Review by Daz Gale
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When it comes to theatrical spectacles, nobody does it like Cirque Du Soleil. Taking the world by storm, their productions have entertained global audiences for several decades now. One city they are never usually far from is London, bringing their circus to town annually. This year’s offering sees them setting up their tent in the Royal Albert Hall for the return of Corteo. Where I belatedly saw my first Cirque Du Soleil last year in one of their International productions (Read my review here), I had never been to one of their shows in the UK before… until now, that is.

Each Cirque Du Soleil show tells a story with the circus acts playing their part in bringing this narrative to life with creativity and style. Written and directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, the premise of Corteo (meaning cortege in Italian) sees a clown named Mauro dreaming about his own funeral. While that might sound morbid, think of it more as a celebration of life as Mauro relives the key moments that shaped him, while a group of angels keep him company. What transpires is an imagined parade, set somewhere between Heaven and Earth, replaying the elements from Mauro’s life that shaped him
While it might not be immediately apparent how some of the scenes represent moments from Mauro’s life, a read of the hefty programme puts things into perspective and is a testament to Cirque Do Soleil’s creativity and unrivalled abilities. From playful innocence such as jumping on a bed (though admittedly I didn’t do it quite as high or with as many acrobatics as they do here) to the simple art of playing sports or indeed falling in love, each scene was played out with joy and nostalgia, equally impressing the audience with the performers’ abilities and charming them at the same time.

Consistently stunning with their abilities and the skilful way each scene played out, highlights of Corteo included a beautiful snow moment with one of the angels and an impressive juggling set. It is the moment the performers take flight, however, that truly took your breath away and luckily you didn’t have to wait too long for this to happen. Seemingly defying gravity, the varied ways these incredible acts propelled themselves in mid-air never proved boring, always leaving a lump in your throat while admiring the careful precision in performing these.
The most memorable act of taking flight came from Valentyna Paylevanyan who hovered over the audience with four giant balloons attached to her, getting whichever audience member she appeared near to give her a push into the air again. As she circled the Royal Albert Hall back and forth, it was chaotic at times but the best kind of chaos, proving to be both charming and hilarious, giving me the biggest smile of the evening.

Comedy was never far from view in Corteo, as you would hope with a clown at the centre of it. Stéphane Gentilini led the pack beautifully as Mauro with effortless charisma as he paraded across the stage (and above it), becoming the glue that holds the show together. An element of farce was thrown in to the mix when a tiny theatre adorned the stage to provide the second strangest production of ‘Romeo & Juliet’ seen in London in the last twelve months. Another strong presence among the incredible group of performers was Victorino Lujan as the Giant Clown, whose booming voice remained in my head long after leaving the theatre.
The transformation of the space inside the Royal Albert Hall to house Corteo is jaw-dropping in itself. I have been to many a show there over the years and never have I seen it like this before. The groundbreaking one-of-a-kind production splits the space in half with audiences of both sides of a stage bang in the middle of the audience. This allows a more intimate experience and guarantees that not a single seat at Corteo will have a bad view. The design of the stage and how it almost made such an iconic building as the Royal Albert Hall feel like a purpose-built theatre for Cirque Du Soleil themselves is a testament to their innovation in what was one of the most memorable nights I’ve experienced at that venue.

There is a real sense of magic and wonder when you experience any Cirque Du Soleil show, and Corteo has no shortage of this. Encapsulating all of the joy and awe you would come to expect, the theme of this show also brings with it nostalgia as it attempts to capture the very essence of life. Throw in a dash of silliness with a touch of emotion and the result is a life-affirming experience that will make you leave the Royal Albert Hall feeling as if you are flying.
Fun for all the family and a visual spectacular, Corteo is a charming show full of wonder - the result of which proved wonderful. Cirque Du Soleil have been at the top of their game for many years now and with productions as breathtakingly beautiful as Corteo, I see no reason why this circus won’t continue to thrill audiences for many more years to come.

Cirque Du Soleil – Corteo plays at Royal Albert Hall until March 2nd 2025.