Cirque du Soleil bringing Alegria to Birmingham NIA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztXmzMvSXZ0

The Greatest Show on Earth? Quite probably. The international phenomenon that is Cirque du Soleil has delighted almost 100 million people since it started in 1984, with one of its most popular shows – Alegria – coming to Birmingham's NIA for a five-night run next April.

It is a circus like no other. When Cirque du Soleil came into being, it had evolved from a 20-strong street theatre group in Quebec. Fast forward 27 years and the company has 5,000 employees, spread across the globe and is touring multiple shows all over the world.

Alegria premiered in 1994 and is known as one of the company's signature shows.

Its title is the Spanish word for jubilation – and the two-and-a-half hour extravaganza is a celebration of the energy, grace and power of youth and explores the tensions that exist between young and old.

The story is told through awe-inspiring acrobatics, music, singing, theatre and comedy, with the stars pushing themselves to the very boundaries of the capabilities of the human body.

Trapeze artists and acrobats perform death-defying stunts high above the auditorium with gymnastic and tumbling displays on trampolines set within the stage itself.

Contortionists, rhythmic gymnasts and fire and knife dancing all combine in this breathtaking show, with light relief from the clowns.

Unlike those from the traditional big top, with squirty flowers and buckets of confetti, these are cleverly crafted characters, who act as "social commentators", providing both laugh-out-loud moments and poignant scenes, including an epic snowstorm scene at the end of the first half of the show. It is difficult to find the words to describe the scale of this production, and the attention to detail that sets it apart from anything else you may have seen.

The logistics of the Cirque du Soleil operation are mindblowing. The production will roll into Birmingham in 22 trucks, containing scenery, equipment, costumes, make-up, and even the company's own washers and driers to care for the extensive wardrobe of 400-plus outfits.

Each of the costumes is painstakingly put together. A single "Old Bird" costume from Alegria alone takes 200 hours to complete, with the singers' costumes each containing 200 handsewn jewels. Even the colours used are unique – mixed at the company's HQ in Montreal – to ensure the costumes are identical. Upon joining, each member of the cast has a mould taken of their head so that any masks, wigs and hats will fit the contours of their face exactly.

Zoe McLean, aged 24, is a former world champion gymnast from Barnsley, who was approached to join Cirque when she retired from competing. She has been with the group for nearly three years.

Speaking backstage in Malaga, Spain, she said: "Performing in a show like this is very different to competing – I struggled with the artistic side of it for the first six or seven months, but it is fine now and I love life on the road."

Each performer spends five months in Montreal when they join the show, where they undergo rigorous training and – in their own words, "athletes become artists".

They are taught music and dance in a bid to bring emotion to the act and learn how to apply the intricate stage make-up.

Emotion is a big part of the Cirque ideal. Bruno Darmagnac, artistic director of Alegria, said: "Audiences all react differently. Some will laugh, some will cry. It is a very personal thing."

Alegria is so much more than a circus. It is a magical combination of skill and artistry, a multi-sensory delight, that really does have to be seen to be believed.

* Cirque du Soleil – Alegria is at Birmingham's NIA from April 18-22 2012. For tickets call 0844 3388000.

Sally Walmsley