“Corteo” by Cirque du Soleil, through Dec. 23 at the Orange County Fair & Exposition Center, $55 to $90
Who would have thought a dead clown could be so funny? “Corteo” could be Cirque de Soleil’s most comical, personable show yet, unlike some prior ones that tried so hard to be avant garde they ended up being over the top. “Corteo” takes itself less seriously and even is self-effacing. It’s loosely based on an Italian clown who dreams up his own death, funeral, childhood flashbacks and series of wild scenes. As with all Cirque shows, the story line is little more than a backdrop for rotating vignettes of arty acrobatics, gymnastics, juggling, singing and dancing. There’s a surreal cast of characters: circus performers, clowns, a golfer with a giant club, cabaret girls and little people. The show’s gags, punch lines and Vaudevillian scenes stand out, like when a ringmaster tries to coax unwilling actors in horse costumes to do stunts, or when a dozen rubber chickens fall from the rafters to the stage. The dead clown himself shows a knack for comedic timing when he’s floating above the stage with four angels and asks, “Do those wings come in my size?” If you’ve seen a Cirque show before, much of the rest of “Corteo” will be familiar. It has breathtaking performances and top-notch music from musicians tucked in various spots alongside the audience and sometimes up in crow’s nests above the stage. There’s bouncing on trampolines and a teeter-totter, swinging from chandeliers and high-wire hula hoop spinning. In one scene, two little people spinning in big metal rings take on the appearance of being in a snow globe as white confetti falls around them. The crowd pleaser: “Helium Dance,” in which the dead clown sends his “little clowness” afloat above the crowd with the help of oversized balloons. The show has its lulls. A ballet-like dance scene is flawless but pales next to the more dramatic sequences. Ditto for the juggling scene, which on its own is impressive but competes with more spellbinding performances elsewhere in the show. And, at two hours and 15 minutes, a half-hour could be shaved from the show without cutting into its best parts. The minor shortcomings of “Corteo” were lost on the opening night crowd last week in Costa Mesa. The show’s variety, pace and humor make “Corteo” broadly entertaining. ,Michael Lyster
