cirque du soleil presents corteo

when i heard cirque du soleil was coming to boston, i jumped at the chance to see the popular show. i've heard so much about it, but still didn't know what to expect. is it a circus? a broadway-type show? will there be singing or dancing? will there be any dialogue?!

i checked out the website and found this description:

Corteo, which means "cortege" in Italian, is a joyous procession, a festive parade imagined by a clown. The show brings together the passion of the actor with the grace and power of the acrobat to plunge the audience into a theatrical world of fun, comedy and spontaneity situated in a mysterious space between heaven and earth.

The clown pictures his own funeral taking place in a carnival atmosphere, watched over by quietly caring angels. Juxtaposing the large with the small, the ridiculous with the tragic and the magic of perfection with the charm of imperfection, the show highlights the strength and fragility of the clown, as well as his wisdom and kindness, to illustrate the portion of humanity that is within each of us. The music, by turns lyrical and playful, carries Corteo through a timeless celebration in which illusion teases reality.

i was intrigued but still didn't find many answers to my questions. i decided to just wait and see and i was pleasantly surprised. if i had to describe the show, i would say it's a mix between a circus, a broadway show, and an opera - a circus because of the clowns, acrobatics, and just plain chaos; a broadway show because of the colorful costumes, beautiful performers, and moving music; an opera because of the story told not with dialogue, but through music and actions, and the touching story that unfolds.

even those people afraid of clowns, because of stephen king's "it", will find gustavo (the dead clown) to be endearing and harmless. at one point, gustavo let a little person attached to 5 huge helium balloons out into the audience encouraging us to push her up and back towards the stage. looking back, it was sooo weird, but at the time it was...fun.

still my favorite moments were the death-defying acts whether it be trapeze, aerial acrobatics performed on giant swaying chandeliers, or aerial straps where a man carries a women using a rope held only be his teeth! i think my mouth was agape for most of the show except during the aerial straps sequence when i was clenching my teeth as if i was somehow helping him hold on!

as for the intended audience, i guess if you throw in a couple clowns, scantily clad women intertwining themselves with chandeliers, ropes, and other women suddenly seem suitable for children. but seriously, i actually didn't think it was inappropriate. my male companions didn't share my opinion. ironic, isn't it?

nonetheless i fully recommend this show. it was entertaining, exciting and awe-inspiring.

am i too old to learn gymnastics?