The biggest treat of last night's performance was that it was in the Teatro Juarez (Guanajuato, a city of 70,000 has three large theaters: Juarez, Principal, and Cervantes). I had read and heard about the interior of Teatro Juarez, but nothing prepared me for what I saw. I had expected it to be somewhat like the pink birthday cake church in Morelia: garish, ornate, shiny. Well, it was ornate, but it was so lovely! The interior had somewhat an asian aesthetic, reminding me of pictures I've seen of painted wood interiors of China. Deep reds, greens, blues were everywhere, with elaborate carving and chandeliers. We didn't bring our camera, but we plan to sign up for a tour of the theater, and will pay the additional fee to bring in a camera when we do. (The one I added above is from the web.)
The show itself was by a theatrical group who decided to do a circus, so have only been at it for about a year and half. At the end, one of the clowns explained that and it explained a lot.
My favorites were the clowns and the stilt-walkers. The clowns cracked us up with physical comedy. The stilt-walkers used the trapeze ring, which was neat and lovely. Also, before the show started, one of the clowns was out in the house dressed elaborately as an usher, and joking around with the audience (I loved that he got us to clap as he announced certain guests, "Everyone, the family Villarigosa has just arrived!").
The trapeze parts were somewhat limited by the abilities of the company. The woman who did tissue (the kind of trapeze that looks like they are using giant scarves, the term for which I learned from my friend Jaron's new circus school in Oakland -- by the way, if you are in the Bay Area, you should check it out) was somewhat interesting, but I was waiting for her to do the part that always amazes audiences and makes us gasp: the quick unwinding/falling coming up short before she hits the stage. That didn't happen, probably because she wasn't skilled enough.
One thing I love about the modern circus is that the BMX bike stunts of our childhood have been professionalized into an official talent. Those boys (and the occasional girl -- remember when the girl's BMX came out?) who spent all their time jumping over mounds of dirt and figuring out how to balance on the handlebars are finally getting their own. A few years ago, Peter and I saw a performance of Circus Oz and they had an amazing rendition of bike stunts. This performance included a man doing bmx stunts, and he was pretty good. However, he lacked stage presence and whereas Circus Oz made their performance looks smooth and easy, you could see his effort. I felt a bit awkward watching him, like maybe I was intruding, until one of the clowns came out on a tiny bike and put me at ease.
Finally, a critique of the performance via a homosexual lens: The dance numbers, with three women, included a decisively erotic element, with suggestive looks and head snuggles. It was as if they were trying to be radical: "Look, we'll include lesbian suggestions!" While it almost seemed more to play to that age-old straight-boy infatuation with lesbians. Meanwhile, the clowns (both men) got a laugh when one was singing "Besame, besame mucho" and turned to the other, at which point, both made a face and shook their heads -- "Ha ha, we could NEVER kiss! That would just be gross!" On the other hand, they had a nice gender play when both the male "magician" (played by one of the clowns) and the female "assistant" gestured for the other to get into the sword box. In the end, the "assistant" won, and the man got in (I just read a book about a magician's assistant, which gives some hints at how these things are done, and yet, I am still amazed at what a small space his body had to scrunch into).
I don't mean to be negative. We both had a great time and it was fun to go out. It was still spectacular and sweet, and the tickets only cost $7, which you can't complain about at all. I love that Gto has so much going on.
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