CORTEO

Cirque du Soliel’s CORTEO premiered in Philadelphia at the Liacouras Center on May 30, 2024. Italian for a joyous procession, CORTEO is the representation of a clown’s dream of his own  funeral bedecked with music, parades, a circus ambience, and Angels nearby in attendance. The circus atmosphere is delightful. Act after act appears on the stage and performs to audiences seated on both sides of a huge arena.  There are numerous versions of trapeze artists, each spectacular in their own right starting with women climbing in and hanging from huge chandeliers. Other artists tumble across bed mattresses only to alight on top of the bedpost! Such boldness requires an enormous amount of agility. Additional trapeze artists  twist and turn as they are lifted above the stage on a pair of ribbons and others are  miraculously thrown and caught across from each other on raised platforms.  Repeated gasps heard throughout the venue are a testament to the excitement this show produces. But that is not all! There are jugglers and  quick comedy sketches as well as musical processions across the stage. Everything is accompanied by beautiful  music. While most of the show is in Italian, knowledge of the language isn’t necessary to appreciate this marvelous performance.