Recommended Stage performances

I am back to writing after a break! Thinking of writing a series of recommendation pieces and here is a quick 1st one.
Auckland Arts Festival takes place annually in Auckland (New Zealand’s largest city). This year it showcased performances from close to 1000 artists who came from 19 different countries(Most were ticketed shows), I was lucky to be there during the festival and I managed to catch a few performances.

Raiders of the Lost Ark live Orchestra: You get to see the visuals of the movie on a screen with the Dialogue and sound effects while the legendary background music by John Williams is actually being played right in front of you by a symphony orchestra! Those violins, Cellos, French Horns, trombones, xylophones on stage make you appreciate the kind of effort that goes into creating film music. It wasn't as thrilling as I wanted it to be(My seat was far away from stage which reduced the impact), I would have personally preferred an Ennio Moricone or a Hans Zimmer score, It was a memorable and unique experience in spite of that.

La Soiree: This is a famous circus show from a London based company. The twist is that it feels more like a meant to offend ADULT comedy show by AIB. The stage is similar to that of cabaret allowing them to interact with the audience. They try to mix cabaret with acrobatic stunts and pepper it with plenty of sexual humour. The result is a mad mad mad show that is weird, loud, irreverent, outrageous and funny. It is a wild, entertaining ride.

iD by Cirque Eloize: I have always wanted to watch a show by Cirque Du Soleil but I could not. I am glad that I stumbled upon this as some sort of consolation. Cirque Eloize is a Canadian troupe. What they do is called as urban circus. They blend circus with hip hop dancing/b-boying. What a spectacle it was! They keep bombarding you with one world class stunt after another at a breakneck speed for 2 frenzied hours, the pulsating music makes the frenetic action all the more exciting. And then there is a "you have to watch it to believe it" type of final act that makes the crowd burst into collective oohs and aahs. Two thumbs way up for this one.

Encounter by UK theatre company Complicite: This show/play tells the story of a National Geographic photographer who got lost in the Amazon jungle. There is just one performer on stage and he manages to surprise,engage and mesmerize you. The USP of the show however is "sound". They use cutting-edge sound design technology to a dazzling effect. You wear hi-tech headphones, There is 3D audio, sound editing, looping, Foley artistry, voice modulation and what not! They use every audio technology trick in the book but they don't stop there ; It is not just technical gimmickry. The narration is full of wit, intelligence and dry humour and the style is like that of a Nolan film. There are layers, shifting timelines, the nature of reality gets questioned, the question of what is real and what is manufactured keeps popping up. I can’t recommend it enough.

Krishnan's Dairy - This one is a cheat since I saw it in Ranga Shankara in Bengalooru. I am including it here as it is performed by a company called Indian Ink which is a New Zealand based theatre company. It is a one-man play that shows the life of an Indian couple who run a small shop in New Zealand. The awe-inspiring, spell binding solo performance is the highlight of the play. It will charm you with simplicity like a Majid Majidi film. It manages to be both hilarious and moving which is a rarity. The show that I watched got a well deserved standing ovation.

Jealous much? Sure you are. Recommend some good stage performances to me and get even.