Passengers – Cirque Show – Seattle Rep

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Passengers cirque show at Seattle Rep by The 7 Fingers. Directed, written, & choreographed by Shana Carroll. Effortless #acrobatics. Included some occasional singing. #showsiveseen #theatre #circus #acrobat

Synopsis from the Theatre: Your train is about to depart the station and a cirque spectacular awaits. Through contemporary dance, music, and extraordinary acrobatics, a breathtaking series of vignettes tells the unique stories of reunions and goodbyes from the strangers that surround you onboard. From contemporary physical theater troupe The 7 Fingers comes this jaw-dropping ride you must see to believe.

Attended Performance Date: 9/30/23 (Opening Weekend) – Preview Posts

Type: Cirque Show

World Premiere: No

Several or Few Scenes: Several

Several or Few Settings/Locations: Several

Static (Stationary) Set: No

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: No

Defined Plot/Storyline: No

Live Band/Orchestra: Mostly no but Santiago Rivera Laugerud played the ukelele and sang during one segment. Of note, Kisha Kessalines-Wright also sang during one segment.

Equity Actors: Zero but I think it’s because 1) this not an American company 2) and this show was more cirque/acrobatics and less of a play/musical.

Total Number of Actors: 9

Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium Speed

Length (Including Any Intermission): 1.5 hours

Was there an intermission?: No

Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show: Yes

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now?: No

Recommendation: See it if 1) you appreciate shows from Cirque Du Soleil or Teatro Zinzanni 2) and you’re okay with no plot

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts

  • Effortless Feats: The performers effortlessly showcased their talents with the hula hoop, aerial acts (especially Eduardo De Azevedo Grillo and Kisha Kessalines-Wright), acrobatics, and the Chinese pole (Marco Ingaramo).

Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)

  • Dropped Props: The hula hoop and juggling balls dropped a couple of times. I couldn’t determine if this was intentionally part of the act or an actual mistake.
  • Concurrent Performances: Throughout the show, there were often two separate acts showcased at the same time, and it was a little difficult to appreciate both performances equally. Maybe it’s because I sat really close (with a great view BTW). First world problems, right?

Theatre Company: The 7 Fingers

Venue: Seattle Repertory Theatre

Venue Physical Address: 155 Mercer St, Seattle, WA 98109

Price: Cheap to Expensive

Ticket Affordability Options:

Dates: September 22 to October 15, 2023

Seating: Assigned Seating

Parking: There are paid lots and paid street parking. I usually park on Mercer to the West of 1st Ave. There’s usually also a lot of street parking around Safeway. If there’s an event in Seattle Center or Climate Pledge Arena, street parking is usually limited and much more expensive.

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Cast and Production Team: See after pictures and/or video below

@showsiveseen #Passengers #cirque #show at @seattlerep by @@les7doigts. Directed, written, & choreographed by Shana Carroll. Effortless #acrobatics. Included some occasional singing. Review: showsiveseen.com/6806 #showsiveseen #circus #acrobat #theatre ♬ Trip – Siine
Sereno Aguilar and the company of Passengers. Photo by Alexandre Galliez.
Sereno Aguilar, Sabine Van Rensburg, and the company of Passengers. Photo by Alexandre Galliez.
Méliejade Tremblay-Bouchard in Passengers. Photo by Martine Poulin.
Méliejade Tremblay-Bouchard, Marco Ingaramo, and Santiago Rivera Laugerud in Passengers. Photo by Martine Poulin.
Mandi Orozco in Passengers. Photo by Lucille Audoineau-Maire.
Andrew Sumner and the company of Passengers. Photo by Lucille Audoineau-Maire.
RoleName
Cast Eric Bates
Valérie Benoit-Charbonneau
Eduardo de Azevedo Grillo
Kaisha Dessalines-Wright
Marco Ingaramo
Nella Niva
Mandi Orozco
Santiago Rivera Laugerud
Méliejade Tremblay-Bouchard
Director, Writer & Choreographer Shana Carroll
Assistant to the Director Isabelle Chassé
ScenographerAna Cappelluto
Costume Designer Camille Thibault-Bedard
Musical Director Colin Gagné
Video Designer Johnny Ranger
Video Animation Yannick Doucet
Remi Borgeal
Head Coach Francisco Cruz
TextsShana Carroll
Text, Einstein’train Conor Wild
Project ManagerSabrina Gilbert
Production Coordinator Yagub Allahverdiyev
Technical Director Simon Lachance
Michel Bisson
Lighting DesignerEric Champoux
Stage Manager Charlotte Legault
Karine Perron
Assistant to the Technical DirectorMarie-Hélene Grisé
Video Coordinator Dominique Hawry
Video Programmation Laura-Rose R. Grenier
DOP – Shooting Mark O Fearghail
Harley Francis
Sound Engineer Jérome Guilleaume
Light Programmation Stéphane Lecavalier
Electric Chief Gabriel Fournier-El Ayachi
Trapeze Coach Véronique Thibault
Creation Rigger Stéphane Beauchet
Nicolas Lemieux
Set Design Assistant Dominique Coughlin
Costume Assistant Catherine Veri
Rigging Intern Joanie Audet
Music, Lyrics, Sound Design & Arrangements Colin Gagné
Contortion, Hula-Hoop & Trapeze Arrangements Jean-Sébastien Leblanc
Juggling Lyrics Boogat
Juggling Arrangements Jérome Guilleaume
Music Composer: Opening, Tight Wire & Epilogue Raphael Cruz
Tour ManagerGuillaume Biron
Tour Technical DirectorSimon Carriere-Legris
Tour RIggerMax Jouanneau
Tour Light OperatorLoriane Foisy
Tour Sound and Video OperatorMichael Amstadt

