Corteo – Written and directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca. Presented by Cirque du Soleil at the Agganis Arena, 925 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston through June 11
by Mike Hoban
“I dreamt of my funeral,” says Mauro the clown in the opening minutes of Corteo, this year’s Boston touring show from Cirque du Soleil, now playing at Boston University’s Agganis Arena. Originally staged in 2005, Corteo takes us inside Mauro’s wildly imaginative dream of his own funeral, as acted out by his fellow circus performers. Mauro is sent off to the great beyond with the help of clowns, acrobats, jugglers, and of course, a legion of angels. All of this action is accompanied by an eclectic score, ranging from mini-concertos to rock to Klezmer music, and if this is what the sendoff to the afterlife looks like – Lawdy, come take me now.
Corteo opens with the solemn organ piece, “Funerale” and a procession, complete with an angel descending from the sky, before rocketing into a celebration of Mauro’s life. The fun begins with the aerial acrobatics of his four beautiful former lovers performing on three giant swinging chandeliers suspended from the top of the arena (who knew clowns were like rock stars?). The show then follows a loose narrative that mainly serves as way to present the various circus acts – along with heavy doses of music and comedy. In fact, the principal way that Corteo differs from many of the previous Cirque shows I’ve seen is that it reduces it emphasis on circus acts, functioning more as a kind a grand variety show than a succession of brilliant acrobatic feats.
There’s a lot of humor in this show, including a funny little golfing sketch, appropriately accompanied by bagpipes, where a golfer played by the Giant Clown (he is in fact, gigantic) tries to tee off on a ball that refuses to cooperate; a slapstick comic version of Romeo & Juliet performed in a tiny theater by little people and other members of the cast that’s reminiscent of British pantomime; and perhaps the biggest crowd pleaser of the night, the Helium Dance, where Mauro gently pushes a little clowness, suspended by massive helium balloons, over and into the crowd, and they guide her around the arena, much like a beach ball at an outdoor concert.
Then there’s the music. In addition to the aforementioned out-of-the-ordinary Klezmer tune, there are some synth/rock numbers and a host of other styles, but there’s also a virtuoso whistling performance by the ringmaster and a beautiful number featuring Tibetan singing bowls and crystal glasses. There’s even a gorgeous number sung by an artist while she’s performing a difficult and visually stunning aerial silk routine. But circus arts are what Cirque audiences come to see and Corteo does not disappoint.
This being the circus after all, there’s a couple of high flying acts, trampoline performers that bounce on beds like something out of a Dr. Seuss cartoon, some rather elegant suspended pole routines, jugglers, acrobatic ladders, teeterboards and even the hula hoop work is spectacular. The finale is like the end to a fireworks display, as the entire brilliantly costumed cast surrounds a kind of high-speed synchronized horizontal bar exercise (that is just mind-blowing) while Mauro rides his bike across the sky, apparently on his way to heaven. It’s what you’d expect from a Cirque show and you won’t be disappointed. And if you’re thinking that the two-plus hours may be too long for children, don’t worry. The gaggle of kids seated around us seemed riveted to the action, and were particularly captivated by the clowning portions of the show. It’s a really fun spectacle worth the price of admission. For tickets and information, go to: https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/usa/boston/corteo/buy-tickets
(This post is a reprint of the 2019 show review)
