Photos by Chris Stone

On the road since 2002, Cirque Du Soleil’s production of “Varekai” landed Wednesday in San Diego for the first of seven performances.

Famed for its 1984 Canadian origins and permanent Las Vegas presence, Cirque Du Solei will show off its international troupe through Sunday at the Valley View Casino Center (formerly called the San Diego Sports Arena).

Two weeks ago in Albuquerque, Mayor Gregg Hull proclaimed one day “Varekai Day.”

But as Wichita Eagle reviewer noted in January: No two productions are exactly the same.

The paper quoted cast singer singer Isabelle Dansereau-Corradi as saying: “If someone saw ‘Varekai’ in 2002 when it was created, and they came to see a show today, they would say it’s a different show. The story is the same, and some of the people may be the same, but everything is always alive; nothing is redundant or repetitive.”

With acrobats, live original music and the circus company’s usual bizarre costumes, “Varekai” (which means “wherever” in Romany, the Gypsy language) tells a version of the Icarus myth.

“From the sky falls a solitary young man, and the story of Varekai begins,” the producers say. “Parachuted into the shadows of a magical forest, a kaleidoscopic world populated by fantastical creatures, this young man sets off on an adventure both absurd and extraordinary. On this day at the edge of time, in this place of all possibilities, begins an inspired incantation to life rediscovered.”

Dansereau-Corradi also said:

“We have so many different nationalities in ‘Varekai.’ It’s so beautiful to have all these cultures working together. It’s a good example for the world, too. We have Georgians and Russians working together. We have Ukrainians and Russians working together. There’s peace. It’s a little example that if we can achieve it in this little village of Varekai, in the world – with some time – we can achieve it too.”

The rest of the show’s San Diego schedule:

  • 7:30 p.m. Thursday
  • 7:30 p.m. Friday
  • 4 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday
  • 1:30 and 5 p.m. Sunday

Tickets range from $35 to $115.

After San Diego, the circus takes a two-week break, then opens March 18 in El Paso, Texas, before returning to California for shows in Fresno, Bakersfield, Sacramento and Stockton.

In late 2015, the troupe goes to Europe, with stops in Germany, Austria and Luxembourg. The last scheduled performance is Feb. 24, 2016, in Hanover, Germany.

Colorful feathers await costume artists for Cirque Du Soleil’s Varekai opening in San Diego.
Ballet slippers in Cirque Du Soleil’s wardrobe room.
Wigs are organized for performers backstage for Cirque Du Soleil’s Varekai.
Colorful headpieces are being readied for the opening night of Cirque Du Soleil’s Varekai in San Diego.
Icarian Games Artist Yulia Kulikova rehearses her part backstage with her partner Valery Aleshin below.
Seamstress Nathalie Martin repairs a costume backstage.
A Cirque Du Soleil performer practices his juggling in dim blue lights backstage.
Masks and headwear with performers’ names are organized backstage for opening night of Cirque Du Soleil’s Varekai.
Cirque Du Soleil performer Fernando Miro demonstrates a net act backstage before the opening night of Cirque Du Soleil’s Varekai.
Seamstress Nathalie Martin readies a costume before opening night in San Diego of Cirque Du Soleil’s Varekai.