The Circus is Back in Town, So Bring Out the Clowns!
Photos: Matt Beard & Bernard Letendre . Costumes: Marie Chantale Vaillancourt. Cirque du Soleil 2022
We strolled onto the damp, January asphalt a block or so from Warriors Stadium, and were immediately contacted by a clown. “Bonne soirée,” I said. He feigned to be impressed by my French, made an elaborate bow as onlookers laughed, and gave me a clown nose for my efforts.
Right away I knew everything was right in the world, the circus tent was back in San Francisco, and inside are some of the finest acrobats, musicians, hoopers, gymnasts, tightrope walkers, contortionists, and clowns from all over the world.
Photo credit: Hugo Chastan
Cirque du Soleil began in Quebec in the 80s and is still headquartered in Montreal, but nowadays they’ve got different shows simultaneously in a dozen places, and it’s a well-oiled machine of high-flying entertainment.
photo: Matt Beard & Bernard Letendre
San Francisco’s show is called ‘Kooza’, a word derived from the Sanskrit word “koza,” which translates to “box,” “chest” or “treasure”. It was chosen because “circus in a box” is one of the underlying concepts of the production. Although with Cirque, there is less of a plot, and more of a theme, as the real stars of the show are the athletes flying through the air, 40 feet above the crowd, and the great majority of entertainment is unspoken.
photo: Matt Beard & Bernard Letendre
Kooza, is full of fun costumes, impressive stunts, hilarious pantomime, and a good variety of music performed by a live band with vocalists. The SF crowd last night was riveted, we left with a feeling of exhilaration, with large smiles on our faces…and of course, clown noses.
It’ll be in the big tent near Chase Center until March 17, 2024.
Kooza
San Francisco, CA
Under the Big Top, Oracle Park – Parking Lot A
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