I have always been a curious person, for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I marveled at the world’s wonders, how our world was and how our world could be. My imagination always wanted to think outside the box, go beyond, and manifest the impossible.
Cirque du Soleil’s Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities brought back those memories in a beautiful, colourful way.
I was introduced to the magical world of Cirque with Alegría way back in 2019. The amazing talent, the vibrant colours, and the engaging methodology of Cirque had forever left a positive mark on my emotions and thoughts.
With Kurios, the magic was elevated to a level I did not think was possible.
Sepia is the New Black
Walking into the big top at Ontario Place, you are greeted by the steampunk-inspired set, defined by various objects past and present that make up a retro-future style space. You cannot help but be drawn to it, and its magnificent use of sepia colours.
The sepia palette is what drew my attention about the whole production. If you look at most Cirque productions, vibrant colours are fundamentally a part of the Cirque world. However, Kurios uses a variety of shades and colours from the sepia palette to amplify that steampunk-vibe, while complimenting that with other vibrant colours within costumes and set objects. I felt the choice of colours and objects captured that industrial vibe, and helped craft the narrative of a tinkerer that the Seeker really is.
The costumes furthered that sepia vibe with their intricate and mind-blowing designs. The effort gone into making the costumes and various set pieces is truly remarkable. The Accordian Man’s costume, for example, took a costume-maker a full week of sewing inside it to bring it to reality. That is dedication!
Soul-Touching Performances
Circus performances, especially acrobatics, are meant to make you awe, gasp and clap aloud. All that was very much present in Kurios. Each talent is a master at their art, delivered with utter perfection.
But what you will not expect is for their performances to touch your soul.
I wrote multiple paragraphs referencing parts of the show that moved me, but I don’t want to give any spoilers. These are experiences you need to witness yourself and experience, otherwise you lose out.
What I will tell you are that there are multiple acts in this show that bring to life what you would only experience in animation or CGI work on film. What the creative team and talent at Kurios have done is make moments that we can’t possibly think could be real and made them come to real life using props and sheer talent. Real people doing impossible things to make a reality happen that you didn’t think was possible.
That to me that is Kurios delivering its promise of a world of possibilities. Those performances moved me to the point that I’m still thinking about them, almost a week later.
The Magic of Kurios Performers
For me, the highlight of this production were the cast members. I’ve been to panto’s and other productions that engage with audiences, but none of them quite come close to the personal experience one has at Cirque. Performers engage with the audience at every turn, extending their performance playground across the entire tent.
Kurios took that further.
Guests are greeted by a welcoming act on top of the big top before the show starts, a first for the company. You are immediately given the Kurios experience the moment you walk in. Even the opening act itself featured an immersive experience around the big top, with performers waving and tipping their hats as they past the audience.
Another aspect about Kurios I loved was its humour. I think the Invisible Circus act is forever going to be one my favourite sketches for the foreseeable future. It blended amazing effects with perfect choreography. However, the performance itself wouldn’t have had any impact without the brilliant performance of the ringmaster. He was a class act, and a performance I am going to forever remember.
What I love about Cirque, and what is very much true about Kurios, is the ability for the cast to tell a story with sheer movement and expressions. There was magic with every movement, with every look, with every paced reaction. You knew what they were doing and saying to one another without a word being spoken.
It is even more awesome when you think the cast represent over a dozen countries. Its a true coming together of people, uniting under the banner of the arts. Its magical and poetic, especially in the times we live in.
What should you expect?
Everything.
How you experience Kurios is going to be different from how I experienced it.
I love history, technological trinkets and the idea of “building” the future. I was immersed into the intricate details of the hand-crafted set and the magical world it tried to build, and left in awe by the performers that amplified that magical world.
My companion, on the other hand, was drawn in by the sheer talent on stage and their ability to do the impossible with so much confidence and enthusiasm.
Kurios is a catalyst to ones imagination, letting your mind drift into a world of possibilities. In a rather poetic way, it captures the wonder of traditional circus performances, while integrating a thought provoking story with modern and historical references to allow the audience to connect in a very personal way.
Director and writer Michel Laprise has created a magical world that I hope will continue to tour forever more. Be sure to check back when we share our interview with him, where he shares his thought-process of creating this remarkable world of Kurios.
To all the talent at Kurios: Thank you!
Be sure to catch Kurios in Toronto before its last performance on July 10, 2022. Get your tickets. Its totally worth it.
Photos courtesy of Cirque du Soleil.
