https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmnJBc0M1lY

Kurios really brought out what it was designed to; it was a cabinet of many curiosities at the hand of a scientist who is trying to bridge the gap between the impossible and the possible, with a few minor, unexpected bumps along the way.

Going into the show, I was expecting nothing less than an amazing performance (it’s the Cirque for crying out loud) and that is exactly what I witnessed. These performers are HUMAN, regular people! I was on the edge of my seat for the entirety of the performance and it was absolutely exhilarating. Okay, enough about how awestruck I was, carrying on. The show itself was one enthralling act followed by another, and then another, and you should really go watch it.

The opening act introduced the theme of the play and some of what was to be expected. The scientist finally gets his machine to work and there is an array of lights, noise and smoke and so the show begins!

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One of the first performances is a lively group of individuals, dressed in Sunday’s best. A number of antics including acrobatics and juggling comes into play, leaving the audience with a sense of joy and happy vibes.

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The next act was a matter of complete, mutual trust. Rolled onto the stage came a giant music box that opened to show a strongman and a porcelain faced doll. The risk of falling (yes there were mats to catch their fall but still) was very evident. But these two people worked fluidly to secure the next tricks with each other.

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Next on the list for surprises was the aerial bike. This started off like how most people ride bikes, on the ground, but suddenly the audience is thrilled to see that the bike begins ascending, with the lovely lady on it! There’s a number of tricks she succeeds in doing midair that would usually be seen on a trapeze. (Click the source below the picture or here for a peek!)

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Probably the strangest act that I witnessed, but still fascinating nonetheless. The entirety of this act was dedicated to how the human mind works along with visual and sound effects. There was never a single person, animal or object doing the work, but the act was designed to cater to our imaginations. It was a weird take on traditional circus acts.

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Ah, finally, my favourite act. This is personal bias because I am irrecoverably enamoured with the contortionists. It’s incredible, these are people. Regular, but so not regular, people! *Cue adjhfafhaskfkalf because I hardly have words to express my awe*. Four women were rolled out on a giant mechanical hand and thus began the most shocking body contortions I have seen live. “Even for a huge mechanical hand, these lithe women are a handful.“

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The act of balancing is risky, but this was next level risk. Okay, the man was attached to a string, but he was still balancing his entire body weight on two or sometimes only one hand! And in the middle of the air! Human capability is unreal. So if being a couple of meters in the air was not enough, these performers took it to another level. Mirrored on the roof of the tent was the same scene, but completely suspended upside down. It was a really freaky feeling for audience members (ok, me mostly.)

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So balancing on your hands is one thing, but balancing your entire frame on unbalanced objects, in the middle of the air??? Yeah, right… And that is precisely what happened. This probably ranked highest on the most unnerving spectacles of the night, with easy justification. Initially the man was not suspended by anything. There was nothing to catch his fall, nothing. Or maybe nothing I could visibly see, but still, REALLY UNNERVING. And with each added cylinder and plank added, I found myself holding my breath in anticipation.

The “Act One Finale” consisted of the scientist constructs a machine, gets into it and flies off in heavy contemplation of what awaits him.

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Remember when you were nine or something, and the coolest thing (and most annoying thing for anyone who couldn’t do it back) was double bouncing your friends on a trampoline? Now imagine that but each person immediately flips and goes sky rocket high every time five people double bounce them. Now that is impressive and cool and way less annoying. All of these performers were two steps closer to flying!

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Google search failed me for an image, but the next act was titled “Clown Act“. We’ll call him the gameskeeper for lack of a better term. He pulls a female from the audience, (my speculation is that she is a plant, but I could be very wrong) and flirts really badly with her. Every terrible romcom you’ve watched and felt genuine secondhand embarrassment for, is portrayed on stage for this guy making the girl feel so incredibly awkward. I included an image of one prop of many from the show, and a link to further possible piqued interest. The female from the audience is kind of a prop, so it works right? (Humor me! Please.)

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Ah, what’s better than ripped guys doing really cool things that make them flex but not in the dumb cocky boy kind of way? I’ll tell you! Not much. These guys were ripped, but were they talented. It’s incredible when we grasp how strong human beings can be. Aerial tricks never cease to amaze, especially when there’s really hot guys doing tricks, hehe. *Cue the teenage-girl-teeny-bopper giggles*.

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Everything about the Second Act just makes me think of my childhood. It’s like an instant nostalgic feeling, while slightly channeling Narnia too, because of the central idea of this all coming from a cabinet of curiosities. Yo-yo’s are so cool, and if you think differently, stop lying to yourself. This man could do all those crazy tricks that we get fascinated by in elementary. He probably then grew up to be that one kid who becomes insanely good at it well into junior high/high school. The agility he had with his hands was incredible!

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Audience interaction makes any show that much more memorable, and Kurios succeeded in doing so. The hand puppetry began with a number of oddly regular activities such as swimming, dancing, skateboarding (minus the fact that it was hands miming these activities). And then they began frivolously dancing to disco music and parachuting onto the top of heads! Humorous to watch and really quite delightful to watch how perfect human actions can be mimicked.

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Throughout the show human agility was challenged by the balancing on objects, dramatic heights, and whatever else. Now for the final act, they tested the balance and trust humans place in each other. Banquine was a wonderful and exhilarating way to end the show! This group of 13 individuals kept the performance lively and the audience engaged throughout their act. It was all very humorous, while simultaneously being intriguing as to whether or not they’ll make the jump from the shoulders of two people, to the shoulders of others with nothing suspending them. Basically taking the trust exercise to a whole other level.

The finale was the scientist coming down from the clouds in his machine and all the creatures and characters we had the pleasure of meeting, greet him and curtain call began!

The show was one of the best things I’ve seen in a long time, it was bewitching. The costumes, set and props were breathtaking, and the performers and talents were mesmerizing.

*These are all my opinions and I love cool things, because I’m a giant nerd.*

None of these images are my own, as we were told all audience photography and filming were prohibited. All the source links I included are reviews of everywhere the show has been performed, including some Calgary reviews! Click here to get tickets and catch the magical experience under the big top, running until May 24, 2015.