Review: Kooza, Another Gift from Cirque du Soleil

Cirque du Soleil’s big tent is back at the Santa Monica Pier for the first time since 2014. Kooza debuted in April 2007 in Montréal, Canada. It has since played in over 56 cities in 18 countries, on four different continents (as of this review).

Cirque du Soleil Kooza 

Cirque du Soleil is known for its signature clowns and characters. Each show begins with pre-performance hilarity. Two clowns appeared and began to engage with the audience, as people searched for their seats. Soon a third appeared. Then a fourth and a fifth until they were everywhere…running up and down the aisles.  

Kooza begins with a young boy (the innocent) alone on stage. He is attempting to fly his kite, when a package arrives for him – a gift of sorts – meet the Trickster. It is obvious, who is running the show. The Trickster waves his silver wand, turning the gray stripes on the innocent’s outfit to bright rainbow colors. With a few more waves of the wand, lights flash, explosions are heard, and the action begins.

Acrobats & Tumblers Grace the Stage

The Trickster and the innocent reappear throughout the show. As the Trickster directs the stage, a massive three level structure is rolled out through a mist from the back. The band, in their flamboyant costumes, are featured high above on the second level. Below is a small theatre covered with a red curtain. The music swells, as a sea of colorful characters and acrobats take to the stage. It’s a beautiful scene.

Favorite Acts

Contortionists are a staple at Cirque Du Soleil, and the ones in Kooza were fantastically artful. A highlight for me however was the silk aerialist who deftly twirled up and down, wrapped in blood red silk straps. Up she would fly, doing flips and splits as she ascended. Each time she would land back down, she would aggressively survey the audience. Like a dominatrix, she commanded the stage. It was exciting to watch her wrap herself in the fabric then fly to the ceiling in a circular motion, then unravel as she cascaded rapidly down to the ground. 

Each Cirque show offers something new, and Kooza features an amazing Unicycle Duo. As a man circles the stage on his one wheel bike, a woman counterpart is lifted above him and positioned on top of his head. At one point, the pair actually balance head to head, all the while continuing to ride the unicycle. It’s hard to believe.

Constant Clowning

The clowns and characters continuously return to the stage. One of the funniest parts of the show was when they brought up a man from the audience. The King and his minions poked and prodded this man, attempting to get him to copy their noises and mime their actions. After a hilarious comedy bit, featuring a fake sword duel, the king and his minions wind up dead on stage.

As the man awkwardly stood there, not knowing what to do, the audience prompted him to pick up the King’s crown and put it on his heard. Thunderous applause followed. Now he was king. The dead men jumped up, congratulating him. Then the dog sneaked on stage, snatched the crown and chaos ensued. Clowns started running around. A large cannon came out and fired rainbows of confetti into the audience, as more clowns ran up and down the aisles.

Cirque du Soleil has mastered the art of distraction. While the audience enjoyed the shenanigans on stage, a large trapeze was being set up right in front of us. This was quite a large apparatus. A haunting vocal sliced through air. The Indian inspired melody became a beautiful introduction to the next incredible act. 

Hi Wire Act of Kooza

The hi wire act was astounding. Four men skipped rope, dueled, danced, jumped over each other, stood on each other’s shoulders and rode bikes with a man on a chair on top (see pix). They just kept topping the previous trick – it was astounding. During the first act, the Trickster’s wand was passed on to the innocent, which was an unexpected turn…soon the show would reveal the choices of the Innocent. 

The second act begins with the Innocent creating his own version of what’s to come. As he thrust his magic wand towards the sky, it rumbles. Then the red curtain lifts on the petite theater to reveal a group of skeletons. Soon the dance of skeletons would follow. I assumed this was a nod to Dia de los Muertos currently running (when I saw the show). A soulful singer above sang a gorgeous melody, while the lead acrobat wearing a sparkling silver mask, led a kick line of dancing skeletons. The cabaret of skeletons eventually dispersed through the audience.

I would soon realize this was yet another clever distraction. A large two wheeled contraption called the Wheel of Death lowered from the ceiling and diverted our attention while pandemonium took over.

the Wheel of Death

One performer climbed aboard. Soon another daredevil clung to the bottom as it swept him up into the air. Each performer danced and jumped in their own perspective circles. Then ultimately both climbed on top of the steel circular structures, running, dancing and jumping. They even jumped rope on top while this contraption spiraled. Needless to say, it was death defying. I now know why they call it the Wheel of Death. We all screamed. It was terrifying to watch but oh so thrilling too. 

Another great addition during this portion of Kooza was the rock music that accompanied the performance. We noticed the silhouette of a drummer in the small theater, behind the curtain. After the acrobats both jump off their contraption, it rose to the ceiling. The drummer’s platform slowly moved forward as he hammered out an amazing drum solo. This was my favorite segment of the night.

Finally, a group of talented acrobats jumped on a Teeterboard, while each one flew thirty feet into the air. It was taken to the next level by stilt walkers somersaulting in the air, only to land successfully on their stilts. 

A Poignant Kooza Finale

The final scene brought together the king, his minions, the Trickster, and the Dog. There was a poignant moment when the king placed his crown on the Innocent who has obviously grown into a man. As the Innocent turns to the group, the Trickster, the King, the minions and the dog all bow to him and slowly fade away. The innocent is left on stage with his kite…he releases it into the sky and the lights go out. 

We were all fully engaged throughout the entire show. There was never a dull moment. Every act was as impressive as the previous, with the exception of the Wheel of Death. This stole the show in my opinion. Run, don’t walk to see  Kooza at the Santa Monica Pier. You will not reqret it. Cirque du Soleil’s Big Tent, 1550 Pacific Coast Hwy, Santa Monica, CA 90401; https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/kooza