Preview Post – Passengers – Seattle Rep

Passengers cirque show opening weekend at Seattle Rep with The 7 Fingers. Performing until 10/15/23. Stay tuned for my full review! #showsiveseen #theatre #circus #acrobat #acrobatics

Tickets: https://www.seattlerep.org/plays/202324-season/passengers/

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Coming Home – Dinner Show – Teatro ZinZanni

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Coming Home circus dinner show at Teatro ZinZanni. Comedy, romance, (good) chaos, camp, drag, effortless feats of wonder, singing, live band, & a delicious 4-course meal! Thanks Michelle Sanders Communications for facilitating this review! #cirque #cabaret #vaudeville #variety

Synopsis from the Theatre: Teatro ZinZanni’s original brand of love, chaos, and dinner is making its long-awaited return to Seattle with a limited engagement run of the all-new show, Coming Home. When the world went dark more than two years ago, people everywhere were dispersing and lives turned upside. Today, as we rebuild and focus on our dreams going forward, we find that home is where our hearts reside — and Seattle is our home. So, join us in celebrating this return to home with an incredible cast of phenomenal talents in a limited engagement that will serve up the love, chaos, and dinner we’ve all been missing so very much.

Reviewed Performance: 1/15/23

Type: Circus Variety Dinner Show

World Premiere: Yes

Awards: Zero but that’s expected for world premieres

Live Band/Orchestra: Yes

Recommendation: See it especially you like cirque-themed shows

Was This the First Time I Saw a Production of this Show: I’ve seen their last show Love, Chaos, & Dinner in Marymoor Park.

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now: Yes

Rating Compared to Other Shows with the Same Production Value:
4.75 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)

Equity Actors: N/A – Not typically tracked in shows like this

Length: 3 hours

Intermission: The was an intermission-like break at the soup course and another at the main course. During each break, the cast members stayed in-character while conversing with the audience.

