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Quidam Characters
Listed here in order of appearance during the show:
* Zoé
An average little girl. She is bored yet curious, and she longs for the fun and excitement she believes lie just beyond her reach. When her parents ignore her, she suspends them "for a minute or two or three." She enters an imaginary world and discovers lots of weird and wonderful things.
* The Father
Completely, though unwittingly, self-absorbed. His white shoes are the only indication of a hidden personality.
* The Mother
Conveys an air of absence and alienation. Inside her lie fear, frustration, and desire.
* Quidam
The Quidam may have stepped out of a surrealist painting or been conjured up out of Zoé's imagination. He is anonymous; he is everyone, and, at the same time, he is no one.
* John
Part game-show host and part substitute teacher with his own renegade lesson plan, a ringmaster of sorts; an eerie but charming guide through the world of Quidam.
* The Target (La Cible)
Originally known as Karl or Fritz (based on the actors' real names), a living, human bulls-eye (possibly the personification of the carpet on the family's floor, which has the same design), fired at by everyone, left vulnerable perhaps by a gentle nature and kindness, ironically remaining light-hearted and happy--answering to everything with a smile. "A sweet, but frantic romantic" who can "fly with ease from the highest trapeze." (Asexual; has been played by male and female actors.)
* Les Chiennes Blanches
The silent chorus, the nameless and the faceless; the dehumanized, mechanical crowd, simultaneously leading and following.
* Boum-Boum
Aggressive and physically fit, yet lifeless, struggling, as though the body lives on only because the soul refuses to leave it. From the darker side of human relationships--an evil seduction. Enjoys screaming at the audience and walking away proudly like a bully on the playground, but if an audience member screams back, will run away like a frightened child! (Asexual; has been played by male and female actors; a.k.a. La Mort.)
* Rabbit (originally Funny Bunny)
Female looking for love all the time! Plays, and likes to tease. Never knows if the one she has is the good one, so she goes to someone else. Chases and gets chased by other characters. "A genius in ecology, lovey-dovey, and astrology." Has no tail, and each ear is twice the length of her head! Referred to as Donkey Ears by fans. The character's original French name on sketches was Peau d'Ane, which translates roughly as ass/donkey skin.
* The Aviator
Has skeletal wings, but doesn't look quite ready to take off. Perhaps he doesn't know he has wings. Perhaps he knows, but can't fly. Perhaps, like Icarus, he has tried and failed. Or perhaps he simply wants to escape this world and its problems.
* Les Égarés
Lost individuals who gather together in the streets and abandoned buildings of Quidam. They sublimate their suffering, transforming it into something magical and inspiring.
Quidam Music
Quidam's soundtrack was composed by Benoît Jutrás, and has been released in three editions featuring additional songs, alternative new cover designs, and higher quality sounds.
Half of the songs were originally written as one long sequence, which contains instrumentation that the band plays along with, like a bass and/or percussion track, extra synthy sounds, a sampled choir, etc. The big, long sequence was chopped up into about 20 little sequences that the conductor triggers by hitting keys on one keyboard, while playing the other keyboard.
In addition to Zoe who sings several songs in an invented language throughout the show, a male vocalist stationed with the band also sings during many of the songs, makes sound effects for John and the clowns, and reads the opening/closing announcements.
The soundtrack was released on 14 January 1997, featuring the voices of Audrey Brisson-Jutrás and Mathieu Lavoie, except for two bonus tracks sung by Audrey Brisson-Jutrás and Richard Price on the extended CD released in 2001 (recorded live in Amsterdam, 1999).
Quidam Feature Acts
* German Wheel (Roue Allemande)
An acrobat becomes master of his own domain from within a giant, 100-pound wheel, which consists of two metal hoops joined at six points, and measures about six feet in diameter (1 revolution covers about 20 linear feet). In a display of strength and agility, he rolls, turns, and spins while nonchalantly performing somersaults and twists, sometimes handsfree.
