All You Need to Circle the Sun

“Because”

It was about one in the Afternoon when Danielle and I left Durango, Co to drive to Las Vegas, Nv for our spring break vacation together. As we drove west I watched as the sun crossed through my windshield and set beyond the Arizona desert. We arrived late into the evening, as we drove Highway 15 into Las Vegas the lights from the city made me think of the French translation of Cirque du Soleil, Circle of the Sun, and the two shows of theirs Dani and I had came to see. The Beatles LOVE and Zumanity.

“Love is all you need”

While there is no bad seat in the show, an act of the show covers a portion of the audience with a blanket where above, dancers spin and twist with a giant sphere representing the sun, while below, dancers do similar with a sphere of the moon. I bought our tickets to the show in the middle of the circular theater able to view both above and below. We arrived thirty minutes before the show was scheduled to start. As we took our seats we were greeted by a shy man in a purple suit offered Dani a rose and whispered “love” beneath his breath. Behind him, another woman held a giant earth beach ball. She tossed the beach ball to me and asked, “Where?”
“Durango, Co.” I responded and tossed it back.
“Love… Love is all you need.” They sang in unison as they moved toward another theater section.

“Yesterday”

In Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, I enjoyed the dance the single performer displayed as she soared high over our heads and swooped between the rows of seats. While in contrast, Blackbird was used to display racial inequalities. Two dancers, a white female with an African American man danced across the stage and up above us. Images of African Americans were shown on screen as dancer dressed in a blackbird costume descended on to the stage, fainting injured, before soaring into the rafters above.

“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”

While I was mesmerized by The Beatles Love and enjoyed every minute of it. Dani enjoyed Zumanity. The show is 21+ and explores all aspects of human sexuality. The show can be classified as a burlesque or cabaret style. The two shows could not be more different, except for perhaps the experiences walking into the two theaters could be. Zumanity felt as if I were walking into a VIP suite where a party is taking place and not a show theater. A large heart shaped bed sat in the open, with plush love seats scattered around it and a bar serving alcoholic drinks, with names such as ‘cock sucking cowboy’, and “swinger legs”. Patrons were taking numbers for orders instead of standing in line. Dani and I did the same and sat at a love seat nearby the bar. A lightly clad woman approached the bed and laid down, arching her back upward to expose her brazier. Another dancer, a well-groomed gentleman came to her side. The two teased the audience with a dance of erotic desire on the bed before us.

“Being for the Benefit of mister Kite”

Men were dressed business elegant, however, nearly all the women in attendance were scantily dressed. Short skirts, see through tops, dresses with open backs. Dani had worn a sexy miniskirt but still felt ‘overdressed’ for the occasion. As we took our seats near the stage, two actors were engaging the audience with sexual jokes that were highlights of the show to come. The Casanova, full on open chest suit with hair arching out and his wife continue to appear though the show and provide the most laughs from the audience. The interactions with the audience pushes the boundaries of morality.

“Octopus’ Garden”

During one act of the show, the cast comes out on and each invites an audience member on state for what is implied to be a large orgy. One of these individuals was an elderly woman with solid white hair. The male stripper who had pulled her on stage was wearing a g string and grandma was cupping the bulge with one hand and messaging his bare bottom with the other as if this was the greatest moment of her life. Edie asked her how young she is, she softly says into the microphone that she is 81 years old.
“Have you ever been in an orgy?” Edie ask.
There is a moment of silence before she quietly answers, “y…ye…yes”
Edie follows up with, “Are you married?”
“Yes,” grandma answers.
“Does your husband know?” Edie continues.
“No,” the grandma responds quickly.
Edie fakes a shocked face and ask, “Who did you come here with tonight?”
“My 18 year old grandson,” she says as the entire auditorium bust into laughter.

“Here Comes the Sun”

Both the Beatles Love and Zumanity are Cirque du Soleil shows, their target audience overlap, yet the two shows are as different as the sun is to the moon and their relationship to us, the earth. The audience is earth, use to viewing our entertainment through square boxes in front of our faces. The Beatles Love is the Star, the sun of Cirque du Soleil, with its circular auditorium and the Beatles music it provides a color look into the daylight of humanity. Zumantiy is the moon in the night, it shines a light on the things we prefer in the dark and in doing so strips a fabric of their form down into its purest intentions of sensual desire. While there are many other Cirque du Soleil shows, Love and Zumanity are contrast highlights of humanity.