Man, Beast and Nature

“There’s one thing I never do, and that’s oversell my shows,” says Normand Latourelle, founder of Cavalia and artistic director of Odysseo, the equestrian-and-acrobatic extravaganza that’s taken over the Pepsi Center parking lot. “But I can tell you that Odysseo is the most beautiful show in the world.”

Latourelle conceived of the show while watching horses running free in nature through his kitchen window, and he’s done his best to capture the feeling of a man-and-horse journey through landscapes and seasons. “I wanted to build a space where the horses could feel that they were allowed to run and roll on their backs and just have fun,” he explains. “So first you are going to see wild horses in a forest; we have a forest on stage, and it’s a real forest. And after the forest, the stage transforms into a mountain. It’s a real mountain — it’s 33 feet high. Behind the mountain, we have a screen about three times the size of an IMAX theater screen that projects 3-D images.” For setup, this technological marvel required about twice the number of truck trailers as a massive rock show (think U2 or Roger Waters); the stage also incorporates a real, working merry-go-round and 80,000 gallons of water.

“Odysseo is horse and man traveling together, side by side, discovering the most beautiful landscapes in the world,” Latourelle concludes. See for yourself when Odysseo opens tonight in the big white tent at 1000 Chopper Circle; performances continue through Sunday, September 28. Tickets, $24.50 to $259.50, are available at cavalia.net.
Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays; Fri., Sept. 19, 8 p.m.; Sat., Sept. 20, 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., Sept. 21, 2 p.m.; Tue., Sept. 23, 8 p.m.; Wed., Sept. 24, 8 p.m.; Thu., Sept. 25, 8 p.m.; Fri., Sept. 26, 8 p.m. Starts: Sept. 18. Continues through Oct. 19, 2014