Paramour
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Cititour.com Review
Cirque du Soleil’s first foray into musical theater could be calling Broadway home for some time. The lavish Paramour wraps an old-fashioned musical theater story around the dazzling acrobatics the company is known for. The result? An extravagant hybrid that should please Cirque fans and even make a few converts.
The creators — who include director and conceiver Philippe Decoufle and associate creative directors West Hyler and Shana Carroll — use as their setting the glamorous Golden Age of Hollywood, and the most basic of musical plots from that era: a demanding film director, A.J. (Jeremy Kushnier), is smitten by a flame-haired nightclub singer with the unlikely name of Indigo (Ruby Lewis), and vows to make her a star, at the same time hiring handsome young accompanist and composer Joey (Ryan Vona) to pen a love song for the movie, also called Paramour.
Surely, you can guess the complications. But that’s hardly the point. Cirque shows are about visual splendor, and there’s tons on display here. (The budget for this show could make a considerable dent in the federal deficit.) From the ornate sets and costumes by Jean Rabasse and Philippe Guillotel, respectively, to Olivier Simola and Christophe Waksmann’s three-dimensional projections, Paramour is not a show that skimps on eye candy.
Still, Paramour takes a while to hit its stride as it introduces its characters and sets up its plot. The songs are pleasing, but it’s when the dancing and acrobatics kick in, as A.J. shoots his film, that the show really comes to life. There’s an aerial act from twins Andrew and Kevin Atherton, a plethora of bouncing and flipping, a zombie dream sequence (look out if you’re in an aisle seat) and, instead of a dream ballet like the one in Oklahoma!, a dream trapeze routine that highlights the A.J./Indigo/Joey triangle.
That this show doesn’t have as many stunts as others may disappoint some Cirque devotees, but to me the acrobatics are more memorable when connected to even a simple story and archetypal characters. Expect Paramour to be a hit, especially with tourists, and to keep the usually dark Lyric Theatre lit for years to come.
By Diane Snyder
Visit the Site
https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/paramour
Cast
Jeremy Kushnier, Ruby Lewis, Ryan Vona, Bret Shuford, Sarah Meahl, Kat Cunning
Open/Close Dates
Opening 5/25/2016
Closing 4/16/2017
Preview Open/ Preview Close Dates
Preview Opening 4/16/2016
Closing Open-ended
Box Office
877-250-2929
Theatre Info
Lyric Theatre
213 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
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