Sometimes seeing is disbelieving, or, at least, that’s what Cirque du Soleil has in mind for its newest production. The big top circus is a blend of funny and captivating entertainment chock-full of wonder and amazement.
Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities, running at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie through March 26, invites audiences to flip, soar, and dive alongside acrobat performers and trampolinists as they create a world of adventure that, at times, might seem unbelievable.
I accompanied a friend on a weeknight outing to see the show. We stepped into what could’ve been a scene out of Water for Elephants, the circus-themed romance with Robert Pattinson—only not sappy, modernized, and filled with more jaw-dropping acts.
Women on stilts and contortionists in odd poses greeted us at the entrance of the gigantic tent. Once inside, popcorn and drinks were provided.
The 2-hour production starts with what appears to be an eccentric inventor in his shop, miming and toggling with different contraptions. At first it might take a moment to grasp what the scene could be—quite frequently, Kurios forces you to question a few things, as it is meant to challenge perceptions of reality.
The troupe flits and flutters across a relatively small stage with ease. The performance is anything but traditional, with disorienting spins added to classic circus acts. Although the plot line is less important than the daring stunts, it focuses on reinventing a past industrial age.
Whether it is the mythic bendy women, who move in ways that seem not to be humanly possible, or the man who balances a plank on a rolling ball atop a trapeze (he also puts three clear boxes in between cylinders, mounted on a swinging platform in the air, executing the act with a close bobble that had the audience on the edge of their seats), the fascinating feats left spectators pondering the limits of gravity and the shocking abilities of the performers. Let’s not forget the professional yo-yo man, who slings the toy upside down and every which way, and the 13-member acrobat group who stack men three and four high on each other’s shoulders, flipping and balancing two women at the very tip-top.
Another crowd favorite was a dinner party scene where a wizard levitates a candelabra high in the air. Another member stacks chairs on the table to reach the fixture. As each chair is added, three and then four, he balances handstands and one-handed stalls atop the somehow sturdy assortment.
Suddenly, the lights go dark and a spotlight illuminates a table hanging upside down on the ceiling, mirroring the exact scene below. Actors dressed like the other performers sit around the table hanging upside down. The man corresponding to the one climbing earlier starts stacking the chairs upside down and makes his way down.
If this doesn’t make you say “hmm,” I don’t know what would.
Kurios leaves you perplexed but satisfied, surprised and feeling like you were transported to a different realm of reality.
