Originally comprising about 20 street performers in Montréal, Canada, Cirque du Soleil has grown over the decades into one of the most beloved dance, music and circus arts performing ensembles in the world. From those humblest of origins has grown a major, globetrotting production company with more than 4,000 employees (including 1,300 artists of all genres) from nearly 50 countries. Cirque’s latest show, Corteo (meaning “cortege” in Italian) makes a stop in Milwaukee.
The show’s artistic director, Mark Shaub, who has worked for some two decades in modern dance, began his employment with Cirque in 2005 with Corteo. I asked him about the size and scope of this production, which boasts 51 acrobats, musicians, singers and actors. “At Cirque du Soleil, we have a very extensive casting department,” Shaub said. “We are, therefore, able to draw on the best performers in each discipline from around the world.” He continued that “putting on a show of this size is very much of a team effort—it is not only the artists, but all of the technicians and people behind the scenes doing their part to make it happen.”
I also asked Shaub how the troupe keeps an ongoing show vigorous when they perform it literally hundreds of times for years (Corteo has been in production for 13 years now). “Even though a show has toured for many years, we are always striving to keep it fresh. Acrobats are always wanting to improve their ‘tricks,’ and we are constantly searching for small improvements in the flow of the show,” he explained, adding that keeping faith with the original show’s intent and keeping it “fresh” is something of (no pun intended) a balancing act. “While it is important to maintain the original artistic intention of Corteo, it is equally important to let it grow and mature over time.” He also said that, given the long production runs, individual roles change somewhat because those performing them change, too.
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In Corteo, a clown imagines his own funeral taking place in his familiar milieu, a carnival. That clown is the show’s central character; he’s a stand-in for all of us and our strengths, weaknesses, foibles, charms, knowledge and experiences. The show’s musical score, lyrical and playful, underlines the actions and emotions of all the characters in Corteo.
“During the creation process of Corteo,” Shaub said, “we had three composers who created a score incorporating a wide variety of styles. It goes from classical to contemporary and Latin music. We have six musicians and two vocalists performing live. The musicians are multi-instrumentalists and are able to play in various styles, adding many textures and colors to the sound of Corteo. Our two vocalists are singing in Italian, Spanish and French, creating the many moods that make up the show.”
March 29-April 1 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, 1001 N. Fourth St. For tickets, visit cirquedusoleil.com/usa/milwaukee/corteo/buy-tickets.
