I have seen Cirque du Soleil performances many times on the small screen, courtesy of cable television back in the day and Broadway HD most recently. I’ve always been impressed by the stunning visuals, the amazing acrobatics, and the classic clowning. A few years back, I went to see my first live Cirque show when I lived in Las Vegas. It was called “R.U.N.”, and was based on a series of graphic novels. While the motorcycle stunts were impressive, the rest of the show left something to be desired (good thing I was not writing reviews at the time – “R.U.N. as far away as possible” would have been a bit too easy). I thought that while it was admirable that they were trying new things, that perhaps Cirque does what they do best for a reason.
“Cirque du Soleil Corteo,” continuing their tour at the SAP Center in San Jose and the Chase Center in San Francisco, begins with a bit of mystery. Corteo is Italian for procession – but what kind of procession are we to witness? The story that offers the throughline for this incarnation of Cirque that premiered in Montreal in 2005 focuses on a former circus clown – Mauro – who at the top of show is on his deathbed, surrounded by colleagues, loved ones, and even angels flying overhead. As the show progresses, we see scenes from a life in the circus: aerial artists literally swinging from chandeliers, a pole dancer swinging from a pole that suspends itself over the stage, jugglers, clowns (naturally, as the lead character is a clown) – as well as memories from Mauro’s childhood – him and his cousins as children bouncing on beds, morphing into a fantastic trampoline act. A bit of Shakespeare is performed at one point. A little person flies over the audience. And all of this is accompanied by a four piece band that sounds like an orchestra, and a ringmaster who is as talented a whistler as I’ve ever heard. The entire production does not fail to amuse, amaze, entertain and delight.
It is no surprise that with its focus on honoring the dying Mauro the clown, the production was originally written and directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, founder of the Swiss clown troupe Teatro Sunil. The music is beautiful and underscores the various acts wonderfully, however the sound balance was a bit off and it made it difficult to hear dialogue at times. Mauro, at one point riding a heavenly bicycle, offers a bit of wisdom from his father. “My father said that life is like riding a bicycle: if you go to fast, you get tired quickly. If you go too slow, you fall down.” Then Mauro continued, but I could not hear what happened when you kept a middle pace. Not that it’s terribly important to the enjoyment of the piece, but it was a bit frustrating. I would also have appreciated a program so that I could give individual performers special recognition.
Other than those minor quibbles, I have nothing negative to say about Cirque du Soleil Corteo. Get yourself to San Francisco’s Chase Center and see it. You won’t be sorry!
“Cirque du Soleil: Corteo” continues in San Francisco, August 23rd through August 27th.
Rating: **** (For an explanation of Theatrestorm’s rating scale, click here.)
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