1 Excellent!!!!
This was excellent! I have never seen a CdS show live, but I'm looking forward to seeing one really soon since I saw this! The camera angles are superb and the sound is excellent. The Grand Finale and the Grand Entrance is spectacular. I recommend this for everyone! I am looking forward to buying Quidam also!
2 Enchanting, But Somewhat dark ..
Not as good as others such as Varekai, Quidam, Drallion and Saltimbanco.
Seems as though it has a subtle darkness or negative feel in both the music and the show which slightly overshadows the performances. The other Cirque shows have music that for the most part seems uplifting and joyous, but in my opinion Allegria has only one or two songs that contain joyous melodic tones.
This is Kind of ironic considering the title Allegria which means "Joy".
3 Bad Editing Spoils Show
Given the many glowing reviews of this disk, I am obviously in a minority. The show looks great, but I found the video unwatchable due to the frequent, rapid changes in camera angle. It was impossible to follow the flow of the performance, especially with acts such as the tumblers near the beginning. And the audience reaction shots are distracting and unnecessary. Most people will probably love this, though.
4 Wished I'd seen it live
My obsession with cirque just after Allegria left Sydney. Live performances are obviously best but this is as close as you can get. Thrilling performances, great music plus all the behind the scenes stuff make this a must have DVD!!!!!
5 Utterly Enchanting
So far we've seen Quidam and Varekai live, and I bought this DVD for my family just to satisfy our hunger for more Cirque. It is quickly becoming one of our favorites on video.
The music of this show excels even by CDS standards. The melodies are haunting. The voices are beautiful and full of passion. The instrumentation is rare and interesting.
The acrobatics and other stunts are on par with what we have come to expect from Cirque, which is to say unparalleled.
But this show is, in my opinion, particularly magical in its blending of all of the elements of circus, dance, theatre, music, and stagecraft into a cohesive piece. It has an incandescent sort of gothic old-world charm about it. It is at the same time bright and dark. The clown acts are silly and funny and also lonely and pathetic. The performers come across as personable and engaging in their performances as they reach out and draw the audience into the experience of the show.
A definite winner!
6 I Loved it to Tears
All of the acts are in the DVD, except for "Handbalancing" which was not in the show very often back in 2001. This show is the best Cirque du Soleil touring show. Francesca Gagnon, the singer on the AlegriA CD, is in the DVD too. This makes it even better. The show is filled with beautiful emotion, from laughter, to moments that bring you an inch away from tears. After seeing the show, you feel a beautiful sense of loving life and you feel very inspired.
7 Alegria (Live in Sidney) - Very well done!
We recently watched La Nouba at Orlando, FL. It was our first live - Cirque du Soleil. We watched a documentary on PBS and it wasn't that impressive. However, from many people's recommendation, we watched the live show and it was just breath taking! Cirque du Soleil has very talented people doing very unique tricks, and with very artistic classy presentations and costumes. So we bought Alegria DVD, because of their extra documentary (it was good with performers). The DVD Alegria show was so much more than what we expected. The camera did a very excellent job. They did rock concerts so they were experienced and know how to present this show well on TV. It wasn't same as live, but it was still amazing at a good price. Also, I liked the different view from the camera (i.e. from the top view). Vocal and music were great, with a pair of good speakers. This DVD is worth to keep if you like these kind of stuff.
8 A moderately good performance
What I liked about Alegria was the wonderful costuming and the beautiful voice of Franchesca Gagnon. However, as far as the other Cirque performances go, I have to rate this one as somewhat lacking.
Personally, I think a bit too much time was spent with the clowns. While an important part of Cirque's charm, it takes away time from the acts. It seemed to me that there were less acts than in most Cirque performances and to me they appeared a bit less polished than what I'm used to seeing in this series.
On the good side, though, there were a few outstanding acts such as the tumblers and a Hawaiian fire dancer. The strong man was especially intriguing and well presented.
While entertaining, I'd still recommend Quidam and Dralion to first time Cirque watchers.
