Most of us at one point in our life (mostly as kids) have been to the circus. The thought of circus used to initiate a chain of images in my head – big tent, animals, clowns, balloons, candy, popcorn, lions – and today the images still flash but the traditional circuses are long gone. I don’t complain about it because the likelihood of me actually going to one of these circuses is minimal since now I don’t need an excuse to ask my parents for a big candy bar or extra cotton candy or the unhealthy soda. I can buy all of this myself at anytime and anywhere with the added benefit of feeling guilty after – so who wants to sit through the same roaring lion and animals jumping hoops or the trapeze act.
INSEADers, don’t hate me for what I am about to say but two professors at INSEAD came up with this theory of Blue Ocean and Cirque du soleil was a perfect example of the theory. Basically, the theory talks about new innovative business ideas where you can possibly take an existing product but modify it such that you get rid of things people don’t want and add things that now are crucial to the buying decision. CDS was such a product which is a big step away from its traditional cousin but offers a lot lot lot more and ofcourse you have to pay a lot more as well …
But anyways, what this post is about is a new show that I saw tonight at the Sadder’s Well Peacock Theater in London. It’s called 7 Finger Traces and it qualifies itself as a circus. Now, an act that claims to be a circus but is performed on a theater stage with only 5 characters … The moment I had seen an add for this show, I decided to book my tickets and go see it. Afterall, I needed a break from watching all that TV at home. And I left the theater patting myself in the back for coming out for this show. The unique thing about this show is that the 5 acrobats who perform the acts actually talk about themselves and put a lot of character into what they do on stage. In addition to having individual performances where each highlights their own talent, there are group acts which leave your heart pounding. The ease, the grace, the energy, the soulful performances are a must see. On one side you see a new twist to the usual pole acts, hoop jumping, singing and dancing; and on the other hand you see a story being enacted without words, use of mannequins, live cameras, projection screens, and lazy boy chairs to set the show apart. The best part is that you don’t have to dig holes in your pockets to go see this 1hr 45 mins long (perfectly timed) show, a mere 10 pounds will get you a good seat in this small theater. My review: this is a great bargain for a theater act and an entertaining one, so if you are in town for a few days or live in the city… go watch TRACES.
