Cirque Du Soleil - Corteo

One of Cirque du Soleil's most iconic shows - seen by over 11 million people worldwide comes to Royal Albert Hall London with a never seen before seating arrangement splitting the Royal Albert Hall in half

Corteo, which means cortege in Italian, is a joyous procession, a festive parade imagined by a clown. The show brings together the passion of the actor with the grace and power of the acrobat to plunge the audience into a theatrical world of fun, comedy and spontaneity situated in a mysterious space between heaven and earth.

The clown’s dreamlike imagination 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 turns lyrical and playful carrying Corteo through a timeless celebration in which illusion teases reality.

In a Cirque du Soleil first, the stage is central in the arena and divides the venue from the Royal Albert Hall’s organ in a straight line to the door 6 entrance, with each half of the audience facing the other half, giving a unique perspective not only of the show, but also a performer’s eye view of the audience. An atmosphere like never seen before in Cirque du Soleil shows. The set curtains, inspired by the Eiffel Tower, and the central curtains, which were hand painted, give a grandiose feel to the stage. This sets the tone for the poetry of Corteo. It is also the heaviest show that Cirque du Soleil has bought to the Royal Albert Hall, suspending a massive 67 tonnes from the grid (equal to the weight of 11 elephants hanging from the ceiling). Over the past few years Cirque du Soleil has worked jointly with the Hall to install new anchor points to allow heavier shows to visit the historic venue.

Show starts at 15:30

Images kindly supplied by Cirque Du Soleil