in live entertainment.”
The cast includes six puppeteers who bring to life the animals of “Avatar,” including the slinking Viperwolves, trotting Direhorses and the soaring Toruk. They also control the Austrapedes, which are a cross between an ostrich, a pink flamingo and a dinosaur, and the Turtapede, which is half sea turtle and half shark, two new creatures that were devised for the production.
“This show definitely has the creativity and the uniqueness and the idea of just pushing entertainment boundaries that all of our shows have. We’re just doing it differently,” Silverman said.