Whew! You know things are busier than a cellular-signal-fried beehive around Surprise central when it has taken me more than two whoppin' weeks to comment on something I saw at the new Cirque du Soleil show, Kooza.
Talk about a daunting task--these guys seem to set a new standard in just about every show they put on, so how can they keep on Surprising when the audience expects Pow! of every shape, size and dimension on stage?
Simple...well, for them.
Take the Surprise off-stage.
Despite the fact that Kooza has more gasps than any Cirque show in recent memory, not to mention the best clown bits since Denis Lacombe's mad orchestra conductor in 1988, what people seemed to be buzzing about most on the way out of the big top was...one of the spectator seats.
Don't wanna give away too much (particularly to those in Toronto, Saint Paul, San Jose or San Francisco, the next stops on the Kooza tour), but one very unsuspecting audience member goes for a seven-foot hydraulic flight in the show's second half.
As I've said numerous times standing on this digital soapbox, it ain't the size of the Surprise, it's the wow of the Pow! Little things can mean a lot, and by taking one of its fans to new heights every night, Cirque manages to lift everyone's spirits, and surpass expectations.
Once again.