What it’s like at Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Bazzar’ show in St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG — At its opening night on Thursday, a crowd filed into the soaring blue and white striped Cirque du Soleil tent set up in the Tropicana Field parking lot. They found a fairly small stage and an intimate setting that puts even the last row of seats only 20 rows back.

The show, which runs through March 24, has a capacity of 2,600, and there aren’t many bad seats. “Bazzar” harkens back to the street performer roots of Cirque du Soleil’s beginning in the early 1980s — with electric-colored neon costumes and even break dancing.

The show, which launched in Mumbai, India, in 2018, is inspired by the famous Indian street markets known as “bazaars” and offers an eclectic mix of physical and artistic talents performed by a cast from 21 different countries.

It starts off with a parade of the many characters you are about to see — and sometimes wince at. Men will defy the rules of physiology as their legs stretch far behind them and over their heads. A roller skating duo will draw little yelps from the audience as the woman’s head wizzes perilously close to the floor as she is whipped around in a dizzying circle.

Before it’s over, the audience will see a woman hoisted up by a wire attached to her bun as she spins overhead literally hanging from her hair, a rare discipline that originated in China in the early 1900s.

Compared to the more trippy Cirque shows, like “O” or “Ka” in Las Vegas, this one is old-school. There are no pools to dive in or tilting sand walls to fall from. It has trapeze artists and fire twirlers, trick cyclists and a teeterboard, which is like a seesaw on steroids.

Without all those fancy set pieces and trap doors, this Cirque show moves along at a much faster pace. Minutes of clown acts are replaced by simple twirling umbrellas as a bicycle rolls in for hands-free bike tricks and a fire act so intense the audience can feel — and smell — the heat.

“Bazzar” also features live tunes, a kind of jazzy, folky world music. Instrumentalists, including a guitarist and saxophone player, are featured in acts throughout the show. Unlike most other Cirque shows, songs are largely sung in English.

The show’s roots to India are reflected in an act featuring the mallakhamb, which translates to “wrestling on a pole.” It’s a kind of gymnastics on a tall wooden obelisk-like pillar where acrobats perform using the pole as the prop.

A dance troupe opens the act with traditional Indian-style dance, then two men take over to perform jaw-dropping moves like catapulting into a forward flip and landing halfway up a wooden pole by catching it between their thighs. They hang sideways with one arm, seemingly floating perpendicular above the floor, in a show of strength and beauty that is being proposed as a potential demonstration sport for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Like other Cirque shows, this one has a somewhat confusing storyline, following the theft of a silly hat by a lovely trickster who later performs acrobatics on a vertically hanging rope. The emcee dons the shiny hat, only to get it stolen again and again.

Behind the scenes

Before the show debuted Thursday, we got a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to bring 36 incredibly fit performers on the road.

Cirque du Soleil was rocked by the pandemic, laying off 95% of its staff at one point while dozens of road shows went quiet. With grants from the Canadian government and investors from Las Vegas, the world-famous performance company is thriving again.

Not unlike the circus trains from a century ago, the Cirque troupe arrived at Tropicana Field in 71 tractor trailers to set up the circus tents as well as its own laundry area, kitchen, costume shop and daycare for the children of its workers. The 97 members of the cast and crew are staying in local hotels, but the operation set up in the Trop parking lot has the comforts of a working theater company.

Unlike other typical workplaces, these were actual overheard snippets of conversation on our backstage tour Tuesday:

“Are you done? Because the hair hanger is ready to rehearse.”

“I’m besties with the Mongolian contortionist.”

“I worked in Utah with the fire twirler, so when he heard they needed another seamstress in wardrobe, he let me know.”

Christine Karr, 32, of Utah was set up behind her sewing machine in the wardrobe department. Having worked on a previous show with fire manipulator Garrett Cheney, she was called up just for the St. Petersburg show.

She was busy mending a leotard made of green crushed velvet with aqua plumes fluttering from the bodice. Harkening back to Cirque du Soleil’s beginnings in the early 1980s, the costumes worn for this show have lots of neon and acid-washed elements. They travel with all the fabric, ribbons, shoes, gems and tassels needed to keep up with constant fixes.

“This is more like activewear than your typical stage costume,” Karr said. “They are bending backwards and spinning fire.” Considering the extreme stunts played out for the audience, the costumes get a lot of wear and tear, she said.

There are a number of interesting back stories among the cast, such as the two artists who show off the beauty of the 12th century Indian sport of mallakhamb. Performers Rajesh Mudki and Kalpesh Jadhav competed against each other in the sport back in India.

They are making history as the first mallakhamb artists in Cirque du Soleil, bringing the ancient sport of their home country to the world.

One of the early acts in the show, a Canadian roller skating duo, is actually a love story.

Mathieu Cloutier, 37, met Myriam Lessard, 35, when they were students at the prestigious National Circus School in Montreal. They performed their own acts as aerialists and acrobats in various theater companies before deciding to create an acrobatic roller skating act so they could perform together, Cloutier said.

“It’s nice that we are partners on stage and partners in real life,” Cloutier said.

Neither had ever performed on wheels before. They said it took about eight months before they had enough mastery of the dizzying routine performed in tight, speedy circles. At one point, she is airborne and horizontal as he flings her around by her neck.

Romantic? Maybe so.

They are one of the few acts that were recruited by Cirque du Soleil to join the show.

For Lessard, that made a childhood dream come true.

“I grew up in Quebec City, so my parents took me to Cirque du Soleil often,” Lessard said. “So it’s really amazing for me that this icon of my childhood is where I am working now.”

What to know before you go

Parking: There is plenty of parking available at Tropicana Field, though it costs $20. Be mindful that you may be stuck in long lines upon exit. As is typical with that parking lot, the cars in Lot 6 can only use First Avenue S to exit. One strategy is to get to the far left lane and turn left on Eighth Street or proceed to Fourth Street to avoid the other cars trying to get on the highway at Ninth Street.

Tickets: You can avoid the line at the box office by buying your ticket online at cirquedusoleil.com/bazzar and just flashing your phone at the gate.

Arrival: Consider getting there 20 minutes early to check out some of the photo props to take selfies and also get in your seat before the show starts. The rows are very long to climb over other audience members. And if you leave during the show, you’ll have to wait until the next act to come back. You are better off waiting for the 25-minute intermission. And be prepared for a snug seat.

Kids: The show is kid-friendly, but you might consider ear protection for little ones.

Bathrooms: Don’t be put off by the long lines for the portable bathrooms set up in front of the main tent entrance. There are more than a dozen others set up behind the snack and merchandise area once you are inside.

Snacks: Best to eat before you go, since the snack stand is more like movie theater fare, with movie theater prices. You’ll find bottles of water for $6 and caramel popcorn for $7. They do have some hearty nibbles like nachos ($11), soft pretzels ($8) and hot dogs ($8.50).

Merchandise: The gift shop has some fun T-shirts ($35) with Cirque flourishes and “I do my own stunts,” on them. There are also circus staples like light-up spin toys ($15) and red clown noses ($5) and a colorful “Bazzar”-themed water bottle ($25).