OVO: The colorful world of insects

Cirque du Soleil are visiting the bay area with their show OVO. We went to a showing in San Jose, and were wow'ed by the spectacle. The show's theme is the world of insects, and all the acts are based on the life of an insect, a butterfly growing inside a pupa, coming out, spreading its wings and dying. A spider dancing on its web. Ants running up and down a vertical wall. Without going into the details of the act, they are all classic Cirque du Soleil quality.

The show starts a little slowly, but things pick up when a fly(?) comes carrying an ovo (egg) to this insect colony and falls in love with a lady bug. Follows a deep and spectacular dive into the colorful world of insects as they go about their world. We watch as red ants play with their food, juggling corn with their feet in synchrony. We watch spiders as they dance and float around on strands of their net. Towards the end there was a gravity defying act showing ants in their colony, walking up and down their ant hill taking care of the day's business. There was a lot more, but Cirque du Soleil are to be experienced, not described. We will never think of insects in the same way again.

The venue in San Jose, was a bit cramped. You probably do not want to take any eatables/drinkables in the show, as the seats are quite small without any arm rests. The audience sits in a U shape on three sides of the stage. We were sitting in the second row along the left arm of the U. The theater was not so big, so even in the last row you will get an excellent view of the stage. A small word of caution, there is trapeze act for which they hook up a big net. If you are sitting on either side of the stage the view is a bit less than perfect, but only a little bit.