REVIEW: Cirque Du Soleil – Kurios

REVIEW: Cirque Du Soleil – Kurios

Cirque Du Soleil’s Kurios is not just a show it is a whole universe. Set at the turn of the last century, the show is a combination of Jules Verne and Vaudeville, on steroids. From the charming and cheeky aviator (Rola Bola) taunting the audience with his fearsome flight above them on a trapeze swinging above the stage whilst perched on top of rolling balls and cylinders, to daring acrobats (Banquine) flinging each other across the stage becoming a feast of stripes and red caps in fluid motion, life becomes a balancing act.

Each performer has a fully rounded character to play. All have their own path to follow as their world prepares itself to step into the next century. Even the musicians are featured as characters in their own right and are not hidden in an orchestra pit but are ever-present in the turbine which is always visible. There at the front of the stage between acts they come in and out of the shadows to play the wonderful jazz fusion pieces that are so much a part of the whole.

Lana Cencic, who plays the beautiful Bella Donna is all grace, poise and charm as she plays her percussion instrument whilst simultaneously decorating the stage. Cencic waited six years after her initial audition for the call to join Kurios. “I was in New York at the time recording with my own band. I had to give up everything but I have no regrets. It is the most wonderful experience of my life.”

Christopher ‘Kit’ Chatham, who is both drummer and leader of the band, along with being a consummate performer has been with Kurios since its inception. He credits successful performance with the fact that the director Michel Laprise and the team of ‘Creators’ are both protective and accessible. “Most directors pull back when the show has been running for a while but we have been very lucky. Our director has said that each one of us is equally important and as a result of this, our own personalities have been incorporated into the characters. We are chosen especially for that. Even if you are not featured in a particular scene there will always be someone in the audience who notices what it is you are doing in the remotest corner of the stage.” There is collaboration on every level and on every aspect of the show. Above all the actors, directors, producers, publicists and everyone else involved with Cirque Du Soleil become one big family under the big top and it shows.

Kurios is Cirque’s best show yet so be prepared for the visual splendour of a bygone age fused with the magic of new imaginings.

Until Nov 24. Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park. $80-$355+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.cirquedusoleil.com

 

Review by Renee Lou Dallow

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