Teacups & Couture A Fashion Blog by Roxanna Bina
Los Angeles – April 2022
With senior publicist JANIE MALLET interviewed by Emmanuel Itier
Transforming and enchanting might be the two key words for this mesmerizing journey offered by, Cirque du Soleil, with their Brazilian inspired music and insect driven spectacle: ‘OVO’. Be prepared to be entertained and transported into a surrealistic magic universe where your favorite bug will put a spell on your soul and turn you into one of them. This is indeed the power of this immersive show, to allow you to leave behind your human condition and to, for a time, transform you into a funny fly, a wicked spider, an adorable ladybug or a majestic night butterfly. ‘Ovo’ is a pure vision of a world coming together, beyond its difference, beyond its inner chaos. In a time where, we, Humans, have to re-adjust our focus on what this means to be alive and kicking, ‘Ovo’ is a spiritual ré-évolution for the world of tomorrow. A world where sustainability, compatibility and harmony bury the old ways of aggression, competition and elimination. One for all and all for one is a the true message emerging from this fairy bugs tale.
So, open your heart, let lose your dancing legs under the rhythm of the bosa nova, and join the ‘OVO’ colony for a, once in a lifetime, adventure onto the other side of existence. Peace and Love has found its destination and Cirque du Soleil proves, one more time, that they are the magicians of our lives.
To help us better understand the “behind the scene” of ‘OVO’ we were lucky to catch up with senior publicist Janie Mallet. Adjust your insects antennas, may the conversation begin:
Q: Where does this show come from and what was the intention with it?
Janie: Ovo, which means “egg” in Portuguese is a unique and special show which theme is: the world of the insects. We have 52 acrobats on the stage representing different species of bugs. It’s a show that was created in 2009 by a Brazilian creator, Deborah Colker. It was created as a “big top” show and not as an “arena” show. We have shows, “resident shows”, built for a specific stage in hotels like in Vegas and then we have touring shows. “Big top” shows are touring shows for which we build a big tent, and the show is set for a limited amount of time, like two or three months. Right now, ‘Ovo’ has become an arena show, which means we took an existing space, right now the Microsoft center in Los Angeles, everything is set inside to our specifics, and it will be also for a limited amount of time. In 2009, ‘Ovo’ toured the world under a big tent, it was a big top show. It’s a show that has been going on for quite some times, but we did re-invent it as an arena show in 2016. It has been very successful with families. There is truly something for everyone in it. It’s a very colorful and lively story. And the costumes are so vibrant and fantastic. Without adding an amazing live music and several video projections. Beyond the insect inspiration, Brazil was an important source of inspiration. Deborah Colker, the first director of the show and the composer of the show are both from Brazil. There is a strong bosa nova musical flair to this show. There is so much warmth you will feel watching this magical endeavor.
Q: Why do you think insects are so fascinating and such a source of inspiration?
Janie: For sure, the insect world is a reflection of our society. Deborah has always been fascinated by bugs. Look at how many insects are in the world, way more than human beings. There is, therefore, something intriguing there. It’s also inaccessible and in attenable because they live underground, and we don’t really see them. There is a layer of mystery to the world of insects. There is a big place for imagination with insects. We have 52 artists representing all sorts of insects: cockroaches, spiders, butterflies, crickets… And there is the whimsical imaginative side and twist of Cirque du Soleil. The costumes don’t, necessarily, imitate, perfectly, such or such insect. It’s more our take on such bugs. They can have fur on their costumes. They are very swift and quick with their movements. You’ll see, it’s quite amazing and breathtaking. We developed different personalities for each insect, and it will surprise you greatly.
Q: Is there a unique attribute, a unique stunt to this show?
Janie: Yes, first, we have so many stunts happening both in the air and on the ground. But also, we have this giant trampoline wall. The back of the stage, where the crickets will be jumping, is basically a rock-climbing wall, forty feet tall, and you really get the impression the “insects” are walking on the wall. This is a challenge for our acrobats but also to the technicians building this wall in every destination. It’s quite complicated to dismantle, pack, ship and rebuild such a prop.
Q: What is truly that show about, the take-away?
Janie: Creating a show like, this one, means creating some many layers of understandings and meanings. This is why, it takes years to create such a show. I hesitate about saying there is a clear message because I believe everyone can see they own message and take something different depending on who they are. The story is about a fly getting to a new colony of insects and he disrupts the order of this community. So, it’s about how we adapt to something new, how do we connect with the others, how do we go towards someone else and make their acquaintance. Through that there is also a love story between the ladybug and the fly. So, it’s a love story between two different species that will normally not be together. So, they learn to live together and to cooperate. This is the main theme overall of this show. It’s all about friendship, collaboration, and inclusion. It’s also about adapting during changes. These are very relevant themes today, especially after two years of covid pandemic. And these themes are expressed without any words, pretty much. It’s all about dances and musical numbers. We also have clowns who will guide you through that journey who expresses themselves with their own language. Kids as well as adults end up being very engaged in this spectacle. I really hope this show takes away people from the drama of their lives and of the world. I hope we can inspire people. It’s also about the communal experience, the social experience we need after these two years of pandemic. I see every night kids with stars in their eyes when they leave our show, this is truly magic. Some of these kids could be our acrobats of tomorrow. We do have artists who were young kids when they saw their first cirque du soleil show and they got so inspired by what they saw that they ended up, as adults, being part of Cirque du Soleil. It’s so fantastic. You never know what lays ahead of you in life…
Q: Final question, what is your favorite insect, the one you identify to the most?
Janie: My answer might change but today I feel I’m closed to a butterfly. There is something so poetic and so true with the story of the butterfly. About the transformation, its metamorphosis of changing and going through different stages. It’s about how you can become something through the challenges of life. In our show there is a such a lovely duo of two night-butterflies flying in the air. It’s such a touching moment with so many colors of emotion.
Interviewed by Emmanuel Itier
