Audiences are swept away into a world of the curious in Cirque Du Soleil’s latest show, “Kurios.” With two hours of wonder and amazement, “Kurios” is the perfect way to spend a night right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Atlanta.
The curiosity begins as guests step through the yellow and blue tent flaps. People dressed in steampunk-like outfits mingle among the crowd, dancing and posing for pictures. The live music and characters create a mystifying atmosphere even before the show starts. Classic popcorn and refreshments are also served, further settling attendees into the circus atmosphere.
As time counts down to the show, the audience is invited into the main tent. The area is an intimate space, so there is not a bad seat in the house. The actors play to all sides of the stage so no person misses out on the mesmerizing show.
“Kurios” tells the story of an ambitious inventor as he reinvents the world around him in his curio cabinet. He defies the laws of time, space and dimension.
The show is truly a feat of engineering, from the bridge across the stage to moving contraptions as they interact with the cast. Tech students might have a hard time focusing on the actors as they try to figure out exactly how all the contraptions are being moved up, down and sideways.
That being said. it is nearly impossible for the audience to tear their eyes away from what the cast is doing with their movements. The show is alive and dynamic, and it is easy to see the art in everything they do. The first two acrobats are able to put on a show where that even putting chalk on their hands is hypnotic. The concentration it takes to execute many of the acts is apparent throughout the show.
While the show is riddled with exquisite acrobats, the other performers are not to be outdone. The ringmaster puts on a superb show. While the acrobats may have the audience gripping their seats, the ringmaster makes the audience nearly roll out of them from laughter. With minimal words and a little audience participation, the ringmaster grips viewers’ attention between acts.
The “Kurios” band is also phenomenally mesmerizing. The music plays to the time period and the actors. It makes the show complete and full. The band is amazingly talented; they not only have to complete a long performance, they have to make sure that they are paced with the performers in case anything happens. Audiences are submerged in the world of the inventor with no hope of emerging before the two hours are up.
The entire performance was artfully planned out. From the first heart-stopping coupled acrobatic performance to jaw-dropping flexibility, the first half was remarkable. Even with the skill displayed before intermission, they managed to step up the energy in the second half.
One of the acts included a large net that stretched across the entire stage. The all-male performance was exhilarating and engaged the audience with its humorous undertone. The show finished with an upbeat cheerleading-esque performance that created so much suspense that audience members would sigh when yet another trick was landed.
Cirque Du Soleil has outdone themselves with “Kurios.” Audiences are transported into an age of industrial technology and steampunk style with this mesmerizing, exhilarating, heart-stopping show.