Alegria: Difference between revisions

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* [[Costume Porn]]: This is one of the most lavishly costumed Cirque shows, especially among the tours.

* [[Creator Breakdown]]: A mild example -- the idea of a sadder, darker Cirque show came to Dragone during the extremely stressful development of ''Mystere''.

* [[~~Dancesand~~ Balls]]: The opening scene of Act Two is known as "The Ball".

* [[Dances and Balls]]: The opening scene of Act Two is known as "The Ball".

* [[Dedication]]: In the program, there's a deeply sarcastic, detailed one "thanking" all those who oppress others.

* [[Empathic Environment]]: The Act One closer is a clown act known as "Snowstorm", in which the lonesome protagonist winds up having his heart broken. It begins to snow as he sadly walks alone; suddenly the wind kicks up and "snow" (paper) flies ''everywhere''.

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** This is also the only Cirque song to appear in some form on all three of their [[Greatest Hits Album]] compilations.

* [[Hair Decorations]]: The White and Black Singers wear antennae-like ones to add a bit more whimsy to their looks.

* [[~~Everythings~~ Better With Spinning]]: Manipulation, in which a lithe lovely twirls hoop after hoop around her body, is one of the show's signature acts. Other acts to leave you dizzy include the fire-knife dance, flying man, and (new for the arena tour, for when another act can't perform) cyr wheel.

* [[Everything's Better With Spinning]]: Manipulation, in which a lithe lovely twirls hoop after hoop around her body, is one of the show's signature acts. Other acts to leave you dizzy include the fire-knife dance, flying man, and (new for the arena tour, for when another act can't perform) cyr wheel.

* [[Foil]]

** Fleur/Tamir (Both are clownish figures, but the former is wicked and the latter kindly)

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* [[Nice Hat]]: Fleur and Tamir each have a nice hat, appropriate given their [[Foil]] status.

* [[Nostalgia Filter]]: The ''Nostalgic'' Old Birds kinda live out this trope with regards to ''themselves'', via their mirrors. They have no glass in them, so their "reflections" must be purely imaginary...this is expanded upon in the new cyr wheel act (see [[I Was Quite a Looker]]).

* [[Pimped Out Dress]]: The Nostalgic Old Birds' [http://www.richasi.com/Cirque/Alegria/index.html outfits] (scroll down page), which verge on parody.

* [[Pimped-Out Dress]]: The Nostalgic Old Birds' [http://www.richasi.com/Cirque/Alegria/index.html outfits] (scroll down page), which verge on parody.

* [[Reality Subtext]]: In the book ''20 Years Under the Sun'', set designer Michael Crete said the story of a battle for power was partially inspired by the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Bulger murder of Jamie Bulger].

* [[Re Cut]]: The Beau Rivage version dropped the intermission and a few acts to bring the runtime down to 90 minutes, the typical length of a resident Cirque show. (As a tour, the show runs about two hours plus a twenty minute intermission.)

* [[Rewritten Pop Version]] / [[Rearrange the Song]]: Beyond "Novo Alegria", ''Delirum'' featured "Alone", a variation on "Querer". (Its entirely new English lyrics were about miserable loneliness, whereas the original's were about how joyous love can be.)

* [[Self Parody]]: The Russian bars act is followed by two of the clowns mounting their own version of it, complete with applause-baiting posing to punctuate their feats. In a briefer gag earlier in the show, the third clown tries to impress the audience with his version of the fire-knife dance (using a candle instead of a flaming baton).

* [[Self-Parody]]: The Russian bars act is followed by two of the clowns mounting their own version of it, complete with applause-baiting posing to punctuate their feats. In a briefer gag earlier in the show, the third clown tries to impress the audience with his version of the fire-knife dance (using a candle instead of a flaming baton).

* [[Set Switch Song]]: "Jeux d'Enfants" and "Querer".

* [[Shadow Archetype]]: The Black Singer, whom the website notes is the alter ego of the White Singer. A fan writing about a performance of the show noted that she literally followed the White Singer in the opening procession -- a [[Living Shadow]], perhaps?

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* [[Villainous Cheekbones]]: Via makeup or masks, Fleur and some of the Nostalgic Old Birds have these.

* [[Walking Shirtless Scene]]: The handbalancing, flying man, and aerial high bar performers. Older acts that featured these were strong man and aerial cube (the latter now serves this function in ''Mystere''). The fire spinners and cyr wheel performer also have most of their chests exposed. (Whew.)

* [[White Haired Pretty Girl]]: The White Singer; actually, a lot of the good characters (i.e. the Nymphs) appear to have white hair.

* [[White-Haired Pretty Girl]]: The White Singer; actually, a lot of the good characters (i.e. the Nymphs) appear to have white hair.

* [[Woman in White]] ''and'' [[Womanin Black]]: Only the latter is evil. The musicians, both male and female, are all white-clad.

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* [[Earn Your Happy Ending]]: This is a quiet theme in the stage version, but the film ''runs'' with it.

* [[Enemy Mime]]: In a complete reversal of the trope, the mime's the good-hearted protagonist. (And he speaks.)

