KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities

"Cirque du Soleil’s 'Kurios' is a procession of wonders: the Canadian circus giant’s sharpest, sexiest, most stylish production in years...The style may be retro, but the acts—and the technical ingenuity that makes them possible—are fully up-to-date...Even the side details are delightful...'Kurios' seems determined to be, as old circus hype would have it, the greatest show on earth. Watching it, agape with pleasure, you may not disagree." Full Review

"If I write in hyperbolic tone, it is only because there are no other ways to describe such a rich night of entertainment, chock full of eeriness, spectacle, oddity, humor, dexterity, strength, and good old fashioned fun...'Kurios' will satisfy both children and adults in a way that is clever and captivating...In my 20-plus years as a theater spectator, it is quite possibly one the most spectacular shows I have ever seen, even if I had to cope with a lot of sh** to see it." Full Review

"Cirque du Soleil regains it mojo with 'Kurios,' the company's most entertaining show in a long, long time...Even the most familiar-feeling routines are given new life via the imaginative staging and presentation...A comedy routine in which a clown reverts to animalistic impulses while courting a comely female volunteer is funnier than it has a right to be...Staged in literally breakneck fashion and further enlivened by its rollicking musical score, 'Kurios' delivers nonstop delight." Full Review

"Blending distinctive characters, engaging music and stylish choreography into surreal storytelling, it’s sensational – their best show in many years!...Perhaps the most amazing ‘staging’ emerges in 'Upside Down World,' a dinner party that transforms into a triumph of rigging with a man climbing on stacked-up chairs...Cirque du Soliel is currently touring 21 different productions but 'Kurios' is perhaps its best EVER!" Full Review

"The effect is transportive; the assorted delights of fishlike contortionists, aerialists and a hugely entertaining live band, prove just enough to take the audience on a trip well worth remembering...Creator Michel Laprise has redeemed the reputation of his nouveau cirque and provided a magical spectacle...Rest assured, Cirque lovers: the circus of the sun has finally come to town." Full Review

"‘Kurios' kicked off its opening night splashing its way into our hearts and minds at the colossal, standing-room-only ‘circus tent’...Audience members marveled at a jaw-dropping array of vignettes that ranged from epic to extremely intimate...'Kurios' is quite simply one of the most lavish, spectacular visual feasts you’ll enjoy this year. Cirque du Soleil has once again merged their signature musical style with a striking visual concept and the results are pure gold." Full Review

"One of the best shows Cirque has done in years. Part of that is due to the venue: circus acts, even common ones, seem much more amazing up close in the intimate Grand Chapiteau tent...Also Cirque seems to have shed some of its pretensions and gone back to basics with acrobatic feats...The wisp of a plot is incidental...You're there for the acts, and boy do they deliver...The show is filled with all kinds of surprises which elevate acts so they no longer feel been there, seen that." Full Review

"While there are acrobatics, aerialists, and people who do things with their bodies that you didn’t think bodies were meant to do, the dazzlingly realized design concept unifies the production into a finished whole...The thrills and chills keep on coming. One more spectacular than the next...Kudos has to be given to the design team. Sets, costumes, props, make-up, sound, music, choreography, and overall vision combined and coalesced to bring forth a sum that is greater than its parts." Full Review

"Cirque is back to basics with a big tent show full of magically costumed creatures who seem out of Tim Burton, 'Harry Potter,' and Lewis Carroll, and in one extraordinary sequence that involves an upside-down dinner party, Buñuel. The contortionists, jugglers, aerialists and juggling aerialists are all top-notch, making for a cabinet that’s even wackier than the Trump Cabinet would be, and way more fun." Full Review

"Forget what you've seen in a circus before—'Kurios' is on a level of its own. Imagination knows no boundaries here; this is an Alice-in-Wonderland-type of world where nothing makes sense and you find yourself sitting in your seat asking yourself over and over, 'Can they do that???' Indeed, if I had to describe the show in one word, it would be: unpredictable...Cirque du Soleil spared no expense in this lavish production." Full Review

"Laprise and his fellow 'Kurios' designers have truly dug deep into the wonders of this era both in steampunk-influenced costumes/props/music and ambiance. Bicycle riders fly through the air, brightly colored goldfish leap in and out of the ocean (the trampoline). Steam-engine trains are powered by performers...The audience is left with a faint memory of a lifetime lived long ago, in an enchanted steam-driven factory of dreams." Full Review

"It might just be the best Cirque we’ve seen since ‘O’...The first half of the show alone is worth the price of admission, and though the finale was a bit underwhelming, the entire crowd seemed buoyed by the experience. It’s eye-popping fun, beautiful, and most importantly for a show like this it’s whimsical, spirited, and features some absolutely wonderful performances. 'Kurios' is strongly recommended." Full Review

"Original live music, fantastic costumes, no animals, and high-level circus skills with a fresh approach is the order of the day, including an extended juggling routine...Absolutely thrilling and the audience showed their appreciation with great enthusiasm. A dynamic opening number...What follows is a series of circus acts gleaned from the four corners of the earth and jazzed up with the 'Kurios'-stylized live music and costuming." Full Review

"'Kurios' offers up the usual array of divertissements, but in this case enhanced by a striking visual look...'Kurios' seems more varied, exotic and inspired than usual. The production is infused with a vaguely macabre air, a touch of the eerie freak show, that gives the whole a more cohesive, occasionally entrancing effect...Yes, there are the usual attractions, all executed with the pinpoint precision we have come to expect...But I was most delighted by the real novelties." Full Review

"Cirque du Soleil’s 'Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities' has a wonderful premise and an eye-filling mise en scène. However, without the needed narration or program notes, the idea remains still in embryo. The problem one supposes is how to narrate a show that is intended for international audiences." Full Review

"The steampunk aesthetic of 'Kurios' provides a clear and winning way in which to wring magic from the old, and features several stunning illusions...It’s a bit disappointing that 'Kurios' still relies so heavily on uninspired mainstays like the banquine and aerial straps...At its most stunning, 'Kurios' seamlessly combines its steampunk stagecraft with its performers’ technical feats, all while finding new variations on a familiar formula." Full Review

"'Kurios', the steampunk show currently running in a big top on Randall's Island, makes the smart choice of breaking from Cirque du Soleil’s recent trend towards a cohesive narrative." Full Review