Cirque du Soleil’s KURIOS review
"My very favourite Cirque du Soleil show to date"
Address: Royal Albert Hall, South Kensington, London SW7 2AP. Get directions.
Our verdict
First seen in Montreal in 2014, Cirque du Soleil’s KURIOS: Cabinet of Curiosities has since mesmerized over 4.5 million spectators in 30 cities worldwide, with over 2,000 performances brought to life by its cast of 49 world-class artists.
And now, the world’s most famous circus has brought this magnificent production to London for the very first time.
In an alternate yet familiar past, the steam-punked-themed KURIOS steps inside the mechanical lab of an inventor convinced that an invisible world exists - a place where wild ideas and magnificent dreams await.
Once the inventor succeeds in unlocking the door to this world of wonders, time comes to a stop and a cast of extraordinary, otherworldly characters invade his curio cabinet, and his makeshift creations come to life one by one…
Martin Girard
As is often the way with Cirque du Soleil, the captivating action starts long before the show has even begun.
The Royal Albert Hall’s beautiful auditorium hums with excitement for at least an hour before ‘curtain up’, as towering Thomas-Edison-meets-Jules-Verne retro-future machines and mechanisms pop, spin and fizz, lights flicker and pulse, and strange robots scurry around the stage.
And so, the scene is set for what I think might be my very favourite Cirque du Soleil show to date.
It starts gently, with an enchanting steam train chugging through the auditorium - an effective cue to get on board and leave the world as you know it behind - and soon the jaw-dropping antics begin.
Without wanting to spoil any surprises, highlights include a group of unbelievably flexible contortionists, dressed like electric eels, unfurling from a giant hand that is rolled onto the stage, whilst James Gonzalez plays a fearless aviator who manages to defy gravity by balancing on an ever-expanding tower of cylinders and blocks, on a moving swing, much to gasps and cheers from the audience.
Martin Girard
Later, a troupe of daring acrobats with lizard-like frills bounce sky-high on giant nets stretched across the stage, and a completely captivating aerial cyclist manages to ride and wrap herself around a bicycle that is suspended metres above the audience, at times totally upside down.
In addition to the big, gasp-inducing, sweaty palm moments, there are also simpler, gentler scenes that are just as impressive; like the graceful, slowly expanding hot air balloon that floats down from the rafters of the Royal Albert Hall, and an entire scene performed in miniature, using only very skilful hands, captured close-up live on camera and shown on a screen above.
There is nothing that I didn’t love about the show – the beautifully performed, evocative live score, magnificent staging, other-worldly design, ingenious direction and of course the extraordinary of the company, whose immense talent and evident enthusiasm for performing is a joy to witness.
The costumes are mesmerising too – particularly Nico, the rather stylish clown, in his wonderful accordion-esque trousers, and the very rotund Mr Microcosmos, whose protruding mechanical belly in fact contains the elegant living quarters of ‘Mini Lili’, who occasionally hops out and sashays around the stage.
There is just so much quality and imagination everywhere you look that it is impossible to not be completely captivated by it all. Having been lucky enough to see this circus’ magnificent shows for the best part of 20 years now, KURIOS is Cirque du Soleil at its magical, breathtaking best.
On until Sunday 5 March 2023 at the Royal Albert Hall.
Ticket prices vary depending on demand. To book visit:
https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/events/2023/cirque-du-soleil-kurios-cabinet-of-curiosities/
