Anthony Gatto in Cirque Du Soleil

[Kim]

OUCH!!!

[Aaron Gregg]

Jason Garfield did street for a little while in Seattle. Gatto has surely never done street.

Great Lee Ross video, thanks for the link. I wonder what would happen if I posted the link on the Anthony Gatto juggling forum?

-Aaron

[Tyler]

Oh my God, funny...I've met that lady...she watched me juggle a couple years back at the Edmonton Street Performer's Festival.

She didn't like my beanbags, she wanted
stage balls

Gatto is unreal...still, only interesting to fans of technical juggling. A blend of the two is always interesting I think a la Ivan Pecel...

My two cents...

Tyler

[scot]

You guys are retarded. Have you ever seen an audience react to gatto? They love him and they talk about him forever. People like garfield too.

If I see a performer live. I judge them according to my own tastes, but mostly I pay attention to the crowd, how focussed they become and what they do and how immediate it feels to them.

The crowd is the point.

[Tyler]

It's interesting, I've definitely performed for crowds who like a more technical routine.

Yet there are a lot of people (garfield being one of them) that say that nobody wants to see a technical performance.

Tyler

[unklesteve]

"I personally can't stand Garfields attitude (the Hollier than thou) I would love to see a crowd in like Key West chew him up and spit him out!!!"

Ha.

I always love how people confuse Jason's stage persona with his actual personality.

And for the record, I've never seen a crowd he couldn't win.

-----

Just watched the video of Anthony. My thoughts:

1. One of the cleanest technical routines I've ever seen. Amazing.

2. I hated it, for the same reason I hate musical theatre. "Hey, we're all talking...and now let's break into song!" There was no motivation, there was no reason for him to be out there, and I can't imagine what came after him that could possibly justify his act.

3. He has no character on stage. He does that same little kicky-leg-thing that yo-yo players do when performing without choreography, which I find more than a little grating. It's meant to add movement where none was planned so that it's not obvious that you've got....nothing.

4. That music sucked. Too much cymbal, and the bass tone was farty and trebly and sounded like the Night Court theme song.

I can see why people love his act. There's nothing there not to like. It's Mickey Mouse...cute and fun and entertaining. But devoid of all personality..because if you have personality, then you have something that a person can latch on to and dislike.

Bland and flashy...just like the rest of Vegas.

[scot]

unklesteve, you're totally wrong.

[unklesteve]

I can accept that, as long as you are willing to back it up with a little more detail than "totally wrong".

[scot]

I was joking; but if I want to be president, I need to stick to my words.

1. You are wrong to use the phrase "one of the" it makes for empty statements that are bringing the art of communication to a level of finger painting. eg: "the lamb is one of the fastest land mammals"

2a. you say you hated it, but you actually seem to have the opposite feeling of love for it. A guest of Oprah's once told me that indifference is the true opposite of love.

2b. There was motivation for him to be out there. It's a show, and he's a juggler. People like watching jugglers.

3. hard to argue except saying that he has nothing. You get to see a lifetime (excuse the period of landscaping) of work in his act. You get to see/ imagine human athletic perfection. he worked more on his act than most performers in cirque, or on any stage. Grading on the curve -- which I never do with myself, but always for other performers -- you gotta give him in a+.

4. Nothing will ever sound like the night court theme. Harry Anderson in a robe! mmh.

[Stephon]

Originally posted by unklesteve
I always love how people confuse Jason's stage persona with his actual personality.

Penn Jillette has referred to him as the most bitter person Penn has ever met.

'course, it's possible Penn is just fostering a persona. . .

[UCO]

juggle juggle

I happen to see the show: two weeks before opening night. And it needed alot of work.
I could start a list but it would be way to long.
I was a cirque fan when i started and when I moved to montreal things changed drasticaly. It would take a long consideration and a good bottle of wine on them to decide to live that life. Lee's testimony is spot on.
Gattos situation???( I am sure he has a phat contract that would be hard to turn down)

There was three acts in the whole 3 and a half hours that I really enjoyed
Wheel of Death ( F*$&ing amazing)
The Pickpocket ( Just caused he used understandable words.)
And the handstand chairs.
(The contortion was good if you are into kidz)
Gatto although was technicaly amazing and impressive it was boring for me to watch, I am a crappy juggler for starters, So after 5 of anything I lose the pazzaz. The act itself with the assisant was sooo.....dull the costume looked like a high school play of a star trex episode and whoever said the music sucked I agree. (but the cirque has always taken the Yanni road as far as composition)
But he wasn't as bad as the clowns. My god.
But the boy never made a mistake that is dedication and you have to give him respect for that.

[unklesteve]

Originally posted by Stephon
Penn Jillette has referred to him as the most bitter person Penn has ever met.

'course, it's possible Penn is just fostering a persona. . .

Penn and Jason are friends, so I'm not sure how scathing that was meant to be.

Plus, I take anyone who names their daughter "Moxie Crimefighter" with a grain of salt.

[thayr]

Re: juggle juggle

Originally posted by UCO
But he wasn't as bad as the clowns.

What didn't you like about the clowns?

[Schuyler]

There's juggling for an audience and then there's juggling to impress other jugglers. Anthony and Garfield both juggle for other jugglers it seems, it's hard to appreciate the tricks they do if you don't juggle. I think it's just too hard for non-jugglers to keep up with what's going on.

[unklesteve]

I can't really agree with that.

They both get terrific crowd reactions, and while I've never seen Anthony live I have seen Jason...and he plays to the audience. He does really technical stuff, sure, but it's all packaged to make it accessible.

From what I understand from this YouTube vid, and random accounts, Anthony puts on a really technical run and jump flashy flashy Vegas act that is very much for the benefit of the audience.

So while I may not like that sort of act, I can't say it's for anyone but the people who came to see it.

I hate musical theatre too, but that obviously doesn't mean sh*t to the people who buy Broadway tickets for $100+ a pop.