TORUK – The First Flight Cirque du Soleil Show! My Review

TORUK – The First Flight is one of the many fantastic Cirque du Soleil shows that are touring around the country right now. TORUK has landed at the Consol Energy Center from now until June 26 to amaze and delight Pittsburgh audiences of all ages.

TORUK takes place on the world of Pandora, brought to life in the movie Avatar, thousands of years before the events of the mega-popular 2009 film. The Na’vi, the human-race that lives on the planet, are tall, blue, tree-dwelling beings and are the stars of the performance.

Unlike most Cirque du Soleil shows, this one has a narrator that explains the events of the story, which I appreciated. There's a simple plot: Realizing that their world is under threat, three young people travel to different places and meet many Na'vi clans in an effort to gather five important talismen. After collecting these items, they will use them to call the Toruk, a terrifying bird-like creature that can help them save their world.
 
The sets are stunning, with the stage being created to look like a mountainous, forested planet. The video projections that are used to create Pandora's volcanos, earthquakes, water, and starry sky make you feel like you're actually on another planet instead of looking at a stage. The projection also makes set changes incredibly fast, allowing the performers to travel from one part of Pandora to another in seconds. The total projection surface, including when the projection washes out into the audience, tops 20,000 square feet!

The actors perform the acrobatic stunts that Cirque's shows are famous for, including those using aerial silk ropes and hanging from set pieces many feet above the ground. You’ll be holding your breath when they climb on top of tall poles that are swinging around in the air and then balance on a teeter-toter-like sculpture.    

As the three main characters go from place to place on their planet, they meet other Na’vi tribes and see amazing new animals. To show Pandora's wildlife, actors use puppets that are controlled by puppet strings and rods, making them look as if they’re alive.

The actors are costumed in blue and look just like the Na'vi from the movie Avatar, and if you look closely, you’ll see that each tribe is a slightly different colored blue. Even though the video projection is amazing, these actors are really the heart of the show.

The show was about 2 hours long, plus a 20-minute intermission. Children under the age of five may find it difficult to sit still for that long (although a little boy near me chattered happily during the whole show—he was definitely paying attention). Older kids will really enjoy being immersed in the experience. Do you need to see Avatar before seeing TORUK? No! Although my kids haven't seen Avatar yet, they still very much enjoyed the show.

You can even download  the TORUK – The First Flight app. This app enhances the overall show experience and enables audience members to be a part of the action before, during and after the performance!
I was provided tickets to this show. All opinions are mine.