Cirque du Soleil returns to Philadelphia to infest the city with its newest touring show, “OVO,” May 11-15 at the Liacouras Center. The show plunges the audience into a colorful ecosystem teeming with performers and acrobats depicting insects as they work, eat, crawl, flutter, play and fight.
“This show is brighter than a lot of their other shows,” out cast member Michelle Matlock said. “It’s an uplifting, spirited show. A lot of the shows by Cirque are known to be dark and mysterious creations. This one is very bright, colorful and energetic. It has a Brazilian feel and the music is very different from a lot of the other shows. It’s all about earth, happiness and environmental love.”
Here’s the plotline: A mysterious egg appears in the insect world and the insects are curious about this object. When a gawky, quirky insect arrives in this bustling community, it’s love at first sight for it and a fabulous ladybug, played by Matlock.
“She’s the only one of her kind that is in the show,” Matlock said of her ladybug character. “But she’s part of the community of the insects that are on stage for sure. She’s sort of lonely but confident and searching for love and the story is definitely her story of finding that love.”
Matlock said that, while insects are the inspiration for the show, it comes across as a visual extravaganza instead of a scientific documentary.
“It’s not educational in that way,” she said. “It’s pure entertainment. But it uses families of insects based on real insects that live in the world. So if you pick up a program, you’re going to find out some information about each of those families of insects. As you’re watching the show, it’s pure entertainment and eye candy, but all the costumes, foliage and projections are based on real environments in the world.”
Matlock added that the show’s focus on community and relationships makes it relatable to all kinds of audiences.
“That’s one of the other things that sets the show apart,” she said. “There’s a straightforward storyline than can be followed by everyone. You can follow it from beginning to middle to end. It’s a great date show for couples. It’s also a great family show. It’s a fairly well-rounded show. Every person in the family will enjoy it.”
“Cirque du Soleil’s OVO” crawls into Philadelphia May 11-15 at the Liacouras Center, 1776 N. Broad St. For more information, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com or for tickets call 215-204-2400.