I have wanted to see a Cirque du Soleil show for many years; I had seen snippets of their acts on the Royal Variety Performance, which they have appeared on several times here in the UK, and had always been left wanting more.
When La Nouba opened as a resident show at Walt Disney World’s Disney Springs in 1998, I figured that I would get round to it sooner or later, but initially I felt my children were too young, and by the time they were all old enough, they never really expressed an interest in seeing it, so I didn’t feel inclined to spend a large amount of money (tickets start at around $80 each in the summer months) on something that they might not enjoy.
La Nouba closed at the end of 2017, and was replaced in 2021 with Drawn to Life, a brand new collaboration between Cirque du Soleil and Disney which combines classic performances and magical Disney animation in a brand new story. The story follows Julie, whose animator father leaves her a sequence of unfinished drawings. The show takes her through a magical vortex on a quest to complete his work, helped by Mr Pencil and a troupe of mime artists, and hindered by Miss Hesitation, a character who reflects Julie’s own doubts about her ability to create animation.
We were given the opportunity to see this show by Disney Parks UK, and it was a treat from start to finish. Whilst the audience is still settling, a pre-show takes place, starting with a dancing pillow; a troupe of mimes entertains, interacting with those already seated, and bringing some children up onto the stage to create their own drawings, which are later displayed on a big screen. Photography of any kind is prohibited during the performance.
The main show is around 90 mesmerising minutes long. Each performance moves the story on, and each act represents a different aspect of animation, for example a group of rhythmic gymnasts performs a tumbling display designed to represent the way animation takes many pages of drawings and turns them into a continuous sequence. The tumblers are followed by an acrobat who guides an aerial pole (styled as a giant pencil), stilt walkers, a juggler, a team of unicyclists, more acrobats on bouncy seesaws, inside giant wheels, on a Russian swing and on trapezes, and a beautiful ballroom dancing sequence which morphs into a hand and body balancing act. In between we see Julie’s attempts to complete the drawings, supported by the slapstick of Mr Pencil, the mimes and Miss Hesitation.
Classic Disney animation and music are used throughout, and the show makes full use not just of the stage but of the whole theatre, using large screens and trapezes suspended from the ceiling. There are times when there is so much going on, it’s impossible to take it all in, and it is the kind of show that would benefit from a second watching. The storytelling is cohesive and effective despite the minimal dialogue (maybe a dozen words in the whole show), and the emotion comes through clearly, as we follow Julie’s story. The costumes, makeup and set are ingenious, well designed and beautifully executed.
As a fixture in Disney Springs, it is also perfectly placed to be part of a larger night out, as there are dining and shopping possibilities aplenty. Indeed, Disney has recently added the option of a dining package, offered at two separate price points, across thirteen of the Disney Springs eateries, to act as companion to the show.
This is a show for the whole family; there were children of all ages in the audience, and despite their initial ambivalence, my own children were captivated by it. It’s as good a piece of theatre as anything you would see in London’s West End, and well worth the ticket price.
