KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities

Cirque du Soleil’s latest offering, KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities is fantastic and a must-see production

No one serves up magic quite like Cirque du Soleil.  I have been fortunate enough to see five Cirque shows and they have all been so unique and wonderful.  I adored every bit of Kurios-Cabinet of Curiosities; it might be one of my favorite shows to date.

The show invites us into the curio cabinet of an inventor who defies the laws of time and space and turns the world upside down.  Before the show even began, the audience was being entertained outside the Grand Chapiteau at the Port Lands by a live band and ethereal stilt walkers.  Guests were even given green clown noses to get us into the spirit.  Once inside the tent, we were introduced to many of the interesting characters that were about to take us through our otherworldly journey.

The atmosphere of Cirque’s KURIOS is ripe both inside and out of le Grand Chapiteau at the Port Lands.

The first things I noticed were the great, colourful steampunk-esque costumes and the rather sci-fi looking set.  Cirque is so detailed in everything they do.  Not only are the shows themselves a delight but also the fine details and attention that goes into costuming, transitions, audience interactions—they really do have it down to a science.

In total, there are nine acts intermingled with a very entertaining clown (who brought an unsuspecting audience member on stage to meet his bird and his spirited cat) and a hauntingly beautiful musical score.  As to be expected during any Cirque show, there is a wide variety of stunning feats using sublime acrobatic and performance skills: contortionists, human trapeze, rola bola (like you have never seen it), trampoline, and aerial routines.  A few of my favourites were Upside Down World where dinner guests notice a chandelier above their heads is moving upwards.  One of the guests begins to pile chairs on the table in order to reach the chandelier.  When he nearly captures it, the supper guests (and audience) suddenly realize there is an exact duplicate of their group on the ceiling acting out the very same motions.  It was absolutely amazing.

I was quite enamored by Invisible Circus.  It was truly a call back to traditional circus arts and it used the skill of a talented clown and some simple effects alongside the audience’s imagination to create a whole world on stage that we pictured in our minds.  The final act Banquine was spectacular.  Thirteen artists performed perfectly executed acrobatics and human pyramids, sometimes standing three and four high on each other’s shoulders.

KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities is such a surprising and ingenious show, it truly is a must see, whether you are a Cirque fanatic or if this is your very first. You’ll be amazed.

Take a peek at the Kurios trailer and then go get your tickets before it’s too late.

For tickets, please visit: www.cirquedusoleil.com