Cirque du Soleil Corteo is gearing up for its Dublin performances from July 6 to 10, promising beauty, magic and joy as it delights and amazes audiences with its mix of music, acrobatics and dramatic performances.
Corteo means "cortege" in Italian, which is a a joyous procession, a festive parade imagined by a clown. The show sees a clown picture his own funeral, taking place in a carnival atmosphere and watched over by quietly caring angels.
The show incorporates awe-inspiring acrobatic performances, artists "flying all over the place" and beautiful music to highlight the clown's strength and fragility as well as his wisdom and kindness to "illustrate the portion of humanity that is within each of us".
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Dublin Live caught up with producer Alison Crawford in Split, Croatia during rehearsals. She told us what Dublin audiences can expect when it plays at the 3Arena from July 6 to 10.
She revealed: "When we open up, we are going to his funeral with the people who knew him in his life. But it's not about death. It's the celebration of his life. We meet his dear friends some of the women he's been close to in his life.
"There are lots of acrobatics in this one. But there are a lot of beautiful artistic moments as well. You come away with a lot of love and hope.
"They're flying all over the place. On stage there are 53 artists. As a team, we're 117."
She added: "The musicians are extraordinary. And you get to see them.
"What you're going to see is a grandiose show full of magic, high performances, beautiful music, beautiful scenery, lighting that makes great ambience. You're going to be happy and joyous and I know you'll enjoy it."
This show divides the audience using the stage, with one half of on-lookers facing the other with the epic performances happening in the middle.
Directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, the unique production first premiered in Montreal under the Big Top in April 2005. It has been transformed into an arena show since then, dazzling audiences of over 9 million people in 20 countries on four continents.
Tickets for Cirque du Soleil: Corteo in Dublin are available from Ticketmaster now.
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