Onofrio Colucci speaks six languages fluently. But for his performance as a clown in "Slava's Snowshow," he rarely says a word. When he does speak, it's incomprehensible.
"Everyone relates immediately to what is going on onstage," Colucci says of speaking gibberish in the show.
FAQ
‘Slava’s Snowshow’
WHEN — 7 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Jan. 23-24, 2 p.m. Jan. 24-25
WHERE — Walton Arts Center, 495 W. Dickson St. in Fayetteville
COST — $30-$60
INFO — 443-5600 or waltonartscenter.org
"We are representing basic elements of communication between two people in a very specific situation," he says. "Everyone understands what's going on."
That scene, says Colucci, is one of the funniest in "Slava's Snowshow," which opens Tuesday for a seven-performance run at the Walton Arts Center.
The show, aimed at ages 8 and older, doesn't tell a tale with a beginning, middle and end. Instead it uses special effects, such as a giant spider web and snow, to draw the audience into its universe.
The special effects of the show, Colucci says, work as a catalyst. They "take all your emotions, mix them up" and turn them into what becomes the finale.
The giant spider web represents moments people feel stuck in or tangled in, he says. The web starts out small on stage and grows larger as members of the audience wrestle it up and over their heads to hand off to the people sitting behind them.
"The whole audience is trapped in the web then ,very easily and quickly, the web is gone," he says."It's a cathartic moment, very beautiful."
The show's finale creates a storm that turns the auditorium into a snow globe, but theatergoers shouldn't worry about getting cold and wet.
"It's snow we make ourselves by cutting little pieces of paper of all the pages that we never used to write our love letters," Colucci says. "There is a beautiful blizzard, and it blows everything and everyone away."
"Slava's Snowshow" was created in Russia in 1993 by Slava Polunin. The show has been performed all over the world and seen by millions of people. Colucci, whose career includes stints with Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas, Tokyo and Macau, has toured with "Slava's Snowshow" for about 17 years, he says.
"I've worked with amazing people, very imaginative, creative," he says, "but the 'Snowshow' is my favorite. After so many years, I don't ever get close to being tired of performing it."
He often turns his eye on the audience to see their reactions, he says, especially during the snow storm. "People stand up and put their hands in the air. They can't believe what they are experiencing," he says.
Adults who see the show frequently tell Colucci the show made them feel like children again, he says.
"There is a capacity of being able to dream and see ourselves in a world from a different perspective that we gradually lose with aging," Colucci says. "What we want to do is remind the audience there is an inner world that does not need to be forgotten. It is still very much alive and wants to participate in our daily lives."
Colucci says there are many levels on which the audience can enjoy the show, but overall it's just a fun clown show.
"We don't play gags -- those that make you laugh for half a second and then you forget about it," Colucci says. "The beauty of the 'Snowshow' is it draws a smile on your face that will be there for a long time."
NAN What's Up on 01/16/2015