I'd like to start by clarifying a few points about Quidam as seen in the other reviews.
For starters, Quidam has been reformatted to fit into an arena, as all new Cirque shows are required to do. This enables the crew to travel to smaller areas where a tent show would not sustain a 4+ week run. Of course you lose some of the awe and magic you'd get from seeing this in the grand chapiteau, but that reason is valid. I will say, that a very good show that was produced was Delirium as it was set up for the arenas, and it was magical. Even without the grand chapiteau, this was absolutely amazing, especially considering it was specifically designed for arenas, and not a "convertible" format show for areans and the tent.
Secondly, touring shows can not be compared to resident shows where the theaters are custom-built for the show--and done so in the millions of dollars. There just isn't any comparison from a technical perspective.
As for Quidam, this is one of Cirque du Soleil's darker shows. This was a trend back in the mid-90s as Alegría is a similarly dark show, but not to the extent of this show. I will say though, that having seen Alegría, I think its format fits slightly better into an arena stage than that of Quidam.
Now, as for the actual review itself of the show. I feel for the team, as having to pick up your life and move every week (or maximum every two weeks) can be very stressful, and you can see how it has certainly taken a toll on some of the performers.
Diabolos: The costumes were somewhat out of place, even though I like them better than the original enfants d'acier. Which is another point, these performers are no longer "enfants" by any means. One artist dropped her spindle twice and didn't catch the rod another time. The first time was fairly unnoticeable, but the second time when she was performing solo and sent the spindle flying off the stage, albeit humorous to see, did slow the vibe down. I did like how a second artist immediately stepped in and did the trick over and flawlessly I might add. To much surprise, my friends and I enjoyed this act almost most of all.
Cloud Swing: I was completely shocked that the first trick the performer pulled was a complete miss. I was ever so happy she caught the rope, but was wondering how she was going to recover for the rest of the act. Her confidence boosted back up and she performed the rest fairly on point, although I think her best trick was doing a back-tuck and sticking it cleanly on the rope.
Jump Ropes: I can understand this act not going smoothly because it's performed by artists from most of the other acts. They aren't jump rope "experts" if you will, and so I can expect a couple of restarts (3 or 4 actually). It was also sad to see that only one artist was the main performer when I was expecting two. The one disappointing thing that did happen was the trick when there were 3 sets of rope that he was going to be jumping in, yet missed the first step, and so ditched the outer most ropes so only did the trick inside two. I thought why not reset? You guys did before, and it easily would have been the best trick.
Banquine: Flawless. This was my first time seeing Banquine live, but I must say that many of the flyers were really young, and so some of the tricks weren't as spectacular as what they could be. Watch the Zed routine and you'll see what I mean. Stunning! That's what I was expecting... I did, however, still enjoy it.
Sound Technicians: This was rather inexcusable in my eyes, but during the Statue act, the sound technician started the wrong track. I know things happen, but it completely offset the mood of this very slow, breath-taking act.
Even with the flaws, I still enjoyed this darker side of Cirque. I also loved it that my friend was the one who got whisked away backstage and put into one of the white biohazard suits! For some of you, this isn't the Cirque du Soleil show you should see. If you have yet to see a show in the grand chapiteau, see that first. (Totem is coming soon!) Even see a show in Vegas, and you'll understand the skills and management taken to perform these production up to 8 times a week. If you are going to watch Quidam, just take into account the differences of seeing this in an arena versus the grand chapiteau. read more