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts

  • Audience Dress: It was surprising that most of the audience actually dressed up in Seattle … on school night (Sunday) nonetheless!
  • Drag: Speaking of dress, Doily’s (Kevin Kent) drag costumes were so detailed and elaborate! My dad actually thought Doily was portrayed by a woman. He was surprised when Kevin spoke in his manly voice toward the second half of the performance. I loved the running gags Doily established at the beginning (her boobs and “El Tigre”).
  • Rizo: The main singer reminded me of Lady Gaga in demenour, looks, and voice. Strangely, Rizo is also from New York like Lady Gaga
  • Dinner: A one-stop venue for both dinner and a show was convenient. I chose the vegetarian option with the following courses.
    1. Appetizer – Wild mushroom-parmesan tart, crisp frizzled leaks, Madeira Gastrique, and chives
    2. Soup – Pumpkin, coconut, and green chili sambal. I couldn’t figure out the garnish. It looked like saffron, but saffron is too expensive to garnish.
    3. Main Course – Wild rice risotto cake and seasonal vegetable ragout
    4. Dessert – Chocolate orange mousse, hazelnut tuille cookie, and berries
  • Lighting Design: It goes without saying that a show like this has great lighting design. The stones or water droplets projected on the floor during an act was enchanting.
  • Impressive Feats: This dinner show included the following spectacular seemingly effortless acts by international performers. Many acts seemed death defying!
    • Hula Hoop – Sometimes 10 at a time! I was so worried a hoop would fly into the audience. But Vita Radionova didn’t lose one.
    • Chair Balancing – Again, I was worried that the precariously stacked chairs would collapse on the audience. But Domitil Aillot kept the chairs upright.
    • Ariel Silk Acrobatics – Anna Nordmoe performed ariel contortions while playing the violin … often upside down. What a unique mashup of talent!
    • Basketball Juggling – This is something I typically don’t see in cirque or variety shows. Again, I was worried that a ball would land in the audience. But Michael Evolution (Michael van Beek) had everything under control.
    • Trapeze Couple – Performed by Duo Madrona (Ben Wendel and Rachel Nehmer)
    • Chinese Pole – Also performed by Domitil Aillot
    • Ariel Hoop – Performed by Elena Gatilova

Other Thought(s)

  • Reused Characters/Tropes: I noticed a couple elements from their previous Love, Chaos, & Dinner show was incorporated into this production like the janitor, the yodeling dominatrix, and the caged audience member.
  • Audience Participation: It felt like they included more audience involvement compared to their last show. I was easy prey in the aisle but they thankfully didn’t pick on me!

Theatre Company: Teatro ZinZanni

Venue: Sodo Park

Venue Physical Address: 3200 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134

Price: Expensive … but at least it includes food!

Ticket Affordability Options: None that I could find

Dates: November 16, 2022 to March 12, 2023 – Extended by popular demand!

Seating: Assigned seating and general admission – call them if you want to sit with other people you know who purchased tickets separately

Parking: Free plentiful street parking

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Other Video +/- Pictures: See pictures under video by Filling the Frame Photography.

Cast and Production Team : See below pictures

@showsiveseen “Coming Home” #circus #dinner show at @teatrozinzanni. #Comedy, love, (good) chaos, camp, drag, effortless feats of wonder, singing, live band, great view, & a delicious 4-course meal! Thanks Michelle Sanders Communications for facilitating this review (showsiveseen.com/3224)! #cirque #cabaret #vaudeville #variety #theatre ♬ Circus – Britney Spears
Vita Radionova
The Band in Teatro ZinZanni’s Coming Home
Teatro ZinZanni’s Coming Home
Rizo in Black
Pianist Marina Albero
Manuela Horn
Kevin Kent
Elena Gatilova
Duo Madrona
Domitil Aillot
Anna Nordmoe
NameRole
Kevin Kent Performer, writer
Elena Gatilova Aerialist, writer
Vita Radionova Performer
Rizo Singer
Domitil Aillot Chinese Pole
Manuela Horn Yodeling Dominatrix
Duo Madrona (Ben Wendel and Rachel Nehmer)Trapeze
Vlada Romanova Acrobat
Mickael Bajazet Acrobat
Michael van Beek (Michael Evolution)Performer
Hans Teuber Music Director, Composer
Marina Albero Piano
Jerome Smith Trombone, Tuba
Anna Nordmoe Violin
Jacques Willis Drums
Keith Lowe Bass
Norm Langill Artistic Director
Tobias Larsson Director
Peter Bracilano Lighting Designer
Brendan West Sound Designer
Shauna Frazier Prop and Set Designer
Debra M. Bauer Costume Designer
Christine Joly de Lotbiniere Costume Designer

Cirque Goes Broadway – Concert – Seattle Symphony & Troupe Vertigo

@SeattleSymphony & @TroupeVertigo's
Seattle Symphony & Troupe Vertigo’s “Cirque Goes Broadway” w/ dad at Benaroya Hall. Liked the idea of incorporating visuals w/ orchestra since concerts can be boring to watch. But slower, more obscure songs than expected made the circus acts less exciting. Outstanding singers though. #acrobatics