KOOZA is a Cirque du Soleil Big Top show, which premiered in April 19, 2007 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. David Shiner directed the show. Shiner was a former performer in Cirque du Soleil’s Nouvelle Experience. Other notable people behind KOOZA include Cirque founder Guy Laliberte, creation director Serge Roy and composer Jean-Francios Cote.
The show generally revolves around “The Innocent”, who is a melancholy loner. The show has a musical theme inspired by South Asia (India). It is also notable for its onstage use of a travelling towered called a ‘bataclan’, which effects to reconfigure the performing area and help direct the course of the show.
Some of the main characters in the show include ‘The Trickster’, ‘The Innocent’, ‘The King’, ‘The Pickpocket’, Heimloss, ‘The Bad Dog’, and the clowns. Acrobatic acts performed in the show include balancing chairs, charivari, contortion, Wheel of Death, and more.
KOOZA, like some of the newer Cirque du Soleil shows is a return to the old style of performance that Cirque is known for. It combines several circus traditions including clowning and acrobatics. The show is also lightened with the use of slapstick humor. Themes explored by the show include fear, recognition, identity, turmoil, and power.