이집트기자의 ‘퀴담’ 관람기···마지막 기회 놓치지 마시라!

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* ‘아시아엔’ 연수 외국기자가 작성한 기사의 한글요약본과 원문을 함께 게재합니다.

[아시아엔=라드와 아시라프 기자, 번역 김아람 기자] 태양의 서커스 ‘퀴담’(감독 프랑코 드라고네)이 8년만에 한국에 돌아왔다. 퀴담은 라틴어로 ‘익명의 행인’을 뜻한다. 지난 2007년 한국 초연 당시 ‘최단기간 관객 15만명 동원’ 대기록을 세웠던 퀴담은 1996년 캐나다 몬트리올 초연 이후 20년간 39개국을 돌며 1천4백만명의 관객을 동원했다. 많은 이들의 사랑을 받은 만큼 수상 경력도 화려하다. 현재 마지막 월드투어 중인 퀴담은 내년 2월 뉴질랜드를 공연으로 영원히 막을 내린다.

1984년 캐나다에서 설립된 엔터테인먼트 기업 태양의 서커스는 묘기 중심의 서커스가 아닌 ‘스토리텔링 서커스’로 유명하다. 이들의 9번째 작품인 ‘퀴담’은 그간 선보인 시리즈 가운데서도 가장 스토리텔링이 뛰어나다. 줄거리는 이렇다. 무정한 부모를 둔 어린 소녀 ‘조’가 공허함을 채우기 위해 상상의 세계인 퀴담에 빠져들면서 겪는 이야기다. 항상 우산을 들고 다니는 얼굴 없는 신사 퀴담이 중절모를 던지는 순간 조는 마법의 세계로 빠져든다.

공연 내내 광대와 곡예사들이 펼치는 다양한 묘기는 화려함의 극치다. 특히 놀라운 민첩성으로 인간 피라미드를 완성하는 ‘뱅퀸’은 그 중에서도 압권이다. 이국적인 무대 분위기에 맞춰 흘러나오는 밴드의 라이브 음악 역시 퀴담을 더욱 풍성하게 만든다. 가사가 극중 언어 ‘서퀴시(Cirquish)’로 쓰여져, 신비로운 느낌을 더한다. 자연스러운 장면전환도 인상 깊다. 보통 무대공연에서는 소품과 무대장치를 옮기는 동안 잠깐의 공백이 생기기 마련인데, 퀴담의 모든 장면전환이 곡예의 한 장면으로 구성돼 관람객들은 한시도 방심할 틈이 없다.

한국에서의 마지막 투어가 될 이번 공연은 오는 11월8일까지 잠실종합운동장에서 펼쳐진다. 아직 ‘퀴담’을 관람하지 못했다면 이 기회를 놓치지 마시라.

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Quidam: a surreal Canadian world takes over Seoul

What started as a fire-breathing stuntman and a youth hostel manager’s parade turned out to be one of the world’s most famous theatrical performing companies, the Canadian Cirque du Soleil. Quidam is their ninth stage show, performed on tours across the globe, now performing in Seoul.

White-suited figures stalk the stage like decontamination workers after a nuclear accident; drummers march like fascist armies; radio broadcasts try to break through the static that is Quidam.
It was as if Salvador Dali with his surreal painting and Lewis Carroll with his Alice in Wonderland classic came together and brought this creation to life. Zo? and the world of Quidam are one of Cirque du Soleil’s longest running shows. Quidam, which is Latin for “anonymous stranger” is described by Cirque du Soleil as a nameless passer-by, a solitary figure lingering on a street corner, a person rushing past and swallowed by the crowd. It could be anyone, anybody. It is someone who comes or goes at the heart of our anonymous society. He is a member of the crowd, of the silent majority. He is the one who cries out, sings and dreams within us all. This is the “Quidam” whom this show allows to speak. This is the place that beckons – a place for dreaming and genuine relations where all ‘Quidams’ can finally emerge from anonymity.

The one-hour show opens with one of the cast’s memorable performers, Mark, who interacts with the audience, fumbling with the radio, before starting the actual show, when Zo? and her parents enter the stage. Zo? is a young and bored girl, lonely because her parents ignore her. With the help of the mysterious Quidam, she conjures a reality of entertainment populated by a whimsical cast of characters who are portrayed by over-the-top clowns and nimble acrobats. Quidam, the show’s titular character is portrayed as a man without a head, carrying an umbrella and a bowler hat. He makes only one appearance leaving behind a hat, which helps Zo? make her imaginary world come true.

In Quidam, there are all kinds of characters, from angry Boum-Boum who screams at the audience; The Aviator with his fragile bone-like wings; The Target, a high-spirited clown; flirty Peau d’ Ane, and funny Mark with his hoops, and others. Most of them are dressed in an androgynous and anonymous manner.

Circus acts telling the story
Quidam has been going for over 20 years with a number of rotating acts that contribute in telling the story of Zo?. Marching bands and clowns make an appearance in Zo?’s magical land, with costumes that seem to be derived from the surreal art of the likes of Salvador Dali, Ren? Magritte and Paul Delvaux.

The makers emulated the Moscow Circus’ method of having the actions, the movement not the dialog, tell a story ? a dialog through visuals, not the spoken word. Performers, rather than a technical crew, moved equipment and props on and off stage so that it did not disrupt the momentum of the “storyline”.

Most importantly, their vision was to create a circus with neither a ring nor animals. The rationale was that the lack of both of these things draws the audience more into the performance.

The breathtaking acts, partner or solo, kept the audience on their feet and succeeded in getting a number of terrified gasps and rounds after another of applause. Acts, like German wheel, are taken to a whole new level in Quidam. The artist becomes a human spoke as he spins, turns, twists and maneuvers the wheel, performing gravity-defying somersaults and acrobatic. Julie Cameron’s aerial contortion in red silk was done with a combination of intensity, grace and power; set to haunting music, contortionist and cloth intertwine, separate and embrace again. The translucent fabric occasionally hugs the body of the performer, creating a stunning effect. Other acts included aerial hoops where performers pivoted and twirled through the air, at times solo and at times in unison, performing stunning feats of grace and dexterity; and skipping rope performance as Cirque du Soleil manages to transform this familiar child’s game into a choreographic feat. As the ropes beat time, a group of 20 acrobats, endowed with exceptional co-ordination and rhythm, perform a steady stream of solo, duo and group jumps and figures.

The show is set to an exotic world music score by Benoit Jutras that adds to the sense of mystery, with otherworldly voices and strains of Arabic, French chanson, rock, jazz and ambient music. Another interesting aspect of most of the songs used in Cirque de Soleil’s shows is that they use their own invented language “Cirquish”. Cirquish has an international approach that they use to get their sentiments across to a wide variety of people in their performances from one continent to another.

Quidam, written and directed by Franco Dragone, premiered for the first time in 1996, and won several awards such as 1999 Golden Clown at the International Monte Carlo Circus Festival for its Banquine act, and 1995 Gold Medal at Festival du Cirque de Demain for Diabolos act.

The show utilizes lavish set designs, uses modified everyday clothes as costumes, and lighting design to evoke a fantastical yet gloomy atmosphere. Quidam is a lushly captured display of Cirque Du Soleil’s dark fanciful live show – a testament to the ability of Cirque Du Soleil to evoke magic through circus acts.

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