A dazzling joy for the entire family, the world famous Cirque du Soleil has once again come to the Seattle area bringing with it a dazzling array of color, spectacle, and amazing performances.
The show this time is Corteo, and it follows Alegria, Dralion, Saltimbanco, and Verekai all of which played too sold out audiences during their Seattle runs.
Located at scenic Marymoor Park the show is a lavish spectacle of sound and sight with amazing performances and music that compliment the Spanish theme on which Corteo is based.
The story follows a clown who imagines his funeral as he lies waiting to die. As he looks back on his life, and his future, he is surrounded by all manner of characters that represent various aspects of his past and future.
Unlike many other Cirque Du Soliel performances, the artists in Corteo do not use elaborate masks and facial makeup, and as we were told in press releases, use their real names in the show.
This was a new wrinkle for me as unlike previous shows with the exception of KA, Corteo is a fully developed story rather than a series of sets around a concept. By that I mean, the artists interact with each other on a verbal basis and deliver lines in their performances.
Angels descend from the sky; acrobats tumble and contort in a dazzling mix of music, light and artistry which leaves the audience gasping in amazement.
Three early segments into the performance clearly established that Corteo was a bold and dynamic show, as three artists did and amazing acts of contortion and balance while hanging from suspended chandeliers that underscored how the creators of the show never stop pushing the boundaries of imagination and showmanship and do not repackage routines from different shows.
This amazing segment was followed by a zany routine where the performers bounced and flipped between beds which were arranged and moved on the stage. The fact that the show was in the round, and that the stage itself rotated added a new element to the show and left little doubt that this amazing display was a sign of greatness to come.
With a run time of two hours, Corteo never dragged and was one amazing performance after another that was expertly timed between comedy routines that gave the audience a chance to regroup before the next segment began.
No matter what the segment, everything from the costumes, music, and lighting, was amazing and underscored that there simply is no better performance anywhere than in a Cirque du Soleil production. Time and again I marveled at how gifted the performers were and how seamlessly everything worked.
There are also some very funny, and well timed comic interludes in the show thanks to the gifted clowns, who are every bit as entertaining as the other acts and included a very inventive audience participation routine with a performer suspended by balloons who hovered over the audience.
In this day of declining value, it is nice to see that not only has the quality of the Cirque du Soleil shows not diminished over time; it has improved upon its already lofty standards. A must see for the family, do not miss Corteo.
Tickets and information on other Cirque Du Soliel shows can be found at.
https://www.cirquedusoleil.com
Playing at Marymoor Park in the Seattle area through May 25th and Vancouver B.C. June 12th- July 13th before heading on to further dates in the U.S. and Canada.
