Quidam (pronounced /kiːˈdɑːm/ key-DAHM) means (sg.) "a certain", (pl.) "some", or "anonymous passerby" in Classical Latin, and is the ninth show produced and performed by Cirque du Soleil.
The entire show is imagined by a young girl, named Zoé, a sad and forlorn girl who is alienated and ignored by her parents. She dreams up the whimsical world of Quidam in an attempt to escape her sadness.
The title refers to the feature character, a man without a head, carrying an umbrella and a bowler hat. Quidam is said to be the embodiment of both everyone and no one at the same time. Subtitles at the beginning of the official video state: Quidam: a nameless passer-by, a solitary figure lingering on a street corner, a person rushing past. One who cries out, sings and dreams within us all.
According to Cirque's literature: Quidam highlights our frailties and our anguish in the face of the new millennium that lies before us. It also underlines differences, conveying positive feelings and resentment and confronting our dreams with our nightmares. Quidam is more scripted than previous productions, integrating performance and theatricality to a greater degree, and draws on the emotional relationships between the performers in the troupe.
Quidam’s music was composed by Benoît Jutrás, and has been released in three album editions featuring additional songs, alternative new cover designs, and higher quality sounds. The first CD was released on 14 January 1997. The album features the voices of Audrey Brisson-Jutrás and Mathieu Lavoie, (wiki)
