[New] CIRQUE DU SOLEIL PRESENTS KURIOS: CABINET OF CURIOSITIES

Cirque du Soleil’s latest production, KURIOS: Cabinet of Curiosities made its long-awaited European debut this January. Featuring 13 jaw-dropping acts, KURIOS draws inspiration from the Victorian era and 19th Century industrial revolution, promising to be a largerthan-life steampunk spectacle for people of all ages. The show fittingly arrives in 2023 at the end of London’s Royal Albert Hall 150th anniversary programming.

Behind the scenes, Duncan Fisher, Vice President and General Manager of Cirque du Soleil’s Touring Show Division, Tour Director, Zoe Caldwell and Technical Director, Benjamin De Pomeroy were assisted by the Show Support department led by Gerard ‘Ges’ Edwards. “We have an amazing relationship with the Royal Albert Hall, which dates back to the ’90s. We certainly take full advantage of the technical knowledge of their in-house staff and their trusted suppliers, as well as tapping into their extremely high-quality front of house and hospitality operations,” Fisher commented, explaining Cirque’s long-standing relationship with the historic venue.

KUR IOS marks the 26th year that Cirque du Soleil has performed at the renowned venue, having graced the stage over 1,200 times and sold almost 3.8m tickets since 1996. The shows also mark over 2,000 Cirque du Soleil performances in the UK in 32 years.

“KU RIOS has a large steampunk element, which fits in beautifully with the 150-year history of the Hall and London in general,” Fisher remarked. In collaboration with Cirque du Soleil, the Royal Albert Hall has installed additional steelwork beneath the stalls to strengthen the venue in specific locations allowing this and all future Cirque du Soleil shows to be bigger and better than ever before. In addition, for the first time the production of KURIOS at the hall will require the floor to be elevated to accommodate the unusual set design, transforming the ground level of the venue to the eyes of the regular visitor.

“We took the opportunity to add more steelwork to allow the easy installation of ‘bollards’ that we typically use to anchor acrobatic rigging to. These bollards replicate the bottom of the Big Top masts. The modifications are many and varied, but the largest challenge for KURIOS has been the set height. Our Big Top shows do not fit perfectly in the Hall, so we have a clash between the upstage set wings and the existing stalls,” Fisher said, noting that the team overcomes this by narrowing the set or rebuilding those areas with a new substructure.

“ For KURIOS, the set is lower than any other Big Top show and we cannot narrow it for various reasons. As a result, the team had to lift it up to build over the stalls, but this presents another issue – the stage front would be nearly 5ft tall, thus the front rows of the audience would have a less than optimal experience,” Fisher added. “The solution sounds very simple, but we’re lifting the audience, too!”

There have been some other RAH-specific additions, such as the ‘towers’ used in Acro Net, which will fly in the Hall to minimise sightline interruptions. Equipment-wise, Cirque du Soleil is largely self-reliant, but sector-wide increases in lead times on gear, as Fisher noted, has been somewhat of a challenge.

“We have struggled to fill local crew calls on all our shows and terrestrial trucking has also been very problematic – especially in North America,” he said, explaining the additional challenges the team faces.

“A part from the obvious issues of cast and crew being periodically unavailable due to COVID-19, lead time issues on equipment, local crew availability and trucking timelines have been our biggest issues.”

‘A CONTINENT OF HANDS’

In an alternate yet familiar past, KURIOS steps inside the mechanical lab of an inventor convinced that there exists a hidden, invisible world – a place where the craziest ideas and the grandest dreams await. Once the inventor unlocks the door to this world of wonders, time comes to a complete stop and an uplifted cast of otherworldly characters invades his curios cabinet, bringing his makeshift creations to life one by one. As the visible becomes invisible and perspectives transform, KURIOS bursts into a celebration of the power of the imagination.

Wr itten and directed by Michel Laprise, who joined Cirque du Soleil at the turn of the millennium, having previously worked in theatre for nine years as an actor, director and artistic director. Since then, he has co-written and directed the Virtual Reality movie, Kurios: Inside the Box and also written and directed Cirque du Soleil’s 40th production, SEP7IMO DIA –No Descansaré. “The creative process takes about two years, and we start from a theme,” Laprise informed TPi.

“It’s a hugely collective process; we want to challenge ourselves artistically. Although I’m responsible for the storyline and characters of the show, I develop these characters with the costume designer.”

In t he world of KURIOS, Laprise adopted a holistic approach, working closely with the designer, costume, staging, lighting, and technical department.

“M y job requires encouraging people to step outside their comfort zone, to collaborate in a different way and to get involved personally, artistically, and to deeply connect with what we really love at Cirque du Soleil, and to be authentically innovative,” he explained. “You have to surprise the audience, to build a relationship with them. After all, we began as street performers!”

Premiered in Montreal in 2014, KURIOS has mesmerised over 4.5m spectators in 30 cities worldwide with over 2,000 performances brought to life by its cast of 49 artists.

KU RIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities revisits the signature Cirque du Soleil style of performance by weaving acrobatics with a touch of poetry, artistry and humour. “There’s a lot of joyful and uplifting moments. Secretly,

I think I’m proud of great moments that people applaud, not for tricks, but for inventions and original moments of staging on the stage,” he said, referencing a particular act called ‘Continent of Hands’.

“I love that with just a few pairs of hands, you can create a whole world. There’s just one simple camera to make the image larger, and it’s projected onto a hot air balloon. I’m proud of that act, and how the characters connect so well. I’m excited to take the show to London because I know that the audiences are so in tune with theatricality.”

KU RIOS: Cabinet of Curiosities runs from 13 January until 5 March 2023 with audiences invited to escape reality and step into a world of extraordinary imagination.

“T he Royal Albert Hall is the most iconic entertainment venue in the world, and it continues to be a thrill to go there every year. Even though it is a tremendous challenge to get our shows in, it is a challenge that is looked forward to and embraced by our cast and crews,” Fisher concluded.

“Personally, this is the highlight of the year as I get to show off my work at my favourite venue, in my home country and get to spend time with my family.” www.cirquedusoleil.com/kurios