Yesterday night voyager and merchant Marco Polo arrived back in Venice. He didn’t arrive on a vessel, though, but on a stage in St Mark’s Square.
Marco Polo is indeed the title of the show dedicated to the famous traveller who reached in his journey the Asian continent.
The show was premiered last year at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, was staged again a few months ago in Paris and has just arrived in Italy. It took around four years to prepare the phantasmagoric show that has a strong connection with the world of fashion since it was produced by designer Pierre Cardin (better known in his native Italy with his real name, Pietro Cardini).
The show is divided in two acts and features main character Marco Polo (Julien Derouault) accompanied in his journey by an ethereal woman, the White Lady (Marie-Claude Pietragalla).
The story starts with a Venice submerged by waters and moves to China where the protagonist engages in a battle with the Khan and his warriors. The second part of the show takes Marco Polo to a futuristic and hellish urban jungle where people have turned into robots.
The past and the future, the East and the West, dream and reality reconcile, though, at the very end of the show with an evocative pas-de deux that symbolises the end of all these juxtapositions.
The strength of the show lies in its choreography based on vigorous body movements and on a mix of different dancing styles, from classical ballet to hip hop, plus martial arts, capoeira and acrobatics. Armand Amar composed a musical mix for the show, that features both traditional melodies and electronic tracks, among them also music by the Chemical Brothers, Prodigy (yes, believe it or not, even 'Smack My Bitch Up') and French singer and songwriter Cristophe.
The musical choice will definitely contribute to attract a younger audience, but also the anime-like animations will help.
The videos projected during the show were created by Christophe Rendu (you may remember his name in connection with comics, cartoons and videogames) and Marie Decavel for the Chrysoïd studio.
A final note obviously goes to the costumes - that reference the Orient, bondage and the future - created by Patrick Murru, a designer of Sardinian origins who has worked on many different theatre and ballet performances and is more famous for his work with the Marseille Opera.
You can keep up to date with future tour dates for Marco Polo on its site.
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