Big Top performances at Marina Bay Sands is always an event to look forward to – we checked out Cavalia under the White Big Top in Singapore and it was a great experience seeing the acrobatic performances on horseback. Likewise, this Cirque du Soleil performance – TOTEM here under the Blue and Yellow Big Top at Marina Bay Sands (showing in Singapore from Wed, 28 Oct to Sun, 6 Dec 2015) is also a big hit! For this review, I will not just be writing about the performance but also the “logistics” for those watching this TOTEM show here in Singapore.

Compared to Cavalia, the tentage area and seating arrangement is much smaller for TOTEM – Cirque du Soleil – this makes for a more cozy ambiance and also more wallet-friendly for the budget-conscious (you will find more why later in this article).

The story of TOTEM traces the fascinating journey of the human species from its original amphibian state to its ultimate desire to fly – basically evolution of human.  That is the broad overview of the story but you shouldn’t expect a very strong story plotline as with most musicals at Marina Bay Sands – after all, this is not a musical, TOTEM is all about the acrobatic experience with some attempt at pulling together a common theme of human evolution.

Look out for the lavish costume designs – the devil is in the details and you can really see the effort to make the acrobats look like amphibians and astronauts.  The other impressive part about TOTEM is the cutting edge digital effects and to complement it – elaborate stage sets (a boat can be created out of a walkway from what looks like a mound) – yes, that’s how elaborate the stage sets are.

Programme-wise, the TOTEM show starts at 8pm but it actually starts at around 8.10pm.  For the 10 minutes in between, you will see some TOTEM performers walking around the crowd and interacting with them (or more likely “disturbing” them). I noticed that the “no photography” rule is not very strictly enforced – what is very strictly enforced is “no flash photography” as it can be disruptive and very dangerous for the performers. So you can take all the photos you want with the TOTEM performers as they walk around during that 10 minutes before the show starts.

Cirque du Soleil – TOTEM is still fundamentally an acrobatics performance so you will see the usual acts of juggling, fixed trapeze but how it is presented is so much more different from typical circus acrobatic acts.  My favroite act: the fixed trapeze act – Lovebirds – kept everyone glued to their seats not just because of the dangerous acts e.g. dropping from a height only to be caught just in time” but also how the 2 trapeze performers did it in a way that demonstrated how a couple went through a lover’s spat and the girl rejecting the guy’s advances and eventually fell in love – all these without words and performed via various dangerous-looking acrobatic moves!

If you expect a full 2 hours of acrobatic performances, do note that this is not the case as there are quite a number of filler comedic acts in between some performances – I quite enjoy them and they are a break from the intensive acrobatic acts of TOTEM.

The whole TOTEM performance will last for 2 hour 25 minutes (there is a 25 minutes intermission/interval in between).

I will not do any more spoilers – you watch it for yourself and spot the sub-plot stories (within the bigger storyline of human evolution) told within each acrobatic act.  Here in the picture below, you see 2 performers using multiple hoopla hoops to wow audiences in a very unexpected manner 🙂

Like I said, the TOTEM performance tent was not very big – you can get quite a good view of the stage with a B Reserve seats – see TOTEM ticket pricing below.

TOTEM Ticket Pricing – get your TOTEM Cirque du Soleil Singapore tickets here
(Excludes Booking Fee)
VIP Rouge (First row): S$328
VIP Rouge : S$308
A Reserve: S$188
B Reserve: S$168
C Reserve: S$138
D Reserve: S$98

Sat – 7 Nov ,28 Nov & 5 Dec (8pm shows)
VIP Rouge (First row): S$328
VIP Rouge : S$308
A Reserve: S$188
B Reserve: S$168
C Reserve: S$138
D Reserve: S$98
Behind The Scenes VIP: S$495

As you can see from the picture below, the last row is actually not that far behind.  Do note that for C Reserve and D Reserve seats – views could be blocked by the pillars (the black vertical pillar you see in the picture below)

This is the view from a B Reserve seat – section 104 (the one to the sides – not the ones behind A Reserve seats).  Quite a good seat – I personally prefer this seat as compared to the more expensive A Reserve or the centre B Reserve as you get to see both the stage and the back part of the stage – the slight mound around the grass – this is also where the digital effects are projected onto.

Before entering the performance tent for the TOTEM acts, you can browse through quite a lot of TOTEM and Cirque du Soleil collectibles as well as buy some popcorns and drinks (too note that the price is not cheap – S$7 for a small tub of popcorn but such prices are to be expected with such performances).  If you want, you can get one of these TOTEM masks to play the role of an amphibian at home 🙂

There is a smoking area for smokers just outside the performance tent and that is also where all the washrooms are.  There are 3 “container” washrooms – 2 for female and 1 for male.  I only visited the toilet before the performance – during intermission, it might not be possible to use the toilet as there are very long queues for the toilet – it might be worthwhile to check with the ushers if you can step out of the tents to go to Marina Bay Sands Shoppes and re-enter.  I did not try this but if you are in urgent need and there are very long queues, that is the best alternative for you (after all MBS is just a quick 5 minutes walk away).

This is the condition of the washroom in the container when I used it just before the performance – toilet paper is provided – you also get proper taps and sinks – also urinals in the male toilet.  I am not sure what the condition of the toilet will be like during intermission with the heavy usage 🙂