A dazzling joy for the entire family, the world famous Cirque du Soleil has once again come to the Phoenix area bringing with it a dazzling array of color, spectacle, and amazing performances.
The show this time is Corteo, and unlike the traditional tent shows; this is part of an arena tour which has brief stops of a few days before moving on versus a several weeks residency.
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.
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.
Being in an arena was an interesting experience as the audience was on both sides of the stage versus being in front of it and this was a great visual as the cast at times had to interact with both sides.
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.
Cirque du Soleil shows not diminished over time; it has improved upon its already lofty standards. This was my second time seeing the show and while it has been over 15 years; it was as fresh and enjoyable as ever and is 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
