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Banana Shpeel
At one point—well, at several points, really—the two clowns who serve as the de facto hosts of Cirque du Soleil’s new proscenium-style show scream at each other to “Shut up!” “You shut up!” “Shut your face!” “Shut your hole!”
If your experience is anything like ours, you’ll wish they’d each heed the other’s advice. Conceived and directed by Shiner, a royal figure among Cirque and clowning fans who’s capable of much better, Shpeel is billed as “a new twist on vaudeville.” The twist would seem to be an aggressive desire to alienate the audience. The show is dominated by the shrill, tiresome antics of the lead clowns, portrayed by Daniel Passer and Wayne Wilson, and their battle against a trio of wacky rogue clowns (Claudio Carneiro, Gordon White and Patrick de Valette).
The latter three first appear from the audience to “audition” for Schmelky (Remo Airaldi), the producer of the show within the show. Or the show behind the show. Or has the show already started? There’s no apparent guiding principle at play. The structure somewhat recalls The Muppet Show, if Kermit and pals were vulgar, unsympathetic clowns: Dance sequences and variety acts alternate with the buffoons’ on- and offstage shenanigans (an extended clown-restaurant bit, with plenty of breakaway props, constitutes a third of Act I).
Shpeel’s saving grace is the specialty acts: the appealing dancers and the truly impressive jugglers and balancing acts—particularly contortionist Dima Shine’s stunning pole-balancing routine. Shine’s glittery bare torso is, let’s just say, the most visually appealing element of a show that manages to look both cheap and gaudy, with the clowns and dancers in Day-Glo spangles and exaggerated makeup against a bare, neon-lit backdrop. Shpeel will no doubt continue to evolve ahead of its New York opening in the spring. Our tip to Shiner: Don’t send in the clowns.
