A Whole Lot of WOW: Cirque du Soleil Quidam Review

If I had to describe a Cirque du Soleil show in one word, there’s no question the word I’d choose: exquisite.

On Wednesday, I attended Quidam at the PNC Arena here in Raleigh. From start to finish, the show is exquisite. The performers, the story, the music. Each component comes together to build a show that captures your attention, makes your laugh and evokes oohs and ahhs from the crowd (and definitely from me too).

We couldn’t take pictures during the show as not to distract the performers. But I did snag a picture with my sister in front of PNC Arena before the show. I took my hubby, sister and her hubby while our babysitter watched our combined three kids (go babysitter)!

Quidam is a story about a girl who, ignored by her parents, slides into an imaginary world. Let me tell you: all the acts were amazing. From a performer beautifully swinging and spiraling on a long silk piece of fabric to the unbelievable and strong Statue performers, each act left the audience breathless. I mean, COME ON, can you do this?

When I see any kind of live show, I love trying to get a sense of how the audience feels about the show. Well, if it was any indication, you could hear a pin drop during the Statue performance, bouts of laughter during ringmaster parts (one lady behind us was laughing so hard she couldn’t stop!) and rounds and rounds of clapping. My hands actually hurt afterwards from clapping so much. Each clap was VERY well-deserved. I’m totally in awe of the talent in each of the performers.

A Cirque du Soleil show will make you truly in awe of what the human body can do. Just look at this. We literally gasped as we watched. And just when you didn’t think it could get more impressive, they took it one step further.

From the clowns to the acrobats to the musicians, each and every person in this show has MEGA TALENT.

Some cool and quite impressive facts about Quidam:

• There are approximately 250 costumes, 500 costume accessories and 200 to 300 pairs of shoes in Quidam.
• The Quidam tour travels with washers and dryers to allow the wardrobe staff to care for the costumes. All costumes are washed daily.
• The musicians follow the artists’ movements and ensure they are in sync with the act.
• The stage floor is made of aluminum decks with a rubbertype mat. The rubber is perforated to allow light to surpass from below, thus creating special visual effects. There are more than 200,000 perforations!

More than 100 million spectators have seen a Cirque du Soleil show and I’m glad that I can be one of them (this is my third)! If you’re in or near Raleigh, the show is running until Sunday, July 14 at PNC Arena. Grab yourself some tickets from the PNC Arena website and GO!

If you aren’t nearby, then see if Quidam is coming to your area. Seriously, you must!

Disclosure: I was given tickets to Quidam in order to promote the event but my options are mine all mine.