KURIOS at Dodger Stadium: Cirque du Soleil Goes Steampunk

12/13/15 - By Roberta B

It's a match made under the big top: If ever two creative forces were meant for each other, Cirque du Soleil and Steampunk must be the two—and KURIOS is the show that brings them together. All top hats, goggles, and time-traveling trampolines, the so-much-more-than circus comes swinging and spinning into DTLA to play its first engagement at Dodger Stadium. KURIOS is as memorable and innovative as we have come to expect from the Canadian troupe, and then some. Having seen a few Cirque productions before, I admit I didn't necessarily expect that we could be astonished again; I was looking forward to seeing the show, of course, and reporting on its family-friendly factor, but I figured there are only so many ways to bend, hang, and flip in fancy outfits. As it turns out, I was wrong; there is an infinite number of ways, and Cirque du Soleil never gets tired of finding them.

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If you've never seen a Cirque show, I'm afraid that even the most well written review cannot really capture the experience for you. What I can tell you is that the performers are as breathtakingly incredible as the Peking Acrobats, that the clowns are masters of the belly laugh, and that the sets and costumes are more beautful and peculiar than anything I could have imagined. Throwing Steampunk into the mix seals the deal, since Steampunk is to science fiction what Cirque du Soleil is to acrobatics. Take a time traveling idea, dress it to the nines, turn it (literally) on its head, make it something you'd swear could never be, and voilá! KURIOS.

But any newspaper or enthusiastic neighbor can tell you that this show is epic and worth the (admitedly hefty) ticket price; our reviews are about factoring in the kid experience. Is KURIOS a family show? In a word, yes. But naturally there are a few things you will want to know going in:

 

  1. There is no inappropriate content or bad language to be worried about (hurray!).
  2. Although the live music in some Cirque shows has moments that may be menacing or loud for sensitive little ears, KURIOS' music has a light touch and isn't likely to startle anyone.
  3. The moment that struck us as the most potentially frightening for a young child was during a sequence about an "invisible" circus troupe; an invisible lion is said to run out into the audience, and someone with a big imagination might need a hand to squeeze as he roars by.
  4. The first act is nearly an hour long, followed by a 25-minute intermission before returning for the second (slightly shorter) act. 
  5. The only bathrooms are portapotties.
  6. There is plenty of parking at Dodger Stadium (lot 1), but be prepared to pay $20 for it.
  7. This may sound obvious, but this is a tough outing on a school night, which is what we did on opening night. Evening performances mostly start at 8pm, which means no one getting to bed much before midnight.
  8. The entire tone of this show is gentle and whimsical. Some Cirque shows pack a little more drama or danger, but in KURIOS we don't really fear that people are going to fall; we just marvel at how they're doing that and who on earth even thought of doing it in the first place.
  9. Arriving at the big tent a few minutes early allows for opportunities to mingle with some of the troupe and get some great photo ops.

 

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KURIOS is a show to delight anyone; there were moments when I was literally blinking to refocus my eyes in the face of something we were sure we could not be seeing, and I hesitate to spoil any surprises by saying more. So let's just say that KURIOS plays at Dodger Stadium through February 7, 2016.

 

 

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