At 'Cirque du Soleil: Luzia,' the audience needs to get in on the act

Eric Koller, Ugo Laffolay, and Enya White have been with the renowned circus troupe's show for 10 years, and the audience helps keep their acts fresh each night.

Broadway shows lucky enough to run for years change casts annually, if not more often. But the performers in Cirque du Soleil: Luzia, running at Randall's Island Park through April 27, have the nightly challenge of breathing fresh life into routines they've done around the world for nearly a decade.

Luzia premiered in April 2016, though many troupe members signed on in 2015 to craft their acts in collaboration with director Daniele Finzi Pasca. The show is narratively, visually, and aurally inspired by Mexican culture, but the artists hail from 26 countries and all kinds of circus backgrounds.

For example, Eric "Fool" Koller, Luzia's clown and audience guide, came to Cirque after 20 years of touring solo productions in his native Netherlands and around Europe. Showboating strongman Ugo Laffolay, from France, had been in demand for Cirque productions for years before the timing finally worked out. For Canadian trapeze artist Enya White, Luzia was her first professional gig out of circus school.

All three have been with Luzia since the start and said the audience brings life to their acts each night. Koller directly interacts with select attendees, while Laffolay winks and twirls his mustache at us while doing handstands atop sky-high poles. And White is energized by each audience's audible amazement when, halfway through her routine, it starts to rain.

"It's a game between two sides; it's a conversation," Koller said. "You talk to someone and you expect a response back." Added Laffolay, "Sometimes just to see someone smile is enough. It doesn't have to be a massive laugh and everyone going crazy."

Koller, Laffolay, and White dove deep with New York Theatre Guide into all things Luzia: their history with the show, their favorite acts to watch, and the differences between audiences in cities worldwide.

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How has Luzia changed in 10 years?

Eric Koller: I always compare a show with an oil spot in the water. It's constantly moving, it's constantly changing, and still it stays an oil spot.

Ugo Laffolay: There is always a little bit of change in the sense that the cast [changes]. We had a few visits here and there from Daniele, the director of the show, to make sure everything works and it's true to the show he actually wrote.

Enya White: We have a few characters, but a lot of what you see on stage is fueled by our personality. So with every new artist that comes on stage and joins us in the show, you see a little bit more of their colors.

It's a long time to be on the same show, but [...] I always try to to change things up so what I present on stage is a good reflection of where I'm at in my own training, and I'm able to share as much my passion for for it as I was able to do in the beginning.

How involved were you in creating your act?

Koller: For me, there were guidelines, but [...] it was kind of carte blanche, like, "Go create an act for here, for there, and for that." There was a lot of freedom.

Laffolay: Cirque du Soleil called me because I was doing a similar act before, stacking canes, and that's what they were looking at. And then [...] we had a few meetings more for, "Which trick would fit where? What routine to do is realistic?"

Daniele was super open; it was supposed to be serious. We turned it into a more of a comedy, which is actually really nice to perform. It was a mix of what I want and what I'm naturally good at versus what they want.

White: I arrived with the act I graduated circus school with, and they took a look at the whole structure and were like, "We like this bit, this part, this part, this part. How can we fit it on the music with the stage that we have?"

I'm not alone on stage, so it was also a matter of of learning how to work with the two other Cyr wheel artists [...] and making sure we were all feeling comfortable with the rain.

Speaking of the rain, Enya, what was the process of learning to perform trapeze in it?

White: When they actually approached me with that idea, I was like, "Are you sure that's possible? How is that gonna work? All right, okay, if you guys say so."

They had to design [a trapeze] with the fact that we were going to be wet up to three times per day [...] so they went for a wooden bar that is actually really grippy when it gets wet. The material and the padding around the ropes at the bottom are different as well.

And then the stage is different. There's more grip to it, and when you're walking on stage and it's wet, you have to grip the stage with your whole feet. So it's learning how to move quickly, efficiently, without falling on your bum. That was the hardest part, actually, just to learn how to walk and look graceful.

But overall, [the rain] makes the whole performance a lot more fun. And it's nice because I walk off stage and I'm super fresh for the rest of the show versus being really sweaty!

How do you train to keep your circus skills sharp?

White: I like to take a bunch of different fitness classes. I like to lift weights. I like to do Pilates, yoga, running, hiking, swimming.

My rule of thumb, usually, is that I always want to move in my day before I go to work. I don't want the act and the show to be the hardest part of my day.

Laffolay: I go to the gym in the morning, and I try to keep that away from the show so I actually have energy to perform properly. When we have a transfer week — it's usually about a week and a half between cities — in that time I'm going to go to the gym and then do a handstand session maybe every two days.

I want to recover, but also, handstand is use-it-or-lose-it, so you cannot really stop.

Koller: I like to stay away from the show as long as possible, and I arrive as late as possible, and then I fit everything in the hours at [the show]. I do my workout just to stay fit and then go give it all I have.

How do your audience interactions enhance the experience of Luzia for you and them?

Koller: It's a little related to comedy. You cannot make comedy by yourself. You need the audience. We do this show together, and I ask from the audience their commitment, and then they'll get what they deserve. That's always how it works.

Laffolay: The character is what makes me still enjoy doing this act. You get to have fun and show a little bit of yourself and also share something and have an actual interaction with the public, which is really nice. It brings something light and human to it, more than "I'm strong."

It's also to let yourself feel the flow a little bit. If that night, there's a silence at that moment, you can play with it and grab these little things. It's — I wouldn't say improvisation, because we don't really have time — but just a little something, just a moment.

Does the response to Luzia vary between cities? How would you describe the NYC audience?

Laffolay: So far, they are pretty joyful.

White: Pretty loud.

Koller: Audiences differ all over the world, and the New York audience is a real city audience. And the good part is, it's tough, it's rough, you have to work hard, but when you do, the reward is big.

We performed in South Korea, and we all had to get used to their response. They are 150% committed, and they give you what you ask for, and that is really nice. But on the other hand, after a few weeks, it starts to get predictable, and it's too easy. A New York audience, you never know what you get, and that keeps you sharp.

What's your favorite part of Luzia?

Laffolay: Straps is my favorite act. The aesthetic is amazing, and it's also easy to watch because there's not much happening on stage, so you get to appreciate everything you see. The music is amazing, the act, the technique, everything fits — it's all there.

Koller: Straps is a very beautiful, powerful act, and I love watching the trapeze, Enya. You have a very strong personality and very strong character.

White: I'm going to pick two. The opening scene with the running woman on the treadmill and the wings and Eric on stage and the hummingbirds and all the flowers, that is such a powerful moment. It's the music, and it's the first time you see all the colors happening.

And the moment at the end of "Fiesta Finale" when we're all frozen on stage, and the whole stage rotates. When the turntables are going at the right moment with the music, it gets the audience right in their hearts, and you can hear the reaction.

Why have audiences been so enthusiastic toward Luzia all these years?

White: No matter if you've seen the show once or twice, or three times or four times — some people have seen it 20 times — you always notice little details you didn't notice before. It's the gift that keeps on giving. And it's such a beautiful show, so many colors and just overall good vibes.

Have people really seen it 20 times?

White: Even more than that. We have superfans that will travel the world to come and watch our show. If they come here for a weekend, they'll see the show more than once.

Koller: Every country, they will sit front row.

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Interview excerpts have been condensed and edited for length and clarity.

Photo credit: Cirque du Soleil: Luzia. (Photos courtesy of production)