Possible the best show I've seen in my life
by LarryB on 12/16/21The show was fantastic and greatly exceeded my expectations. Everything was better than when we saw Quidam 20 years ago, except I missed the spectacular live singing from Quidam. I was overwhelmed with emotion from the start of the show. Many highlights starting with the treadmill. Best of all this show featured an intelligible story that took us on an emotional roller coaster, in contrast with Quidam's avante-garde non-sensical style, which did not work for me at all. I experienced many emotions during the show and even a few more afterwards, including anger. A rare theatrical production that can trigger that! Assuming you're proud of triggering that emotion in me, well done. We just saw Alegria and Luzia is a much better show. Reading the two respective program guides shows the difference in effort between the two shows. Alegria's guide is simplistic, with just a generic one sentence blurb describing each act of the show. Luzia has a complex guide with each act featuring authentic period costumes from some culture found in Mexico and several pages describing each related period, history, culture, and people. Comparing Luzia with Alegria emphasizes how much Luzia has to offer. Highlights of Luzia are the hummingbird act with the treadmills, which is a magical act, encompassing the joy and beauty of flitting hummingbirds, who fly 24 hours straight across the gulf of Mexico to get to Mexico. The giant Monarch butterfly, which is Luzia, with the Monarch butterfly also making an electrifying migration to Mexico. The giant sun set, which is the "Luz" in Luzia, suggesting the hot deserts of northern Mexico, the giant galloping horse, which is also magical, and I personally have almost hit a galloping herd of wild horses with my car while driving through Mexico, the unexpected heavy use of water in a traveling show, including a waterfall, a lagoon, and a waterfall sculpture (really-has to be seen to be believed), the tiger that scrolls among the stage and interacts with the lagoon act, the lagoon act succeeds in transporting the audience to another world, the sky diving effect right up front which also succeeds in creating a sky diving effect. The circus acts are also much better than usual and more unique in Luzia. The hummingbirds is a tumbling act, but combined with the fact it is done on a moving treadmill, has oddball hoops to jump through, and really creates the effect of loveable hummingbirds, it is much better than any generic tumbling act. Three acts require real talent from the performer. Whereas most Soliel circus acts could be done by many Soliel talent, like tumbling, strong man, trapeze, hulahoop, whatever that dancing hoop thing is, even Alegria's Hawaiian fire baton twirling. If the main performer sprains his ankle I can see an understudy filling in. In Luzia at least three acts require a unique performer, that being a juggler that can juggle seven clubs (there can't be many people in the world that can do that), a contortionist that is unbelievable, and a man/woman soccer ball juggling act. If any of those performers were to get sick no one would be able to fill in for them. The clown in Luzia gets several long feature segments, all of which are hilarious and involve the audience. The finale in Luzia is a teeter totter tumbling act, with three lines going at once and the result is incredible! The finale to Luzia features a large production number with most/all performers and costumes from the entire show on stage at once for a big celebration. The emotions driven by the show come to a successful climax with this and the end effect is shattering....I won't spoil it for you. After being disappointed with Quidam so long ago, then being so delighted with Luzia, I figured that Soleil had raised its game, but now after seeing Alegria, which is just generic by comparison, I realize that Luzia is a special show and a real treat.