The first scene was upbeat and joyful. The scientist's lab burst to life, music playing, a singer singing, two "fish" in giant tanks started dancing. Then, the smoke flew out of the roof as three odd people came down from the smoke; one with an enormous stomach, one wish a giant metal hoop skirt, and one with huge, accordion-like pants. Another man with an enormous stomach came out like a train, and a bunch of villager like people came out, dancing and drumming. However, nothing could have prepared me for the scene to come. On a platform high in the air came two people. One, edge man, strapped to the platform by a harness so as not to fall, stood in between each platform. The other, the girl, did a series of dance moves, and then dropped. My heat leaped, hands over my mouth, as the man caught her by the hands, swung here the through his legs and swung her back into the air, where she did a series of flips and 360's, and then, he caught her again, swinging her, only this time by the ankles. The exchange went like this, more and more complex every time. Sometimes, he would swing her up, and she would land perfectly on his shoulders. It was insane. For another act, four women came out on an enormous hand. On this, they did a dance that involved folding over one anther, handstands, and other bending into crazy, impossible positions that involved unimaginable flexibility. In another act, a man dressed in a flight outfit balanced on a stack of barrels, balls, and platforms while swinging through the air on another soaring platform; with no harnesses, only balance. In another, the crowd went wild with laughter as a clown invited a random girl from the audience on stage, and sat her down on a couch. He left, pretending to get a drink, but came back impersonating a cat. It went on and on, him performing the hilarious behaviors of a cat, the girl on stage mortified but laughing. For yet another act, a bunch of men dressed as fish jumped and flipped over each other and themselves on a trampoline, several going in the air on a trapeze and dropping. At one point in the show, there was a flying rope act, where two men flew through the air, rolling up and to rolling down, crossing each other, mirror images, on enormous sashes coming from the sky. These were not the only acts, there many other mind blowing ones; but you'll have to go there yourself to see them.
When the show was over, my heart sank. I had seen so many wonders, my mind raced about how some things were even physically possible. I had certainly seen a cabinet of curiosities.
KURIOS - Cabinet of Curiosities plays in San Francisco under the Big Top at AT&T Park now through January 18. For more info, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com.