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Cirque du Soleil returns to Tampa with high-flying 'Varekai'

 
Cirque du Soleil's Varekai follows the fall of Icarus into the pit of a volcano, where he interacts with strange and magical creatures.
Cirque du Soleil's Varekai follows the fall of Icarus into the pit of a volcano, where he interacts with strange and magical creatures.
Published Aug. 4, 2015

TAMPA

Icarus falls from the sky with a barrage of drums and smashing cymbals, violent keyboards and screaming thunder.

The central unfolding of Cirque du Soleil's Varekai, playing at the Amalie Arena, holds nothing back. The impetuous young man must spin and stretch and dive within a net that ensnares him as he plunges to the ground, as little bells and wind chimes signal both danger and the thin threads of hope.

It's up to Paul Bannerman, a former big band drummer, to keep the beat of the entire show, which takes the narrative of youthful hubris and turns it on its head. Varekai, a title taken from the Romani word for "wherever," is the mysterious world in the pit of a volcano in which Icarus lands.

Because the acrobats move how they move and every show is a little different, it's up to Bannerman, 46, to follow the action on stage rather than the other way around.

"We really have to follow a reactionary mode," said Bannerman. "It's kind of like driving the bus from the back of the bus."

Bannerman has been driving that bus for the 13 years Cirque has performed Varekai — about 4,540 shows, by his count. The performance has entertained more than 10 million people since launching in 2003 in Montreal.

The growth doesn't just mean more seats in the auditorium. The venue changes the story, if only by the artistic rendering.

"With a bigger space, the story has to translate," Bannerman said. The cast is constantly touring, so the drummer doesn't get to see his parents in Nova Scotia more than a couple of times a year.

Varekai, which picks up where the myth left off, might as well be a statement of individuality about Cirque itself, a successor to Barnum and Bailey with all the resemblance of a fifth cousin.

Of the 50 performers in the touring cast, only one, a female trapeze artist, comes from a traditional circus background, said Michael Smith, Varekai's artistic director. The rest have backgrounds in Olympic sports, especially gymnastics and tumbling.

Smith, 56, learned his art over 20 years as a director of musicals in London. He joined Varekai in 2010 but left the same year to follow director Franco Dragone, a director known for his work with Cirque du Soleil and Celine Dion.

Smith rejoined Varekai about two months ago and compares it to a symphony.

"It's a simple story of an enchanted forest, limited only by your imagination," he said. "If there is an emotional link that allows the audience to somehow connect with the characters in the story, then what they see is very much what they imagine. Four thousand people watching on the same night will each see a different show."

Smith said he has also gotten a lot out of working with a cast representing 16 nationalities.

"I don't think anybody can work here and not change as a human being," he said. "Prejudice and things like that — you don't have that choice. You have to find a way, and I think that's how we should work together."

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The exotic world of Varekai encourages self-discovery more than following rules. That works out well for Icarus, who recovers from his injuries and even falls in love. If the show's history is any guide, it should work for audiences too.

"Yes, it's escaping, but why not?" Smith said. "This just feels good."

Contact Andrew Meacham at ameacham@tampabay.com or (727) 892-2248. Follow @torch437.