#suffolk downs

I watched in childlike wonder for the entirety of the show, which runs for two hours with a 25-minute intermission in the middle. The performance includes innovative takes on classic circus acts, including acrobatics, trapeze, dancing, juggling, cyr wheeling, hoop diving, contortion,hand balancing, swings, clown interludes, and more.

Via opulent and inventive set design, audiences are transported from the sky to underwater, from the beach to the desert, from a field of flowers to a dance hall. The scenes are set with vibrant lights, elaborate wardrobes, Latin American-inspired music, and - for the first time in a Cirque du Soleil touring production - rainfall. A total of 1,585 gallons of water is used each night.

Russian contortionist Aleksei Goloborodko, in particular, stands out to me as a horror fan. While watching him twist his body in seemingly impossible configurations, all I could think of was what a great creature performer he'd make in a horror movie; he could give Javier Botet a run for his money. Surreal animal costumes and puppets seen throughout the show also lend themselves to genre imagery.

But the most exciting act of the evening is swing to swing. Appropriately occurring just before the fiesta finale, the death-defying act finds a revolving door of performers launching themselves over three stories into the air as they leap from swing to swing. Did I mention that, in addition to the swings moving back and forth, the stage also rotates? The entire crowd was on the edge of their seats.

LUZIA is directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, in association with Brigitte Poupart. Finzi Pasca also co-wrote the show with Julie Hamelin Finzi. It's a global effort; LUZIA's touring cast and crew employs a total 115 people from 25 countries. The 44 artists that appear on stage come from 19 different nationalities.

The closing of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus last year marked the end of an era, but the tradition lives on through Cirque du Soleil. By modernizing the acts while introducing thematic elements, Cirque du Soleil reinvents the traveling circus in a fresh and exciting way. Fun for audiences all ages, LUZIA left me in awe.

Cirque du Soleil's LUZIA is playing in Boston through July 29, 2018. Tickets are on sale now.

In a series of grand visual surprises and breathtaking acrobatic performances, LUZIA takes audiences on a surrealistic journey through a vibrant world filled with wonders, playfulness and striking artistry. Smoothly passing from an old movie set to the ocean to a smoky dance hall or an arid desert, LUZIA cleverly brings to the stage multiple places, faces and sounds of Mexico taken from both tradition and modernity. Rich in awe-inspiring moments, LUZIA enchants by incorporating rain into acrobatic and artistic scenes – a first for a Cirque du Soleil touring production.