Bursting the Grape Vs. Cirque du Soleil: an Overwhelming Dedication to Performance

   Upon reading this review of, "Bursting the Grape", one element of the performance stuck out to me. The element of which i am speaking is the production's overwhelming dedication to performance. This dedication becomes apparent as the review talks of the cast actually leading the audience into the theatre, "As the audience entered the Warm Temperate Biome they were greeted by Silenus, the raucous, anarchic leader of the satyrs, who guided them to the Citrus Grove, following a thread, as used by Theseus later in the play". Through this action the audience is invited into the world of the play before it even begins, a tactic I have only seen mirrored in productions performed by Cirque Du Soleil. One particular performance of which I am referring is, Cirque Du Soleil's, Mystere. Prier to this performance clowns, later seen within the show itself, escort audience members to their seats all the while performing tricks and practical jokes in relation to the show. This resemblance led me to the question, were these pre-show antics actually existent in ancient times, or merely a modern adaptation? Through some pretty extensive research the closest i could come to these "pre-show antics" were apparent pre-show song and dance performances. From what i can gather, these performances were used for the same reason as those in, "Mystere", and, "Bursting the Grape", to help transport the audience into the world of the play. The only real difference between the two would be that the pre-show song and dance performances were considerably more formal then just leading the audience to their seats. The following are images of characters from both shows, enjoy!