11:11:52 ...
In this moment imbued with simplicity and poetry, an artist uses
only his fingers to tell a story that is filmed and projected in real
time on a hot-air balloon that serves as a screen. The finale of the
tiny characters’ adventure unfolds in the audience!
The tempo slows following the energetic Acro Net performance with a
scene denoted as “Hands Continent”. The mechanical hand seen earlier
returns accompanied by a hot-air balloon reminiscent of The Cloud from
Varekai. The hot-air balloon used in this scene is made of fabric and
has a built-in blower system. The gondola is made of metal and tulle.
It serves as a projection screen 4.3-meters in diameter, which Nico
the Accordion Man uses to show us his fantastic finger puppetry. Using
his fingers as the puppets legs for walking, Nico takes us along a
smaller-scale (literally and figuratively) journey of friendship and
success. Our small puppet companion begins to travel, meeting a partner
along the way. The two travel together, overcoming small obstacles,
reminiscent of the first half of the show.
As the puppet show progresses, our “two-legged” protagonist portrays
another type of journey, presumably held very close to the hearts of
all Cirque du Soleil performers – a journey from humble beginnings within
their respective specialist (in this case, dance), through trials, and
resulting in a coveted role in a circus show. From then on, the puppet
act extends into the audience via a small hot-air balloon carrying our
protagonist. The camera, now hand-held, leads the balloon into the
audience, where our puppet friend settles into a relaxing life in a beach
setting – atop the (un?)fortunate head of a probably-balding audience
member. Complete with beach towel, umbrella, and his long-traveled
companion, arm-in-arm, our small character interacts with the audience
in what very much resembles something you would expect from Blue Man
Group - quirky, and successfully breaking the 4th wall in a way only
a stage show can.
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