Montage

Presented in the beautifully restored El Portal Theater in North Hollywood, CA, Montage, provides employment for former Cirque du Soleil artists. Individually the acts were highly skilled and creatively costumed, but the show seemed to struggle with the concepts of continuity and character development. Maybe it's just me, but I am sooooo over the "tortured" aerial artsy acts. I know personally that working in the air is painful, but the audience doesn't need to be tormented to believe it is art. The sullen looks at the audience, the posture at the end of the acts that defies you to applaud, it just seems too contrived and overdone to me. Yes, we all have angst and desire, but whatever happened to playfulness and light hearted flirtiness? Ironic that "aerial" acts bring me "down". Opening with a bit of an upbeat storyline, the curtains opened to reveal the self-supporting aerial uprights set that was used throughout the show. Very simple yet effective and efficient. The ground acts, hand balancing, contortion and juggling were presented towards the front of the stage, and the jovial nature of the high speed juggler was a breath of fresh air. I guess that instead of rehashing Soliel style, I'd love to see this show evolve to reflect the individuality of the artists true selves I could glimpse peeking out. Whoa, I guess that's not asking too much is it? A lifetime as an artist, that's all. :)

Ok, so maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this type of show. I'll admit I'm cirque'd out.
Here's the LA times review.