Blair Liew
Filled with anticipation, you walk into the 35m-high White Theatre Tent then up the creaky stairs that lead to your seat. Despite having little to no legroom, you can’t help but feel excited about what is to come. Suddenly the lights dim and finally, the show starts.
For starters, there was no jumping straight into the action. What came as a surprise was the quiz at the beginning to get everyone warmed up with additional information about the show. For example, there are no mares (female horses) in the production, only stallions or geldings. This draws from an age-old tradition that stretches back to the 1700s, when Phillip Astley first came up with the concept of a circus. And that was just one of the few things that you will learn before the show starts!
On to the show. Cavalia starts off with soft and melodious music and artistes making an entrance with graceful movements and simple stunts. It’s kind of a sneak peek of what the show will bring, seeing that the prologue already brings most of the cast onstage. The second scene rolls around and this is where we see the first signs of horse and human interaction. Like the prologue, the purpose of this scene seems to serve as an introduction and preview of the rapport that the horses and trainers have, and that relationship between human and equine is exactly what makes the show so excitable.
But hold your horses (pun intended) because the big boys are coming up: A lasso artist that moves with agility and finesse between the ropes, Guinean acrobats performing gravity defying stunts, and then there are the trainers who manage to pull off stunts like handstands while they are on a horse that’s galloping at top speed across the stage.
Not forgetting the horses, the majestic creatures that seem so wild yet docile at the same time. It’s truly amazing how they seem to be able to comprehend their trainer’s every command, though it is no doubt a result from years of hard work and training. But just seeing how the artistes are able to handle and command the horses with such ease is just jaw dropping to say the least. It’s also refreshing to see that a horse will occasionally disobey its trainer and run off to the other side of the stage. Or when one accidentally attempts to make an exit even though the scene is not over yet, but then rushes back to the formation looking adorably shy.
And just when you think that the show is all about the impressive stunts and stallions, out comes this tiny adorable horse that seems to be just a little pony. The collective gasp and ‘aww’ by the audience when Troubadour, the 14-year-old miniature horse, came out galloping across the stage is enough to show that he was in fact the undeniable star of the whole show. Perhaps another visit is in order, even if it is just to catch a second glimpse of the lovely mini-horse.
Complementing the cast nicely is the constantly changing backdrop, which is first hand painted, then finalized by graphic designers before being projected (by 20 projectors, no less) onto the 60 m wide screen at the back of the stage. This creates a dream-like environment that encapsulates its audience with the perfect setting for an equestrian adventure of a lifetime.
Cavalia indeed does a magnificent job in introducing to us the beauty and wonders of the wild, especially in this vast concrete jungle that we call home.
Venue: Bayfront Avenue beside Marina Bay Sands
Under the White Theatre Tent
Dates: 12 August to 5 October
Times: Tuesday – Friday: 7.30pm
Saturday: 2pm and 7.30pm
Sunday: 12pm and 5.30pm
Duration: 2.5 hours (including 30 minutes intermission)
Tickets available on Sistic
Photography courtesy of Cavalia.net/Press Room