Cirque Du Soleil's CORTEO Kicks Off UK Tour With London Premiere at the O2 Arena

Corteo, the most enchanting of Cirque du Soleil's arena productions, marked the 150th city of its tour with a stunning London premiere at the O2 Arena today, charming audiences with its first UK appearance following a forced two-year postponement.

The unique show, which is themed around a festival imagined by a clown, will run in London from 13 - 17 July 2022 before continuing across the country with shows in Manchester from 5 - 9 October 2022, Glasgow from 12 - 16 October 2022 and Birmingham from 19 - 23 October 2022. General tickets are on sale now at cirquedusoleil.com/corteo or www.livenation.co.uk.

Celebrity guests who graced the red carpet and enjoyed a spectacular performance from the cast of Corteo included Martin Lewis, AJ Pritchard, Arlene Phillips, Grace Chatto (Clean Bandit), Julia Bradbury, Lydia Bright and more.

Corteo, which means cortege in Italian, brings together the passion of the actor with the grace and power of the acrobat to plunge the audience into a theatrical world of fun, comedy and spontaneity situated in a mysterious space between heaven and earth.

This unique production, directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, first premiered in Montreal under the Big Top in April 2005. Since then and including its transformation into an arena show in 2018, the show has amazed audiences of over 9 million people, in 20 countries, on 4 continents. Daniele Finzi Pasca also created LUZIA, presented at the Royal Albert Hall in January and February 2019 and 2022

In a beautiful performance, the clown pictures his own funeral taking place in a carnival atmosphere, watched over by quietly caring angels. Juxtaposing the large with the small, the ridiculous with the tragic and the magic of perfection with the charm of imperfection, the show highlights the strength and fragility of the clown, as well as his wisdom and kindness, to illustrate the portion of humanity that is within each of us. The music turns lyrical and playful carrying Corteo through a timeless celebration in which illusion teases reality.

In a Cirque du Soleil first, the stage is central in the arena and divides the venue, with each half of the audience facing the other half, giving a unique perspective not only of the show, but also a performer's eye view of the audience. An atmosphere like never seen before in Cirque du Soleil arena shows. The set curtains, inspired by the Eiffel Tower, and the central curtains, which were hand painted, give a grandiose feel to the stage. This sets the tone for the poetry of Corteo.