Welcome to the Hidden World of KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities
What if by opening your imagination, you could unlock a world of wonders? What if all it takes to discover the marvels that lay beneath the surface, is learning to close our eyes?
KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities, whisks you away to an alternate yet familiar past where wonders abound for those who trust their imagination.
Your journey begins inside the mechanical lab of a brilliant inventor (the Seeker) who’s convinced that a hidden, invisible world exists—a place where the craziest ideas and grandest dreams await. From his larger-than-life curio cabinet springs a collection of otherworldly and outlandish characters who turn his world upside down with a touch of poetry and humor. Like the Seeker, your imagination will be ignited when one by one, his curios jump to life before your very eyes. What is a Cabinet of Curiosity?
During the European renaissance (between the 14th and 17th centuries), aristocrats, members of the merchant class, and early practitioners of science would form collections of historical relics, works of art, or mysterious travel souvenirs or artifacts. These became known as cabinets of curiosities.
Every object was an opportunity to tell a story about an epic adventure, or a journey to faraway lands, or a discovery of the world’s hidden secrets.
Inspired by these ancestors of the modern museum, KURIOS celebrates of the power of the imagination, as the visible becomes invisible, and perspectives transform.
The Key Characters
The Seeker
Master of the house, the Seeker is an ingenious inventor with childlike innocence. He believes in an invisible world where the craziest ideas and the grandest dreams await, and soon he will find that wonders are available to those who trust their intuition and imagination.
Mr. Microcosmos
It’s full steam ahead for Mr. Microcosmos. This serious chap is the leader of the group and the embodiment of technological progress. His world is sturdy and evokes the steam train, massive building structures, the Eiffel Tower and the Grand Palais. He runs on his own steam and travels in his own self-contained, self-subsisting ecosystem.
Nico the Accordion Man
The perfect handyman, Nico the Accordion Man is a little shy, a tad awkward, and extremely sensitive. Nico’s costume allows him to bend very low or stand straight up so he can be at eye level with absolutely everyone, including you!
Klara the Telegraph of the Invisible
Klara the Telegraph of the Invisible symbolizes our obsession with telecommunications during the golden age of the railroad when the telegraph and the gramophone were invented. She has a language of her own, and can receive alpha waves by turning on her heels and pointing her hoop skirt in various directions.
Mademoiselle Lili (Artist on Rotation)
Mademoiselle Lili is a painter, an actress, and a poet who represents the unconscious mind, intuitive self, and fragile side of Mr. Microcosmos. She lives inside her host’s overcoat. If you look closely through the door in his belly, you might catch a glimpse of Madmoiselle Lili's furnished abode, complete with armchair and other necessities of the Victorian home.
Cosmolito (Artist on Rotation)
Cosmolito is Mr. Microcosmos’ unconscious mind, his intuitive self, his fragile and poetic side. He is himself an actor, a man of theater. He lives inside his host’s overcoat. Through the door of Mr.Microcosmos’ belly, you see Cosmolito in is his mother’s living room. For the trained eye, we can even distinguish the portrait of his mother on the wall
The Acts
PERFORMANCE FUN FACTS
In Acro-Net, performers can fly up to 45ft (14 meters) in the air and travel at speeds of up to 37.5mph (60kmh)!
In a number based on mutual trust, the catcher turns into a human trapeze and flings his partner in the air where she performs more and more intricate somersaults.
A performer jumps on her acrobatic bicycle suspended in mid-air and flies above the audience — on the handlebar stem or on the wheel, by a foot or by an arm, she dazzles from above.
In this poetic and comedic nod to the traditional circus arts, an oddball ringmaster directs a cast of invisible artists. Ranging from teeterboard to high diving to riding a unicycle on a tightrope as one by one through the power of imagination this miniature circus comes to life.
Four deep-sea creatures that embody electric eels inside the Seeker’s cabinet come to life in this stunning, fast-paced and fluid contortion act. The wriggling artists execute a series of incredible pyramids and figures at an astonishing pace using the Mechanical Hand as a platform.
In this act displaying grace, strength and flexibility all rolled into one beautiful artform, audiences are transported to a truly astonishing new world that challenges reality in the most KURIOS way.
In this extraordinary display of balance, a fearless Aviator in a small propeller plane makes a soft, graceful landing on a precarious, teetering structure.
The artist stands on cylinders and planks on top of a suspended platform that moves up and down, and swings in a long pendulum motion.
Above a vast ocean, underwater creatures pirouette, bounce and rebound on a net that covers the entire stage.
This jaw-dropping act mixes street-style performance with pure trampoline techniques. The net is tuned so the artists standing on the surface can slingshot their teammates almost to the top of the Big Top!
“Siamese twins” hanging in the air from straps are separated at last when they soar high above the stage in a series of stunning acrobatic flight. The two artists performing a synchronized figures that require flawless timing.
This master of time spins his yo-yos (transformed into pocket watches) in all directions, speeding up and slowing down time at will. He deftly wields the small objects at lightning speed.
In a moment imbued with simplicity and poetry, an artist uses only his fingers to tell a story that is filmed and projected in real time on a hot-air balloon. The finale of the tiny characters’ adventure unfolds in the audience!
A group of artists perform spectacular sequences of perfectly synchronized acrobatics that showcase the amazing agility of the human body. The artists take off, somersault and crisscross in the air, landing three and four high on each other’s shoulders in a human pyramid!
The cast
The music of Kurios
DID YOU KNOW?
- KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities is Cirque du Soleil’s 35th production since 1984.
- It premiered in Montreal in April, 2014
- Since then, KURIOS has mesmerized over 6 million spectators in 40 cities worldwide.
- KURIOS features the most props of any Cirque du Soleil production, with 464 throughout the show.