* Aerial Straps
Two artists grasp cords that dangle from the overhead rails, sometimes performing on the ground, sometimes in the air.
* Diabolos
Four young ladies clad in futuristic, silver-metallic, tin-man dresses work two sticks linked by a string on which a musical wooden spool (similar to a Chinese yo-yo). It twirls and flies through the air while the acrobats themselves perform flips and build human pyramids.
* Aerial Contortion in Silk (Contorsion Air et Soie)
A seemingly nude woman (wearing a bodysuit) becomes one with columns of red fabric which support and cradle her high in the air. In harmony with the haunting music, contortionist and cloth intertwine, separate, and embrace again.
* Skipping Ropes (Cordes a Sauter)
Drawing inspiration from dance, acrobatics, and the art of manipulation, a colorful group of 20 acrobats endowed with coordination and rhythm performs this familiar child's game in a steady stream of solo, duo, and group jumps and figures.
* Aerial Hoops (Cerceaux Aeriens)
Whirling above the stage, sometimes together, sometimes alone on a hoop, three performers pivot and twirl through the air, performing stunning feats of grace and dexterity, sometimes dangling upside-down by a single foot or right-side-up by only their skulls.
* Handbalancing (Equilibre) (Contortion on Canes)
Perched on balancing canes, a seductive performer moves elegantly through a series of precarious positions of ever-increasing intricacy.
* Hoops (Manipulation and Contortion)
A sensational routine involving up to 20 spinning hoops that a seductive performer manipulates all over her body, combining the agility and skill of a gymnast with the flexibility of a contortionist, the dexterity of a juggler, and the grace of a ballerina.
* Spanish Webs (Cordes Lisses)
Artists fly over the stage, attached to trolleys on the overhead tracks. In turn or as a group, they occasionally perform a sudden drop, stopped only by the ropes looped around their waists or ankles.
* Ball Manipulation
Jugglers use giant wave-like metal forms and multiple rhythmic gymnastic balls for a highly abstract effect.
* Ball Juggling (Jonglerie)
Up to 5 balls fly through the air, with additional manipulation of a briefcase, umbrella, and bowler hat.
* Statue - Vis Versa
Never losing contact, two strong, flexible performers move almost imperceptibly, assuming positions with an impeccable sense of balance.
* Cloud Swing (Corde Volante)
A unique and dangerous combination of Trapeze and Spanish web techniques, diving and twisting far above the stage.
* Banquine
An Italian acrobatic tradition going back to the Middle Ages that combines gymnastics and ballet. Showcasing the agility of the human body, up to 15 artists perform sequences of feats and human pyramids with their perfectly synchronized movements. Several versions of the act exist and may be performed at any show depending on various factors. The main difference usually involves the Flight-Exchange (a.k.a., cross-jump) maneuver; it is usually performed with 2 men (as seen on the video), but is occasionally omitted, or can be performed with 2 men and 1 lady (as seen in the 2002 Oscar performance), or with 3 men and 1 lady--the most spectacular version where all four must carefully avoid each other in mid-air.
* Clowns
Acts featuring audience participation, expressing themselves via mime:
* Attempting to coordinate the playing of a violin and cymbals and balloons, the clown recruits an unsuspecting audience member to help.
* Driving an imaginary car, a beautiful young lady from the audience is chosen for a ride-along, with the clown does his utmost to get a kiss from her.
* Directing a silent film involving 4 members from the audience: a stud-type, a floozy-type, a jealous, broken-hearted loser-type, & a fat/itchy director-type, the clown does his utmost to get them to remember their simple roles in as few takes as possible without having to fire any of them.
Show
Since the show's inception, the acts and sequences have varied slightly, and still change on occasion based on a variety of unpredictable factors. The list shown below primarily represents the official video filmed in Amsterdam, 1999, with modifications based on performances during the North American tour, 2006. Times listed are approximate, and may lengthen or shorten in extremely rare situations when a malfunction occurs onstage. The first half (including pre-show audience interaction) runs for about 65 minutes; then following a 30-minute intermission, the second half runs for about 65 minutes for a total of 2 1/2 hours. (The abridged video runtime is 90 minutes.)