* [[Executive Meddling]]: See [[Lull Destruction]] below. Also, originally the story wasn't going to involve a romance -- the film company insisted upon one to make it more appealing to audiences. It didn't quite do that (see [[Audience Alienating Premise]]), but it doesn't come across as a [[Romantic Plot Tumor]] either.

* [[Executive Meddling]]: See [[Lull Destruction]] below. Also, originally the story wasn't going to involve a romance -- the film company insisted upon one to make it more appealing to audiences. It didn't quite do that (see [[Audience-Alienating Premise]]), but it doesn't come across as a [[Romantic Plot Tumor]] either.

* [[Fluffy Fashion Feathers]]: Some of the women in the Cafe Opera have these as part of their outfits (perhaps some are old costumes). This also ties in to the stage version's bird imagery.

* [[The Ingenue]]: Giulietta is the movie's analogue to the show's White Singer.

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* [[It Got Worse]]: When Giulietta leaves the circus to find Frac, Fleur loses his drive to lead his troupe and the performers scatter. And {{spoiler|she finally finds Momo and runs to him just as Marcello springs his trap to recapture the boy..}}.

* [[Love Hurts]]

* [[Lull Destruction]]: The story is told in flashback by an adult Momo, played by Mako. However, another actor is credited for narration, much of which describes the setting and the feelings of characters -- which Dragone and the actors do a pretty good job of getting across via body language. This suggests [[Executive Meddling]] akin to the ''Arabian Knight'' cut of ''[[The Thief and The Cobbler (Animation)|The Thief and The Cobbler]]'', possibly for [[Viewers ~~Are~~ Morons|similar reasons]].

* [[Lull Destruction]]: The story is told in flashback by an adult Momo, played by Mako. However, another actor is credited for narration, much of which describes the setting and the feelings of characters -- which Dragone and the actors do a pretty good job of getting across via body language. This suggests [[Executive Meddling]] akin to the ''Arabian Knight'' cut of ''[[The Thief and The Cobbler (Animation)|The Thief and The Cobbler]]'', possibly for [[Viewers are Morons|similar reasons]].

* [[Magic Realism]]: In the closing sequence, {{spoiler|the father speaks with Fleur, his stage character}}.

* [[Non Ironic Clown]]: The clowns of the circus are ''very strange'' but they are not evil. <ref>In [[Real Life]], the performers who play Frac and Old Taps are these. The former, Rene Bazinet, was the originator of ''[[Saltimbanco]]'''s clown act; the latter, Brian Dewhurst, was the Great Chamberlain in ''Nouvelle Experience'' and took over the principal clown act of ''[[Mystere]]'' (under the character name Brian Le Petit) a few years after this film.</ref>

* [[Non-Ironic Clown]]: The clowns of the circus are ''very strange'' but they are not evil. <ref>In [[Real Life]], the performers who play Frac and Old Taps are these. The former, Rene Bazinet, was the originator of ''[[Saltimbanco]]'''s clown act; the latter, Brian Dewhurst, was the Great Chamberlain in ''Nouvelle Experience'' and took over the principal clown act of ''[[Mystere]]'' (under the character name Brian Le Petit) a few years after this film.</ref>

* [[Overprotective Dad]]: Fleur wants to shield his daughter from the cruelties of the world beyond the circus, and if it means humiliating Frac in public, then so be it.

* [[Punny Name]]: Old Taps, the keeper of the Cafe Opera, was a tap dancer back in the day. Could also be a pun on the song "Taps", as his career has long since died (and his spirit seems not far behind).

* [[Rewritten Pop Version]]: "Mountain of Clothes" became "Time to Go" for ''Delirium''; along with ''Quidam'''s "Let Me Fall", it sounds closer to its original take than most of the tunes in that show do.

* [[The Show Must Go On]]: Beyond the [[All Part of the Show]] action Fleur takes to disrupt the lovers' reunion, he tries to hold on to this attitude after his daughter runs away, giving a speech to the performers before their next show explaining that they must put their problems aside to bring happiness to an audience that has problems of its own. His will fails him, and the show ''doesn't'' go on...

* [[Silly Rabbit Romance Is for Kids]]: Old Taps's attitude, due to his many ill-fated romances. Delirious-with-new-love Frac's joy provokes an drunken outburst from him: "Love's a happy business when you're young!" The narration notes that this may well be all talk, an attempt to steel himself against falling in love again.

* [[Silly Rabbit, Romance Is for Kids]]: Old Taps's attitude, due to his many ill-fated romances. Delirious-with-new-love Frac's joy provokes an drunken outburst from him: "Love's a happy business when you're young!" The narration notes that this may well be all talk, an attempt to steel himself against falling in love again.

* [[The Stinger]]: Involving a cameo by the director; also a [[Brick Joke]].

* [[White Dwarf Starlet]]: Variant -- the Cafe Opera caters specifically to old and forgotten performers, and is even owned by one; while a melancholy place, the patrons can find support, comfort, and even romance with their peers.