Cirque du Soleil's "Corteo" Makes Death A Beautiful Thing

Cirque du Soleil loves San Diego. Or at least the fabulously successful fantasy entertainment machine knows it has a cash cow in our local population. It always has, ever since it came into town in the late 1980s. And, thankfully for us, the high-concept circus troupe from Montreal keeps coming back, usually every two years with a new touring show. In 2008, Cirque brings its newest touring production, "Corteo," to San Diego.

"Corteo," which means "cortege (funeral procession)" in Italian, is a joyous procession, a festive parade imagined by a clown. The clown pictures his own funeral taking place in a carnival atmosphere, watched over by quietly caring angels. Juxtaposing the large with the small, the ridiculous with the tragic and the magic of perfection with the charm of imperfection, the show highlights the strength and fragility of the clown, as well as his wisdom and kindness, to illustrate the portion of humanity that is within each of us. The music, by turns lyrical and playful, carries Corteo through a timeless celebration in which illusion teases reality.

If you've been to other Cirque touring shows, you'll recall the stage is set as a 3/4-circular facing the audience. But "Corteo" uses a different setting, as the stage runs down the middle of the big top, dividing the audience on two sides. This allows the cast to utilize the procession theme. And unlike other shows, "Corteo" has both a less ambiguous storyline and setting - something out of 1800 Italy or Europe. You feel this production is a period piece, unlike "Varekai" or "Quidam."

Jeff Raz as the Dead Clown, the show's main character, is perfectly cast, bringing both comedic and whimsical traits as he tries to cope with his death, learning how to fly, and how to confront his memories as a former clown.

"Corteo" celebrates the death of a clown, so it goes without saying that the main characters are clowns: the Clowness, the Dead Clown, the Giant Clown, the Little Clown, the Loyal Whistler, the White Clown. Valentyna Paylevanyan, as the Clowness, is absolutely charming. A little person, she literally floats above the audience in her signature piece, as she is strapped to giant helium balloons. In this performance, the audience participates by lifting and pushing her off by her tiny feet, propelling her across the big top. It is a gentle, and delightful piece.

Victorino Antonio Lujan, on the other end of the spectrum, plays the Giant Clown, the best friend of the Dead Clown. Grigor Paylevanyan, another little person, plays the Little Clown, and his piece as a horse trainer provides a comedic respite from the frenetic and breath-taking acts.

In "Chandelier," four women, the Dead Clown's former loves, come together in dreamlike joy. They perform aerial acrobatics on three giant chandeliers that sway and spin above the Dead Clown's bed. It's a slightly sensual piece, with the acrobatic women in Victoria's Secret lingerie spinning on three chandeliers.

"Bouncing Beds" is the show's signature piece - a reminiscence of the Dead Clown's youth, as two beds become the source of some fabulous bouncing, leaps and spins by the pajama clad acrobats.

With "Cyr Wheel," four artists perform solos and group figures on Cyr wheels. The simplicity of the Cyr wheel's line - a pure circle - sets off the intricate and energetic performance, and their performance will leave you scratching your head, wondering how they keep their balance. It is quite an elegant piece.

The second half of "Corteo" opens with a bang, with "Paradise." The best way to describe the act is a trapeze act with no trapeze. Instead the team use themselves as the swings, and also a trampoline below to propel themselves up and across. The acrobats bounce, fly and swing through their own propulsion. It's a fantastic piece, and one of the highlights of the show.

"Tournik" closes the show, and it can be described as four gymnastics parallel bars competitions happening at once. Imagine an entire team of gymnasts flying and flipping along the bars in perfect synchronization. It brings the show to an energetic conclusion.

"Corteo," which debuted in 2005, is a little different from other Cirque du Soleil touring shows. Where previous shows have an ambiguous premise, "Corteo" actually tries to follow a storyline throughout the show. It is a much more graceful and thoughtful production, created and directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, and brings more of a sense of time and place than other shows.

That being said, I felt "Corteo" lacked that "whoa, what was that?" factor that you often come away with after seeing Cirque du Soleil. The "Paradise" trampoline/trapeze act might have come closest to that. But maybe it's because I've seen a number of productions - there is a sense of sameness to many of the acts: the high-flying acrobats, whether hanging from straps or being flung from trampolines. So, for me, there was a sense of deja vu.

Of course, that didn't make "Corteo" any less enjoyable. With it's stellar production, costumes, and skills, I am amazed that the Cirque du Soleil machine, with all of its touring shows and permanent Las Vegas productions, can maintain the quality that it does. And from the reaction and response from the audience, it continues to amaze and produce wonderment and smiles all around.

You have to admire that kind of ability, don't you?