Cirque du Soleil: Corteo to bring world-famous circus’ ‘most human show’ to Perth in August with unique twist

The last place you’d expect to find humour and joy is within the emotional depths of a funeral, but that’s exactly how Cirque du Soleil’s upcoming show Corteo will set the scene when it arrives at RAC Arena in August.

While the globetrotting circus juggernaut has built a reputation on literally suspending reality, artistic director Olaf Triebel says Corteo — which premiered in 2005 — is designed to pull on different strings.

“This is the most human show,” he told The West Australian.

“You see the acrobat on stage, you see who the person is — they can’t hide behind make-up.”

Corteo, the Italian word for “cortege”, is by definition a funeral procession.

However, when the life being celebrated is that of a clown, that’s where the solemnity ends.

Think performers riding bicycles into the sky and a little clown soaring over the audience powered by large helium balloons.

“Who, as a kid, has not thought at one point of being able to fly away with a balloon?” Triebel suggested.

“That’s just really unexpected, and you can see the joy in people’s eyes when they watch that.”

A former Cirque du Soleil artist himself, the German veteran sat in the Montreal crowd during Corteo’s first run of shows 20 years ago, and described taking the reigns in early 2024 as artistic director as “a circle that closed”.

But things have changed a little since, following 4700 performances.

In a Cirque du Soleil first, the crowd will be divided into two opposing halves and separated by a central stage to create a unique perspective for fans to connect with performers.

Or as Triebel puts it, for the stars — whose unbridled imaginations are considered as relevant as their thousands of training hours — “there is nowhere to hide”.

Circque du Soleil’s Corteo is set for a run of 53 shows across Australia, commencing in Perth before playing in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Adelaide.