OVO

Cirque Du Soleil's 25th production, a tent-based tour, opened in 2009. (This happened to be the company's 25th year, but the show was not presented as a Milestone Celebration.)

"Ovo" is the Portugese word for "egg", and that's what "The Foreigner" is carrying on his back when he arrives in a colorful, diverse community one otherwise ordinary morning. The Foreigner is actually what we humans know as a fly, and this community is one made up of similarly whimsical insects and arachnids presided over by Master Flipo, a grasshopper. (The only human characters are some bugcatchers who circulate in the audience during the preshow.) A romance between the fly and a sultry ladybug ensues between the acrobatic acts, each of which are performed by different "species".

This tour will wrap up its North American run and move on to Australia over 2012.

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This show contains examples of:

• Amazing Technicolor Wildlife
• Audience Participation — When the lovers' relationship faces a rocky stretch in Act Two, Master Flipo encourages The Foreigner to court one of the ladies in the audience instead.
• Big Beautiful Woman — The Ladybug.
• Costume Porn — Bug costumes for acrobats from a company that loves whimsy? You bet this show's got costume porn!
• Dance Party Ending — The Banquet.
• Interspecies Romance — Well, what would you call a romance between a fly and a ladybug?
• Nameless Narrative — The only character with a proper name is Master Flipo (which makes sense, given his standing).
• Non-Ironic Clown — The three main characters also provide all the comic relief.
• Sliding Scale of Silliness Versus Seriousness — Firmly on the silly side, especially when the principals are on stage.
• Speaking Simlish
• The Stinger — After the curtain call, as the audience is leaving the tent, the egg begins to tremble....
• The Un-Reveal — For all the importance attached to the egg, we never learn what's in it.