Santa Monica native joins Cirque du Soleil
Ron Campbell the artist and Cirque du Soleil KOOZA's King are two characters very much alike. They both have entered a kaleidoscopic dream whose angles differ so much that it's hard to tell what was a dream and where reality begins.
As a celebration to a career spanning over 39 years as a professional actor, Ron Campbell a Santa Monica native, joined Cirque du Soleil and what better tribute to his career than to perform in the role of a king and not just any kind of king but that of Cirque du Soleil's KOOZA,.
The KOOZA story follows The Innocent whom happens to be a little boy whose wish is to fly his kite. A box delivered to him opens his eyes to brand new world of wonder and possibility, fear and power, thrills, chills full of surprises.
Going back in time a boy very similar to KOOZA's Innocent went to London with his grandmother to see Richard Kyle play in the Man of la Mancha, an event which will forever change his life. "The Man of la Mancha seeks the impossible dream but he's on the death bed at the end. I thought he was dying and people were just watching it which got me very upset," remembers Campbell.
"Apparently my grandmother seeing me so very upset asked an usher to go backstage, where they went down underneath the stage and I found Richard Kyle perfectly fine taking off his beard and makeup" said Campbell.
"That was just like resurrection for me" said Campbell. As soon as he came back from Europe around that time he started doing plays with his little brothers and hasn't stopped since.
His determination to become an artist hasn't stopped since traveling across Europe miming and clowning in places like Piazza San Marco in Venice, the Place de Georges Pompadiou in Paris, and the Piazza Navona in Rome.
"If anything I found that it doesn't really matter what country you're from; what is funny is funny and what is touching is touching," said Campbell.
He emphasized that though the audience's outlook on his performances in different countries and for different cultures might be differently perceived, the message stays genuine to the story. "When I was doing mime in the streets, it was interesting because when I was playing in France people would think I was a cute French mime, when in Rome people would assume I was a cute Italian mime, and that without doing anything to distinguish my performances."