Cirque du Soleil celebrated its return to Australia last week with the Australian premiere performance of its all-new production, KOOZA, on Thursday 25 August.
The opening night took place under the famous blue-and-yellow Big Top at the Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park in Sydney and was attended by a star-studded crowd who gave the show a rapturous standing ovation. Following the Sydney season KOOZA will tour on to Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth.
Celebrities that attended the Australian Premiere included:
- Colin Fassnidge
- Bronwyn Bishop
- Lisa Wilkinson
- Hunter Page-Lochard
- Julia Zemiro
- Keira Maguire
- Luke Jacobz
- Sam Frost
- Teigan Nash
- Barry Du Bois
- Scott Lee
- Tessa James
- Olivia Phyland
- Miguel Maestre
- Raechelle Banno
- Matthew Little
- Tim Dormer
- Pia Miller
- Braith Anasta
- Rob Mills
- Michael Caton
- Johnny Ruffo
- Tai Hara
- Nathan Bracken
And it’s not just the audiences that love KOOZA. The critics’ reviews are in and they are glowing:
“KOOZA is about celebrating the raw power of extreme acrobatics and eternal appeal of the clown. And it does both with breathtaking beauty and humour… it’s simply a jaw-dropping night out.” -The Daily Telegraph
“Spell-binding feats have you gasping… remarkable acrobatic and other physical skills wrapped up in a slick, lavish staging… the performers are exceptional”. – The Sunday Telegraph
“KOOZA delivers in all areas…never fails to elicit gasps from the audience… packs a thrill of danger… the final scene is as touching as anything I’ve seen from this company.” – Sydney Morning Herald
“A tribute to the golden days of circus…joyous to behold… human beings doing bizarre things for the enjoyment of others and getting a huge kick out of it.” – The Australian
“With its jaw-dropping athletic skill and high-risk circus acts, KOOZA is a celebration of traditional circus. The show is hugely entertaining with breathtaking, heart-stopping acts… The clowns are all excellent, and genuinely funny… The circus acts are consistently superb”. – ArtsHub
“These amazing performers achieve gravity-spurning feats of peril that would seem outlandish if you saw a stuntman performing them in a computer-effects-enhanced superhero movie. Yet here they are doing it for real, right in front of your eyes.” – Australian Stage
“Cirque du Soleil is never just a circus! It’s a bright, acrobatic entertainment cavalcade that balances thrills and laughter, daredevil and slapstick in an expertly choreographed and perfectly timed performance.” – Stage Whispers
KOOZA is now playing at the Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park until 6 November.
