Cirque du Soleil: Corteo

A Late But Better Than Never Review

Words by Ambar Ramirez

Cirque du Soleil is known for its artistic evolution, always pushing the bounds of what’s possible and raising the bar. At any Cirque Du Soleil show, you can expect dangerous stunts, hypnotizing storylines, detailed stage design, intricate costumes and large crowds. And Cirque du Soleil: Corteo was no exception. 

If you could plan your own funeral, what would it look like? Would you want everyone dressed in black, tears streaming down their cheeks? Or would you want color and laughter? A celebration of life, rather than a mourning. Mauro, the main character in Cirque Du Soleil: Corteo and the one being honored in this funeral procession, wanted to put on one last (epic) show. 

The show began with Mauro lying on his deathbed, recounting the joy he had for life surrounded by important characters and live music. (side note: A lot of Italian is spoken so it’s OK if you don’t understand what he is saying … that’s the point). Then came the angels. The angels whisk Mauro from his deathbed and the show truly begins. 

Without giving away too much, the show is all about the complexity of life. The good and the bad, the grand with the intimate, the beauty of perfection and imperfection. A story about life and death. All told through stunts that had me holding my breath and that had a deeper meaning that went past the physical.

Stunts included performers hanging from (actual) chandeliers, symbolizing Mauro’s past lovers and the essence of being in love. Beds were outfitted with trampolines, evoking the nostalgic joy of bouncing on beds in youth. An interactive scene featured a performer strapped to giant balloons, floating through the arena with audience participation. A daring display of chutzpah that raises some tension between the characters but ultimately ends with a smile on everyone’s face. Then, there’s the grand finale on horizontal bars, that Cirque Du Soleil describes as the perfect farewell for Mauro. An ultimate test of strength, harmony and bravery. 

Jonathan Buese, Cirque Du Soleil performer since 2010, has been doing gymnastics his whole entire life “just down the road in Gainesville,” and is one of many who closes out the show on the bars. 

“I’ve always done high bar stunts,” Buese shared. “A lot of the time, just because it’s generally a group act, the high bar numbers generally close the show, so it’s really fun to close the show because it’s sort of the crescendo and finale act, where the emotions are there at the peak.”

OK, so maybe I did give away too much. But, to be fair, it’s one thing to read about the show and another to see it. And what’s even more exciting than seeing the magical show live, is seeing all that goes down behind the scenes that makes the show magical. 

Alexandra Gaillard, senior publicist for Corteo, shared that this show is unlike most Cirque du Soleil shows. Cirque Du Soleil: Corteo’s had an additional emphasis on the people rather than the characters they are made to play. For this show, the typical heavy makeup was replaced with light make-up that accentuated the performers natural features. The costumes were still very detailed yet still held an element of casualness … in the context of what circus performers usually wear. 

Unbound from the constraints of having to play a part disguised in elaborate makeup and costumes, performers were able to improvise performances —with practice of course. While getting a tour backstage with Galliard, artists were testing out some new stunts to incorporate into the acts. All of which, as Galliard emphasized, is where the technicians play a huge role in making everything possible. What looks so effortless on stage is made up of months of practice, communication between performers and technicians and, most important, trust.

“We are all from different countries,” Galliard explained. “And while we all speak English, I always say our second language is trust.”

Every aspect of the show, from the stunts to the lighting and music tempo, is intentional and carefully thought out. For everything that can go wrong, they have a backup. As Galliard said, “The show must go on.”