Cirque de Soleil's ECHO opens at the Old Port this week
The new show featuring Future and her wolf-dog companion Ewai arrives at Jacques Cartier Pier with aerial acts, contortion and environmental themes.
Cirque de Soleil opens ECHO this week at the Old Port, bringing its signature blend of acrobatics, spectacle and storytelling to Montreal for the season.
The show follows Future, a charismatic woman from the clouds, and her lovable wolf-dog companion Ewai as they encounter a giant white cube that transports them to a world of anthropomorphic animals and geometric wonders. Future helps reconstruct the cube before returning home, all while witnessing some of the planet's most talented performers.
The production weaves together stunning aerial feats, contortionists and acrobatics punctuated by two funny clowns. Undercurrents of environmental protection and biodiversity run subtly through the narrative—themes of interconnection and interdependence between all living things.
The opening act sets the scene with performers in white animal costumes representing the diversity of animal life: koala, seal, llama, frog and many others. Some performers spin around and off the sides of the massive white cube as if gravity doesn't exist. The music is so seamlessly integrated that you might forget live musicians are performing in their black, antlered costumes.
Two standout moments: hair suspension performers spin each other round with elegance and sophistication, and a hand-balance duo combined with contortion inside the turning cube represents animals that have disappeared or gone extinct—a poignant sequence.
The costumes blend animal life, geometry, sky and minimalism into something stunning. Future's baby blue overalls and newsboy cap, paired with her flaming red hair and big smile, make her instantly eye-catching. By the end, she dazzles in her own trapeze act.
ECHO runs at Quai Jacques Cartier in the Old Port from May 22 through June 27. Tickets are available now.