Combining Music, Acrobatics, and Traditional Circus Virtuosity
A Blog View by Alejandra Enciso-Dardashti
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| The cast of Duel Reality. Photo by Jim Cox. |
If The Seven Fingers come every July to San Diego, I have no problem with that. For the second year in a row, ‘Fingers will grace San Diegans at the Old Globe Theatre. This year it is the West Coast Premiere of Duel Reality. Co-founding artistic director Shana Carroll directs the 75-minute, no-intermission piece that sprinkles in some of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet in the middle of juggles, hula hoops, acrobatics, and heart-pumping stunts.
For me, the duality came about in different ways. When the show begins, there is a “divide” in the audience through the colors red and blue. I immediately thought about West Side Story, which looked like Sharks against the Jets. Then, I thought it was a football (called soccer in the US) as there was a referee. The performance entails a combination of the cast working together and each artist conducting dynamics, and/or sketching out Shakespearean-ish phrases that introduce numbers with their pertaining specialty.
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| Andreas De Ryck and Danny Vrijsen in Duel Reality. Photo by Jim Cox. |
This touring production came from a cruise ship show that continues performances. It amazed me last year how the theatre could literally, space-wise hold a show like this, and this time around, the experience was practically reloaded as each number was intense and suspenseful to the core!
The diverse cast is made up of Daniela Corradi, AndreasDe Ryck, Aerial Emery, Soen Geirnaert, Gerardo Gutiérrez, Michelle Hernandez, Marco Ingaramo, Kalani June, Einar Kling-Odencrants, Santiago Rivera Laugerud, Arata Urawa, and Danny Vrijsen. There is audience seating on stage which makes it even more intense seeing the artists up close along with their elaborate, physical performances.
Aerial Emery did a number with Soen Geirnaert that was synchronized and beautiful. Emery does hoops as well and that number was amazing as she took from one to more than 10 hoops and practically all the cast joined in flying through the hoops and having the audience clap in unison. Arata Urawa showed his ability through the diabolo with precision. Danny Vrijsen and Andreas De Ryck did a one-on-one teeterboard number that almost gave me a heart attack as it was powerful, full of energy, and scary. Another super heart pumper was the Chinese poles with Kalani June and Marco Ingaramo, my GOD! The climbing, sliding, and landing had everyone in the room holding their breath. Daniela Corradi and Santiago Rivera Laugerud graced the stage with playful juggling and the Romeo and Juliet of the night, real-life couple Gerardo Gutiérrez and Michelle Hernandez brought the house down with a lovely aerial choreography that was romantic, engaging, and definitely, the icing on the cake.
The 75 minutes go by in a breeze and the show is captivating and fun. Audience members celebrated along with a feel for these artists and their craft which is part of the experience that demonstrates their ability and amazing training. Shana Carroll has been a busy woman creating, directing, and contributing to this company’s journey. Her creative vision reflects the pursuit of perfection and -bending the quote a little-, perfection is practically caught every night in this show.
Duel Reality is currently performing until August 4. Audiences have the opportunity to see the show from the traditional theatre seats or on stage. For ticket prices and show times please click here.
