© Martin Girard shootstudio.ca Costume credit : Philippe Guillotel
Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to suspend reality.
Cirque du Soleil is back in town with Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities. This steampunk-styled human circus is under the big top at Tysons II for just a few more weeks, but it’s worth rearranging your schedule.
Adults and children alike can delight in this whimsical adventure. At once beautiful, funny, and entertaining, audience members laugh at the (totally not creepy) clowns, marvel at the grace and squid-like flexibility of the contortionists, and gasp at the feats of the acrobats.
The story, more or less set in the late-19th century, revolves around a time-traveling scientist who creates a brand new, imaginative world. As in most Cirque productions, you probably won’t think too hard about the plot.
Costumes and props are half the spectacle, but that isn’t to imply that the physical elements of the performance are in any way lacking. There’s the hilarious professional clowning by a 10-year veteran of the entertainment company, who woos an audience member with his Buster Keaton-style physical comedy and transforms himself into a convincing cat, hairballs and litter box behavior included.
Acrobats swing and tumble through the air, landing on a dime‚ or in this case, the waiting hands of a partner. There’s a balancing act so challenging that the performer only holds each precarious pose for seconds at a time, and the audience exhales a sigh of relief with every accident-free dismount.
Technology also deserves a round of applause in Kurios. A small train circles the stage. A live video bit gets laughs and participation (voluntary or otherwise) from the audience during Act II. Engineering transforms an empty set piece into an “invisible circus” complete with a nervous acrobat, high-wire unicyclist, and a ferocious miniature lion named Felipe. You won’t see any of them, but through the magic of technology and a talented ringmaster, you’ll believe they’re there.
The costumes and props are sometimes one and the same, as in a pair of pants featuring a big round belly that resembles an antique diving helmet and doubles as a studio apartment for a pint-sized performer—are particularly creative. Bright unitards and Instagram-worthy makeup transform a quartet of contortionists into beautiful, extremely flexible tropical fish. Dressed in yellow rain slickers, flying fishermen grab on to a sort of trapeze designed to look like cumulus clouds. One costume turns a performer into some kind of Dalek-Dan mask-inspired robot creature. Another character walks around dressed as a mind reader with a glowing blue bulb fixed to the top of his massive turban.
While the visuals are the main appeal of Kurios, the electro swing and jazz influenced soundtrack by Raphaël Beau and “Bob and Bill” must not go unmentioned. A live band performs beautiful, otherworldly music. The lyrics mostly consist of “la la la’s” “ba-dum-da’s” and “na na na’s,” lovely sounds with minimal words. The singers’ voices carry the production straight into another realm. One vocalist wears a phonograph as a headpiece.
Kurios is a creative and strange delight that is not to be missed. Take the Silver Line to Tyson’s Corner, buy yourself some popcorn and a Magic Hat Circus Boy, and try not to fall off your seat as you’re perched on the edge of it.
A Labor Day sale is currently in effect, offering 30 percent off on select seats and performances. Kurios runs through September 18th at Tysons II. Purchase tickets here.
