Cirque du Soleil: CORTEO
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https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/corteo
Date Reviewed: 22/08/2025
As the arena lights dim, Corteo unfolds like a waking dream. The air hums with anticipation, soft golden light spilling over this enigmatic world in Melbourne's John Cain Arena. The very first thing I see is a spectacle that truly arrests the heart and sets the tone: Mauro the Dreamer, a dying clown, is laid to rest on a celestial parade ground. Floating around him in the ether seem to be his final, most beautiful thoughts: archetypes of love and feminine beauty, angels of memory perched tenderly upon glowing, swaying chandeliers. These beings form a heavenly congregation, old flames, circus friends, and guiding spirits, joining together in a gentle, surreal farewell. And in a poignant paradox, Mauro begins to engage with life most vividly whilst on his way out of this world, witnessing the parade of his own existence unfold from his deathbed.
This breathtaking tableau feels less like a modern circus and more like a lost page from a late 14th-century Italian illuminated manuscript, a traditional Carnevale or sacred procession suddenly made real. It has the raw, earthy emotion of commedia dell'arte filtered through a celestial lens. Mauro bears the legacy of the European clown, blending Pierrot's dreamy sadness with Arlecchino's playful spirit; his very being is a collage of his own life's memories. The atmosphere is at once intimate and immense, profoundly wistful yet bursting with a festive joy: a funeral cortege where he is the guest of honour.
Dominating the circus walls are baroque-style curtains, painted with Moulin Rouge decadence, that hang like masterpieces. The texture of Corteo is in the living, breathing tapestry of the costumes that move through it. The stage is awash with a subtle, ethereal palette of faded blues, ethereal pinks, and dusky fuchsia. Each costume is a masterpiece of worn grandeur, appliqued with jewels that catch the light like distant memories. They are sculpted from fabrics that seem to hold a patina of age and countless stories, all while flowing with each performer’s impossible leaps and gestures.
And then, the soul of the show emanating from all corners of the stage and an integral feature of each vignette, is the music: the deep sighs of an accordion, a melancholic violin, and the warm pulse of a double bass. The lyrics are in French, Italian, and languages that, for me, are more felt than understood. These sounds conjure feelings of life in a rustic Italian village piazza. Strano mondo, I think. What a strange world.
On the eve of the Melbourne premiere, I had the privilege of speaking with Jonathan Buese, a Cirque du Soleil veteran whose journey from Mystère to Alegria and Totem now finds its home in the theatrical heart of Corteo. For him, this show is different from other Cirque productions. He explains that in most Cirque du Soleil productions, performers mimic another creature or being, whereas in Corteo artists are granted the unusual freedom to be themselves on stage, infusing each act with human personality. This becomes apparent to me when I see more of the performers faces than masks or makeup.
Witnessing his act, Tournik, is to behold a spectacle of what seems like organised madness: bodies flying in a chaotic whirlwind. Speaking with him, however, reveals the profound truth behind the illusion. This is not merely executed with rehearsed technique; it is powered by a deep, almost uncanny intuition. In an act where a millisecond of misjudgment could be catastrophic, he and his fellow performers must read each other’s energy and intention in the moment, trusting a connection that goes beyond the choreography.
And then our conversation turned from this breathtaking symbiosis to a deeper meaning when I asked him what he hoped audiences would carry with them when the curtains fall. His answer cut to the very soul of Corteo: “What I hope people take away from this show is the connection that we have between each other... just to value every moment; sort of enjoy every sandwich.”
He reflected that the final goodbye of Mauro is a poignant metaphor for the necessary farewells we all must face in life. “It is a nice reminder,” he said, “to try to value relationships and be present.”
Do not miss your chance to witness this triumph of the human spirit. Corteo is more than a circus; it is a profound and breathtakingly beautiful piece of theatre that celebrates the messy, glorious, and interconnected tapestry of life itself. It is a rare production that earns both your rapturous applause and your reflective tears. While it tours Australia, seize the opportunity to be transported into Mauro's dream.
You will leave the arena not just entertained, but genuinely moved, and perhaps, like Jonathan expressed, be reminded to truly value every sandwich!