In Renaissance Europe they called them the chambers of amazement, because when you entered it it was difficult not to be amazed.
They were the ancestors of museums: here you could find historical relics, works of art, mysterious travel souvenirs or artifacts.
An enchanted world, where imagination and creativity reigned.
Like the one in which it carries the latest Cirque du Soleil show, "Kurios - Cabinet of Curiositie".
A place of magic, illusions, extraordinary characters, incredible acrobats, but also of poetry, where feelings are explored and dreams materialize with humor and sweetness.
What landed in Rome on Tuesday evening is the 35th production of the Canadian company which since 1984 has inspired more than 220 million people around the world.
Written and directed by Michel Laprise, presented by the Italian partners Show Bees and Vivo Concerti, the show makes use of a creative team of 17 people led by Guy Laliberté and Jean-François Bouchard.
The show, which has so far sold over 130,000 tickets in Italy, will remain in Tor di Quinto in the capital until Saturday 29 April, and then move to Milan in Piazzale Cuoco from Wednesday 10 May 2023 remaining there until Sunday 25 June.
This time you enter the chamber of wonder of a Seeker, who believes in an invisible world where the craziest ideas and the grandest dreams reside.
The scene takes place in a universe that refers to the beginning of the industrial revolution of the 19th century where the steam engine reigns supreme, but everything has evolved in a strange way and progress has taken on a more human dimension.
"It's as if Jules Verne met Thomas Edison in an alternate reality, out of time," explained production designer Stéphane Roy.
Cabinet of Curiosities has a cast of 49 performers from 17 different countries who enter the stage through what appears to be the mouth of a railway tunnel.
In addition to the host, the Seeker, there are Curiosistani who activate his imagination, led by Mr. Microcosmos, who is the embodiment of technological progress.
And then Nico - The accordion man, perfect handyman;
Klara,
that she can receive alpha waves by turning on her heels and pointing her "skirt antenna" in various directions;
Kurios Winch and Kurios Plunger, two bizarre robots built with scraps and recycled parts by the Seeker himself.
They are musicians, acrobats, jugglers, percussionists and dancers who move in a sometimes festive, sometimes playful or melancholy environment.
An acrobat hops on her bicycle suspended in mid-air, a strange circus ringmaster runs a miniature circus with invisible performers, contortionists bring to life a series of incredible pyramids, dinner guests end up in an upside down world, underwater creatures twirl , jump and bounce on a net that covers the entire stage, an artist uses only his fingers to tell a story that is filmed and projected, in real time, onto a hot air balloon that acts as a screen.
Up to the grand finale where a group of 13 artists perform spectacular sequences of perfectly synchronized stunts and human pyramids that showcase the incredible agility of the body.