9 Fabulous!
Outstanding music that I can't get out of my head. The acts are great and the costumes beautiful. Highly recommended!
10 One of my favorite Cirque du Soleil shows......
Alegria(Live in Sydney) is my favorite CdS DVD behind Quidam, which is slightly superior in my opinion because of the incredible acts performed. But it should be noted that Francesca Gagnon steals the show with her mesmerizing voice. The acts in Alegria of course are superb(this is CdS we are talking about after all!), but the music and the singing elevate the entire show to something almost magical. The music is intertwined with the acts for utterly amazing choreography, even moreso than the other shows.
As far as DVD content is concerned, there is much here for any Cirque fan. There are two featurettes: "A Look Behind-the-Scenes" and "A Different Perspective." Also included are short interviews of the artists themselves. The show itself is well worth the price of the DVD, but these add-ons are a very nice bonus.
It is surprising how much feeling comes through on DVD....the filming was about as well done as could have ever been expected! Any CdS fan will not tire of watching the acts of Alegria or of hearing the beautiful voice of Francesca Gagnon. If Angels sing, surely they sound like Ms. Gagnon.
11 The must-own for Cirque fans!!
My expertise, limited, but here it is. I've seen "Mystere" and "O" in person. I own "Saltimbanco" and I own "Alegria", soon to own "Quidam". Ratings I give "O" an 10, "Mystere" a 9.5, "Saltimbanco" a negative three ( -3)it really sucked, and "Alegria" a 9.
Alegria was fantastic. The music was superb and singers get the highest of marks. Their voices and presentation were as dramatic as the athletic performers. The costumes were astounding, at times taking the viewer to another world/dimension. As always, the performers were at the top of their game. I find it nearly impossible to say what the best acts were as they all brought a significant contribution to the show. No bad ones. The clowns were extremley amusing showing both great mime like ablities and deep humor. The camera work was five stars. I hope that if and when "O" or "mystere" are put on tape/dvd, that it is handled by the same group. If you are ready to go to another world and be put in a perpetual state of awe, then this is the dvd for you. Five stars.
12 Cirque du Soleil presents Alegria
O.K. I love it.
Quidam is my favorite Cirque DVD with Alegria a close second. Varekai I love but the sound is horrible.
But for Alegria the sound and video quality is excellent.
I love how for the filming they placed mini-camcorders on some of the artists.
A journey to Alegria a special is fantastic.
This dosen't have as many features as Varekai but it has a lot.
I have seen Varekai (Live and not live), Mystere (Live), Saltimbanco (Not Live), Cirque Reinvent (Not Live), Nouvelle Experence (Not Live), Quidam (Not Live), Alegria ( Live and Not Live ), And Dralion (Not Live)
So out of all of the Cirque DVDs I've seen Alegria is second best after Quidam.
13 A great performance, but...
This was a good DVD release. While not having as many features as Varekaki, they tried to put some good stuff on the disc.
As far as the show goes, it was so-so. I have seen every Cirque show many times, some in person, some on video. Quidam is my favorite, with Varekai and Dralion tied for a close second.
It was nice to see the show finally, as I have only seen the story-movie Alegria, and it ties in really nicely once you've seen the cirque show.
Personally, I think threre's a LOT of wasted time on this one. There are less show acts, and more theatrical stuff. Too many clown acts, and drawn out boredom (much better than some of the older ones, but still not up to par with the more current shows).
I think the Fast Tracks (long trampolines) and the Russian Bars are the best parts of this show.
14 Worth Every Penny!
I watch this last winter on Bravo and I was in absolute aww. I have always been a Cirque Du Soleil fan and have watched several of their shows live. This one is up there with along with Quidam. I highly recommend it if you are a Cirque Du Soleil fan.
15 one of cirque du soleil's best
Alegria is finally coming out on dvd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You can tell I am really excited because Alegria (along with Quidam and Dralion) is the best cirque du soleil performance currently available on dvd. Alegria features excellent acrobatics, an interesting storyline, and fantastic performance.
