“I’ll see you onstage!”
Those four words, “I’ll see you onstage,” hung in the air as the stranger smiled and walked away from us. I stood still, in shock, after Kim handed me the sleek, black envelope containing my Valentine’s Day surprise: tickets to Cirque du Soleil! Seeing a Cirque show together was on our bucket list!!! (We always strive to cross things off that list but friggin’ covid has slowed us a little. I think the last time we worked on the bucket list was here.)
We hurried into the restaurant to grab dinner quickly before we needed to be in our seats at the theater across the street but I couldn’t wait to ask what the stranger meant. Were we part of some crazy interactive show? Would I regret wearing a tie? Is there water involved?
Answers to my questions and lettuce for my pork
Are you confused yet? Let me backtrack a little. Kim planned a mystery dinner “in a new neighborhood we can explore” for Valentine’s Day. I had no clue what we were doing beyond dressing up a little and wearing lucky Chinese New Year colors, red and gold.
We hailed our Didi (Chinese Uber) and headed toward Wherever. Excited to be spiffed up alongside Babe, I let my imagination wander. We had just talked about taking a riverboat cruise. Were we hitting the water? We usually wander the streets and find cute little shops, odd Chinese situations and tasty treats whenever we go out. Tonight would probably not be an exception.
Are we there yet?
We crossed the Qiantang River – in the car, not by boat – and kept going. We traveled on new roads and saw both old and familiar skyscrapers, and kept going. And after we kept going, we thought we were in the ghetto for a second, but THEN we arrived near the colorful and exciting Xintiandy Theater. I had no clue it was our destination but it caught my eye, with the waterfall curtain projector screen outside. Water streamed down from a multicolored theater truss, showing projected images I couldn’t identify in my excitement. Colored bursts of water shot up from the ground nearby as families gathered around to watch.
Our car stopped to let us out around twilight, as city lights turned on, bringing everything to life before our eyes. Kim hurried to find our restaurant on her phone without revealing any of her surprise. We eventually found our destination, a Korean BBQ. We love Korean BBQ! I was already happy with the limited knowledge I had at the time, but a tall, bald gentleman stood outside. I wondered if our Valentine’s date included making friends since we seemed to be walking toward him initially.
Eeeeeeeeee!
His name was Jones but I wouldn’t find that out until later. Initially I would know him as The Watcher, as he performed onstage. I had just met a Cirque performer! I was immediately star-struck. Star-stricken? And we were going to see a Cirque show!!! I was so excited. With a grin, I linked arms with Kim and we headed inside to eat BBQ as quickly as we could. As soon as our meats were cooked, we devoured them and left. We didn’t even wait for the lettuce I ordered!
Kim mentioned that we NEEDED to be in our seats by showtime and suggested that we pee before we sat. We couldn’t leave our seats during the show. It’s in my nature to be early to a show and I hate to miss any part of a performance anyway. But she really seemed concerned, firmly reminding me once we sat down, we could not get up.
Excitement at every moment
The stage’s backdrop was simple but with patrons hurrying to sit and cast members wandering through the crowd, we were not bored as we waited for the show to start. When Kim bought the tickets, she had to choose which side to sit on: Aria (the white hero) or Petra (the Asian heroine.) I tried to figure out where the dividing line was, who was on “our” side and who chose Aria. There didn’t seem to be many seats, especially for a Cirque show. I had seen one in Florida during college and that theater was massive. My seat was waaaaaayyyyy up high, away from the stage. I had a view of the whole room. Our seats this night were just several rows back from the stage but looking around, the room looked small.
In addition to Watcher Jones, we also “met” some other cast members. We waved at Khino, a spiky-haired, shy man who giggled and waved back. Then another guy made some eye contact so I patted the seat next to me. He patiently sat while I flipped my phone camera around a few times, tech-savvy me.
Then we waved him goodbye as he made his rounds. Characters continued to circle about until the show started promptly at 7:30PM. This was the point of no return, when we couldn’t get up. An announcement clearly explained in English and Chinese that anyone who needed to leave their seat would need assistance and may not be able to return immediately. How exciting!
That guy looks familiar…
A tall man wearing a triangular hat and white robes took the stage with his wizardly staff, dancing and gesturing around to begin the story. It was Jones! Is there audience participation soon? Why did he say “I’ll see you onstage” ?! The man who patiently waited outside the Korean BBQ restaurant to hand us our tickets was now enchanting everyone in the theater, showing us the story of two kingdoms.
“X: The Land of Fantasy” actually tells two stories simultaneously. You can learn about the story from this website. The story you see first is whoever’s side you chose. We watched young Petra grow from infancy after being left on the doorstep of a rival kingdom. On the other side of the stage, from yellow seats just like our red ones, another audience saw baby Aria’s struggle as he was left in a similar situation.
I had no concept of that other side of the stage until about a half hour into the show, when I could see across and I thought it was a mirror. I should mention here that the theater we were in was built specifically for this production. While Cirque shows are famous for dazzling acrobatics and costumes, “X” goes above and beyond. Not only were the performers, costumes and sets brilliant in color and motion, but the stages and OUR SEATS also moved. It was like a four dimensional experience.
Breathtaking and mind-blowing
I’ve always been in awe of live performances, especially ones that encompass the threat of danger. I really enjoy performances where I can sit back and take it all in, so once I understood that I would NOT be joining anyone onstage and that I was just a silent observer, I surrendered, letting my mind be blown and my breath be taken. The show was nearly overwhelming, with a duality of playful pageantry and disciplined athleticism. Simultaneously symbolic and wildly whimsical, Cirque did not disappoint. We left the theater with a special souvenir of the show and a personal connection to having Watched it.
{The two performers we connected with that helped make this evening happen are Annie (Anne-Marie) and Jones. Not only are they amazing artists who WORK FOR CIRQUE, but they also have independent projects that deserve attention. They’re a married couple currently working and living in Hangzhou but their artistic and creative work is worldwide.}
They can coach you athletically or creatively at http://www.centergravity.org/
Check out their artistic collaboration business at https://annemarietalmadge.com/make-more-beauty/
And if you’re on YouTube, subscribe to their channel here.