"Cloud Cuckoo Land" Is An Aerial Avian Fairy Tale

Conceived and Directed by Djahari Clark, “Cloud Cuckooland” is a new theatrical spectacle inspired by ancient Greek tragedies. Follow a girl who, upon her death, is offered a chance to become Queen of the Birds!  But her Queendom is contingent on leaving her heart behind...a doomed existence the watchful birds enjoy to the very end.

Having opened this past Thursday night, September 8th, theatrical "spectacle" Cloud Cuckoo Land proves to be a different sort of fairy tale, mixed wonderfully with myth. As an added bonus, it includes corvids (crows, ravens) and a phoenix, among other interesting birds (jackdaws, storks, peacocks, flamingos, magpies, vultures...).

From a review in the Brooklyn Paper:

The show — which includes dance, puppetry, aerial acrobatics, spoken word, and song — follows a girl who dies and enters a fantasy world where she becomes Queen of the Birds. But she can only wear the crown if she leaves her heart behind. Clark said that show will take viewers on a roller coaster of emotions.“It’s a beautiful dark fairy tale that will break your heart a little bit, but it’s going to make you fall in love again,” she said.... “I was very drawn to Greek theater already and I realized that this would be the basis,” she said. “The structure of my play was going to be coming out of ancient Greek tragedies and birds were going to be telling my story.”The show features nine performers dressed in ornate avian costumes and puppets, which Clark said are the perfect blend of child-like and mature.

You can see a lot of theatrical photos, including behind-the-scenes HERE on the official Facebook page.

I admit I'm very curious about the narrative. The photos on the Facebook page give a lot of clues and do give very much a fairy tale vibe across the span of the show - somewhere between The Magic Flute, the Firebird ballet and Cirque du Soleil with some Julie Taymor influence (think Disney's Broadway version of The Lion King) thrown in.

Showing at the House Of Yes in Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY, the show runs for two long weekends: Sept. 8–10 and 15–17 at 7 pm.

Unlike the dance parties held there, all ages are welcome.

Tickets available HERE are $20–$30

Other Theatrical Snow Queen Productions (Pt 5): Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theater

And now for something completely different: an adrenalin-pumped acrobatic & flying Snow Queen spectacular, by Irish company Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theater (don't you love that name?)

While the aesthetic seems harsh initially, I have a feeling it would work really well live. Doesn't it seem as if Cirque Du Soleil went to the Winter Olympics to play out their latest fairy tale there? Such a unique take - and it works, fairy tale magic intact and everything. This would be a perfect year to see this production, though unfortunately I can't see any indication that it's been performed since 2011.

                           

Wow - does that look like a giant shoe to you too? Was that intentional??

Fidget Feet's most recent production (Dec 2013) was The Elves & the Shoemaker, which I will have to look up again when photos become available, but they also did an aerial take on Red Riding Hood call Catch Me.

Looks like a company to keep an eye on, especially with regard to unique interpretations of fairy tales.

(Stay tuned for one last theatrical production in this recent retelling roundup.)