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Cirque du Soleil's Kooza - Grand Chapiteau at the Bayside Expo Center

    Reviewed by David Hurst

    Chinesechairs3.jpgBest known to Broadway audiences as Bill Irwin's partner in Fool Moon (1993, 1995 and 1998) and the Cat in the Hat in the short-lived Seussical (2000), David Shiner is also a professional clown whose collaboration with Cirque du Soleil goes back many years. In their new production of Kooza, their twentieth circus extravaganza, Shiner has written and directed a sweet story of discovery through the eyes of a young boy that explores at the duality of good and evil through - what else - clowning and acrobatics. And though it may not have the same level of tumbling and feats of daring as past Cirque shows (and certainly not those present in the myriad Las Vegas Cirque shows), Kooza is an utter delight.

    No one does visual and technical spectacle like Cirque du Soleil and, to that end, Kooza is another feather in their multi-plumed cap. Inspired by the Sanskrit word 'koza' which means box, chest or treasure, Kooza is a dazzling Turkish delight of clowns, color and chairs, or, more specifically a 23-foot tall stack of Chinese chairs that Yao Deng Bo balances atop near the end of the show in breathtaking feat of balance and strength. Other highlights include: the three contortionists (Julie Bergez, Natasha Patterson and Dasha Sovik), an amazing unicyclist (Yury Shavro) who does a dance with his partner (Diana Aleshchenko) where he dead-lifts her off the ground again and again while riding his cycle, the greatest juggler in the world (Anthony Gatto, in a spectacular costume made of mirrored squares that reflect the light) and the "wheel of death" (Carlos Enrique Marin Loaiza and Angelo Lyerzkysky) which has never before been presented under the big top and has to be seen to be believed. Scheduled to come to New York in Spring, 2009, Kooza is a feast for the eye and ear.

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    "Kooza" continues at the Grand Chapiteau at the Bayside Expo Center in Boston (800-678-5440) thru October 19. Tour schedule available at www.cirquedusoleil.com

    For the past six years, David Hurst has been the resident Theatre Critic for NEXT Magazine. Prior to that he was the Cabaret and CD Critic for Show Business Weekly. He has written for Opera News, is a regular contributor to Cabaret Scenes and is a member of the New York Drama Desk and Drama League.

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