Show Notes
* A clone plays The Mother (sometimes the Zoe actress in a change of costume) during the Spanish Webs act because the main Mother performs in it (dressed anonymously like the other acrobats). In the early years of the show, The Father (still dressed as The Father) performed in Spanish Webs.
* Certain clowns sometimes dress as Les Chiennes Blanches and casually stroll through the audience before the show starts seeking victims for their acts.
* During the pre-show mayhem, John tunes The Mother's radio (which resembles a toaster) to various stations. First, to a station playing "Kumbalawe" from Saltimbanco, next to one that is playing the opening bars of "Eclipse" from Nouvelle Experience and finally to a station playing the title track chorus to Alegría, to which John shows his humorous disgust by motioning to gag himself with his index finger.
Danger
Many of the feature acts put the artists at risk of death or serious injury. Aside from some slow-motion stunts where the actor appears to float, fly, or walk in the air, the Cloud Swing artist is the only one who wears a safety cord. Other stunts rely solely on the actor's grip.
The worst Quidam incident on record was December 6th, 2002 during the 5:00pm show in Tampa Bay, Florida. Natalia Pestova, who also played The Mother, fell about 6 to 8 feet during the Spanish Webs act (per St. Petersburg Times, 12-7-2002). She was taken out on a stretcher to the Bayfront Medical Center, and the remainder of the show was canceled (as well as the 9:00pm show). Incredibly, she sustained no serious injuries, was released later that evening, and continued touring with Quidam into 2004. According to a Cirque du Soleil spokesperson, Karina Leduc, the fall resulted from a "technical mishap", not a mistake on the part of the acrobat (per St. Petersburg Times, 12-8-2002).
Quidam Seating
Cirque du Soleil presents Quidam under a big top (Grand Chapiteau) seating 2,545 people.
Quidam Costumes
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* According to Cirque's literature, the fabrics and textures used in Quidam's costumes reflect the variegated hues of a megalopolis inhabited by street people.
* Basic costume fabrics and lining materials include leather, jute, linen, crape, wool, velvet, Lycra, 42 varieties of silk, and 30 varieties of cotton from England, France, Italy, and California.
* The color scheme relies heavily on grey, accented by rich, warm colors and metallic tones achieved by dyers using a number of dyeing, printing, airbrush and tiedyeing technique. Eighty percent of the fabric is white and must be custom dyed in the Montreal costume shop.
* Each artist has 2-7 costumes (including a spare of each one), for a total around 250, plus about 500 costume items.
* 200-300 shoes, all hand painted to blend in with the colors of the costume, get re-touched everyday.
* Many of the Skipping Ropes performers during the first half also perform Banquine in the second half. Their costumes are the same design but are more colorful during Skipping ropes to represent characters in real life. Following the helicopter incident after which their souls (represented by balloons) ascend into the stormy sky, the colors of the costumes are muted to represent life after war/tragedy.
* About 20 handmade, artist-specific wigs worn in the show are made from natural hair, and are washed/styled for every show.
* Altogether there are 30 bowler hats available for use in the show.
* All costumes that touch the skin must be washed everyday; depending on the fabric they are either machine washed, dry cleaned, or hand washed.
* Costumes last from 6 months to two years. Those used in acts that have friction with apparatus such as Aerial Hoops and Spanish Webs have to be replaced and repaired more often.
Grounds
* Main tent (Grand Chapiteau) is 61 feet high, 167 feet in diameter, and covers about 29,000 square-feet of ground.
* Five generators supply 2,425 kilowatts of power.
* 45 trucks carry more than 750 tons of equipment.
Publications
Approximately once a year since the show's inception, Cirque publishes a new souvenir program with some new photos of the acts as well as the names and photos of the current performers.
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