Review: Cirque Du Soleil ‘Corteo’ Flies High at Chaifetz Arena Through April 28

Cirque Du Soleil brought their latest stunning visionary tale, “Corteo,” for a night of spectacular storytelling and gravity-defying acts to the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, with performances from April 24th through April 28th.

Following the story of the recently deceased clown Mauro, the audience witnesses a celebration of life for the young man, as both the cast and audience relive some of the most vibrant and veracious moments of the clown’s life. With a parade, an exotic chandelier performance, and a fun trampoline spring in place of a mattress on a bed – there is so much going on from the very start the audience can’t help but be mesmerized as this was a truly incredible performance. 

Mauro’s previous lovers took the stage to celebrate the beloved clown, with an impressive acrobatic/trapeze routine performed from hanging chandeliers elevated high above the stage. The combined performance with the large light fixtures was truly incredible, having several moments where the girls were able to support their own body weight by simply hanging from a strand of beads. The show continued with a fun trampoline extravaganza, where the clown’s fellow travelers bounced around the stage from bed to bed in an energetic and gleeful remembrance of the prankster’s past. 

It seemed the performers were pulling trick after trick as it sounded like steady applause could be heard from the enthusiastic audience. As Cirque Du Soleil is infamous for their incredible stunts and acts, it was no surprise when we saw an incredible juggling trio, intense aerial work, and a trapeze routine of performers thrusting each other from one side of the stage to the other at incredible heights. 

The show contained a brief intermission but easily got back into the fold enveloping the audience within the captivating story. I was pleasantly surprised to see the amount of comedy added to the show, as it is considered one of the more darker storylines that Cirque has developed. But, there were several bits were laughter rolled through Chaifetz.

One of the most memorable moments being when Mauro got his angel wings and was learning how to fly. There was also some audience engagement when the infamous Mini Lili, sitting at only 3 feet and 2 inches and barely 40 pounds, floated around the arena by being supported by giant balloons. Each time she came down she yelled “Push! Push! Push!” as the audience then assisted in bouncing her back into the air, allowing for her to float around the entire arena for the audience to see. 

Being a little over 2 hours, “Corteo” was filled with dazzling tricks and acts from beginning to end. Being my first time seeing Cirque Du Soleil live, I was pleasantly surprised and couldn’t have asked for a better performance to witness. The finale was filled with flip, after flip, after flip, as the entire cast joined acrobatic performers on stage for one final sensational feat of using an intricate balance beam setup to fulfill a dazzling visual spectacle of gymnasts using the setup to swing around each other and simultaneously swing around the bars.

Overall, the crowd was incredibly impressed with the performance, as was I. The storyline was beautiful, the setup of the stage and props used was absolutely brilliant, and the stunts were incredible (not to mention, visually stunning and looked impossible).

Corteo is on tour right now, remaining at Chaifetz until April 28th. I highly recommend seeing the show if you get the chance, as you won’t be disappointed.

For tickets and more information, visit cirquedusoleil.com.