For most people, swinging from chandeliers is only a silly fantasy or part of an action film. For the artists in "Corteo," a Cirque du Soleil show currently playing in D.C., it's just another day on the job.
Cirque du Soleil has once again gone beyond the ordinary, even for a circus. The audience is amazed when the tightrope walker crosses a rope 20 feet high in the air while wearing point shoes.
But then she hula-hoops on it with 10 hoops, seeming more concerned about the placement of her long black hair. Then she rides across it on a unicycle. Then she walks up a rope that is at a 40-degree angle, so steep that she wears special shoes to keep her from sliding back down it.
For "Corteo's" creative team, impossible is a dirty word. "Corteo" follows Cirque du Soleil's tradition of amazing the audience with its ingenuity, though there is a different, more multicultural flavor to this show.
The main character is a dead clown who sees his funeral as a beautiful, mystical, carnival-like procession. Along with this theme, the costumes and make-up in "Corteo" are beautiful and fantastic but part of a human dream-state rather than the imaginary world created for other Cirque du Soleil shows. While the air is full of angels floating gracefully in long dresses, women in satin and men in spandex dance, sing, perform and live below.
Not to say that "Corteo" isn't strange. The clowns' offbeat physical humor, the half-naked gymnasts and the death references may be too much artistic license for those who prefer to toe the line and live in reality. Yet this suspension of reality is what makes Cirque du Soleil stand apart from all other circuses.
Without the strange and goofy clown blustering around the stage in his underwear or riding a bike through the air, the show wouldn't be half as funny or interesting. The "Corteo" storyline is unique and draws the audience so far into its fantasy world that it's a shock when the lights turn on.
The acts in this show also use a lot of complicated props. Ranging from 600-pound beds to stage-length trampolines, every performance has its own atmosphere and backstory.
Although Cirque du Soleil is a Canadian company, this show has a lot of Italian and Spanish influences. The main clown speaks Italian (though he breaks into English as well) and many of the song lyrics are in Spanish or Italian. The songs have a strong Mediterranean feel, with acoustic guitar, hand-clapping and fluid movements.
The theme of this show is interlaced with music, which is extremely well done. All of the music is performed live and coordinated with the stunts. Several of the acts were focused on the musicians, bringing them out of the music pits alongside the round stage and right into the action. The percussionist was particularly amazing, with great energy and an effortless control of his instruments, all while wearing goofy sequined white pants, full face paint and a funny pointed white hat.
"Corteo" will be in D.C. until Nov. 26, with ticket prices ranging from $40-$75. Don't let the price be a deterrent, as tickets are still available and the show is more than worth a little penny pinching.
