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Cirque du Soleil: Corteo on Tour
Like the deceased clown whose festive fantasy funeral it portrays, Corteo has risen again to assume its joyful place in the Cirque du Soleil solar system.
One of some 20 active Cirque du Soleil shows, Corteo closed its "Grand Chapiteau" – or "big tent" – run in Quito, Ecuador, in December 2015 after more than 3,500 performances seen by more than 5 million people since its Montreal premiere a decade earlier. In 2018, Corteo reopened in New Orleans as an even bigger and better arena experience slated for a two-year tour.
If you love clowns, Corteo is the show for you. Taking its title from the Italian word for "cortège," or procession, Corteo offers a parade of brilliant entertainments in a carnivalesque atmosphere. It was inspired originally by "The Grand Parade: Portrait of the Artist as Clown," a 2004 exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada.
That exhibition's vast array of circus life, from 18th-century fairgrounds to Picasso's harlequins, was transformed into an in-the-round big-top experience by director Daniele Finzi Pasca. Pasca founded the Swiss clown troupe Teatro Sunil and directed several other Cirque du Soleil spectacles.
While all of the show's principal characters are clowns – including the Dead Clown, Clowness, Giant Clown, and Little Clown – the 62-member cast, from more than a dozen countries, also features aerialists, acrobats, musicians, jugglers, contortionists, hoopers, and gymnasts in addition to its many jubilant jesters.
Costume designer Dominique Lemieux was inspired by "raw and luxurious" European fabrics from the early 20th century and commedia dell'arte characters from the 16th to the 18th centuries. A labyrinth matching one on the floor of France's famed Chartres Cathedral graces the stage. And French painter Adolphe Willette's fantasy Parisian bohemian scene Parc Domine (1885) inspired the show's elaborate water-colored curtains. Those curtains hide "Patience," an imposing overhead structure holding up the rails traversed by four platform carts.
Its stunning mixture of acrobatics and character-driven acting has been Cirque du Soleil's calling card since 1984, when what is now the world's largest theatrical production was founded in Montreal by street performers Guy Laliberté and Gilles Ste-Croix. With Corteo, Cirque du Soleil has outdone itself with an epic tribute to the circus world's comical essence: the clown.
Unless you are a child or a very thin person, these seats at Hertz arena are absolutely miserable to sit in for any length of time. The back is too low,seats too narrow. I would have loved to watch the entire show but we left at intermission due to being just uncomfortable.
The performance was second to none! The professionalism and expertise of the performing artists was astonishing, captivating and enticing. This theatrical performance was breathtaking and should not be missed. I will recommend this to everyone that I know.
Having a good view of the stage added to the experience! Dancing, acrobatics, gymnastics, juggling and high wire performances along with musical and dramatic accompaniments made this show worth seeing! I highly recommend seeing these performers!
The Cirque troup always amazes, and Corteo was no exception...Absolutely loved it!
Unreal that seats with obstructed view (undisclosed) could be sold for over $150. Also the stage outline on Ticketmaster was misleading making it seem like it was much larger but most of it was curtained off. Stage in general was tiny so unless you had center seats you couldn’t see a good portion of the performance. Won’t be buying tickets thru this site for this venue again. In general though, the performers were very talented and did an amazing job!
This show was truly unbelievable and one of a kind. One scene after the other with comedy, acrobatics, beauty, sumptuous costumes, live music....it has it all! We were glued to the edge of our seats the entire time, not wanting to miss a second. I will seek them out whenever in New England in the future - there's just nothing like them out there. 100% worth the price.
The show was great, I really like Cirque du Soleil. Have seen their shows a bunch of times. The venue not so much. The guy who showed us to our seats was gruff and unpleasant. Acted like he didn't really want to be there. They also were letting people in after the show started so you couldn't see what was happening on stage. Me and the guy in front of me got smacked in the face by some lady for some reason, don't know what for. The parade of late commers went on for about 20 to 25 minutes so I lost the whole beginning of the show. Not happy. After everyone was finally seated the show was pure Cirque. Then I had a great time. Not going to see another show at the Cross Arena anytime soon though.
I'm not big on reviews... this show was really amazing so it seemed worth doing. Entertaining from beginning to end. Amazing tumblers, aerialists, and dancers performed a great program to well coordinated music. So glad I could take my family to see this!
Even though we didn’t understand some of the language being spoken the story that was being told was very clear. Lots of amazing talented performers.
I had such a great time. I really enjoyed it. The ticket prices were also reasonable. Overall I would recommend and definitely plan on attending again in the future
We very much enjoyed the show. The stunts and set were spectacular and we were all disappointed when we realized the show was all done. We all wanted more. My only feedback was that I did not like the way some of the actors were portrayed in the story, such as using little people for comic relief and stunts made me a bit uncomfortable. Also have the large, burley character again as a comic character felt very old school circus gag. There was so much beauty and grace in the show, it did not benefit from these stereotypical characters. Even with these concerns, our party of 4 enjoyed the show and would absolutely attend another performance in the future.
What a wonderful experience! The show was captivating and I couldn’t look away. The performers were clearly athletes of the highest caliber. I love seeing people excel at what they do best and do what they love most for a living. It was great for the whole family- all three generations of us loved it. That was a wondrous and magical memory to make together!
The show is so incredible and the performers are so talented. There is so much going on at the same time that it is difficult to see everything. The talent is outstanding. The show was so fun and lively - I would love to see another show and hope that they come back to Portland.
This show was over the top! Loved every minute of it!
Corteo has everything a good Cirque performance should have!
While we so enjoyed the performance, 2 things stand out… it would have been nice to have a program that told you a little bit about the show as it was baffling to the group we were with. The other was that the cost per ticket, our ticket in particular at $200 was quite hefty.
Cirque du Soleil never disappoints. The performers are very talented, the story is easy to follow and you will feel so many emotions! We will be back for the next one! One negative thing is that concessions sells light up toys for kids which had the two kids behind us flashing those lights through the majority of the show before an employee finally told them to put them away. Popcorn was good, drink selection was good, bathroom went quickly and was clean. 10/10 recommend
Very expensive. No storyline, just a few acts thrown together. Use of foreign language just made things confusing. Very talented athletes deserve better direction.
The entire show was stunning. The performers surpass Olympic athletes with their combination of strength, flexibility, and coordination with one another. It was jaw dropping the whole way through.
Incredible performance! There is so much talent from acrobatics, whistling to Beethoven like I’ve never heard before, funny and entertaining the entire time. There is so much happening, we could see it 3 more times. They made you feel part of the show, and the venue was perfect.