Cirque Du Soleil’s charming show Corteo premiered in Montreal in 2005, was remounted in 2018, and has been a perennially popular part of the company’s repertoire. The Royal Albert Hall’s majestic space has been reconfigured by set designer Jean Rabasse who has split the hall in two with a rotating stage, the audience on either side. This design is a first for Cirque and it creates a wonderfully intimate – almost proscenium experience.
Corteo is based on the envisioning of Mauro the Dreamer Clown (Stéphane Gentilini), of his own funeral. Corteo – Italian for ‘cortège’, is far from a melancholy funeral procession: on the contrary, it is an exuberant, joyous parade of tributes to Mauro in a heartwarming carnival atmosphere from a troupe of class circus characters – ringmaster, harlequin, pierrot – that stream before him until he ascends to the festival in the angel-studded sky.
The funeral procession is the pretext for some of the most talented performers in the world to swoop, glide, and soar through the air, offering everything that audiences have come to expect and love about Cirque du Soleil: mind-blowing acrobatics, fantastical romanticism, scale, spectacle, and comedic whimsy. Corteo makes great use of the considerable height of the Royal Albert Hall, with a heavenly host of angels floating on high, acrobats swooshing around in straps, and literal swinging from the chandeliers.
Mauro jabbers away in a mishmash of English, Italian and a smattering of French throughout, gently guiding the performances along, while engaging both sides of the audience. The music is similarly amorphous, roaming across different countries and ages, whimsically evocative: Corteo features a captivating, European-inflected soundtrack with Spanish guitar, Italian folk songs and Eastern European Klezmer. Musicians clash cymbals and play fiddles, saxophones, and dolorous trombones. Aesthetically, the show is nothing short of spectacular, with influences from traditional Italian Commedia dell'arte with Pierrot, sumptuous fabrics and traditional harlequin costumes by Dominique Lemieux.
Buoyancy underscores some of the show’s most memorable acts. Beds transformed into trampolines are a highlight: six artists bounce and tumble with giddy joy on two 600-pound beds that move on rotating platforms, echoing Mauro’s childhood innocence. In a playful atmosphere, the acrobats perform daredevil feats, each more high-stakes than the last.
In another jaw-droppingly memorable set-piece, Helium Dance, Ukrainian artist Valentyna Paylevanyan, The Clowness, wafts around the arena held aloft by giant translucent helium balloons, relying on rapturous audience members to nudge her along.
There are supremely skilled gymnasts and dancers in the company. Stephanie Waltman’s suspended pole aerial acrobatic act is extraordinary, blending the grace of ballet with the athleticism of aerial gymnastics. Waltman showcases supreme strength and balance as she contorts herself up and around the pole as it moves around the stage, clinging coolly to the pole at times with a single hand or foot.
Other highlights include the Paradis scene at the beginning of Act II that amalgamates two circus skills: the Korean Cradle and the Tramponet (itself a combination of trampoline and safety net). Performers are twisted and tossed between two high platforms like ragdolls. The formidable fusion of skill, dexterity and unshakeable courage on display is quite simply breathtaking.
There is further delight watching the flying teeterboard athletes: Roman Munin, who performs incredible feats on a 15-foot ladder that does not lean against anything, and Tournik, where gymnasts jump and flip in impeccable unison on high bars configured into a cube.
Cirque is, at its core, a circus, albeit the slickest of its kind. Clowning is a sine qua non of every show, and Corteo contains a few memorable Clown moments. In Act 1 there is an entertaining golf scene set (judging by the accompanying bagpipe music) in Scotland. The Giant Clown arrives on stage, intent on giving his best shot. The problem is that another clown’s head is the ball. In Act 2, in ‘Teatro Intimo’, eight characters pile into a tiny theatre to present a comically zany version of Romeo and Juliet.
The calibre of the acts throughout is incontestable, and an uplifting effervescence pervades. The show is jam-packed with show-stopping, high-reward action, multiplied for extra effect: instead of just one performer swinging in circles around a horizontal bar there are half a dozen, all synchronized. Occasionally with Cirque shows the story is merely a framing device for the performances, however in Corteo, there is a strong element of theatricality, with ensemble storytelling conveying energetic celebrations, culminating in a poignant conclusion as Mauro bids his friends farewell and cycles up into the sky.
Corteo is delightful and awe-inspiring in equal measure: it is infectiously effervescent, making it the perfect way to chase away the winter blues.
Cirque du Soleil – Corteo at the Royal Albert Hall, London, to 2 March
VIP In the Gallery Package: enjoy a premium experience with the acclaimed Cirque VIP reception in the iconic Gallery overlooking the Auditorium. Guests can take in the awe-inspiring view of the Royal Albert Hall whilst enjoying food, alcoholic and soft drinks, and the opportunity to meet and take photographs with Cirque artists at a pre-show reception, before taking to their premium seats. During the interval, VIP guests can enjoy drinks and further refreshments in the sensational 1871 Bar. An exclusive hospitality entrance, programme, snacks and complimentary gift are also included in the package. VIP Premium Experience from £330 (adult), £253 (child).
