BEST SHOW UNDER THE SUN

CARES FLY AWAY WHEN CIRQUE DU SOLEIL’S KURIOS HAS YOU GAPING IN DISBELIEF

Sometimes you just need a good escape from reality – a movie, a concert or a show. But now I can’t imagine anything that will ever compare to a better escape than a Cirque du Soleil show.

It’s out of this world.

Or as my seven-year-old daughter said, “I just want to scream, I know I can’t, but this is so amazing!”

And that was just after the opening act of Kurios – Cabinet of Curiosities.

Act after jaw-dropping act delighted the crowd and truly defied belief or a description that does the show, written and directed by Michel Laprise, justice.

The contemporary circus acts include trampolining, chair balancing, rola bola, contortion and human pyramids performed by world-class gymnasts and acrobats.

There’s also juggling, hand puppeteers and yo-yoing, yes yo-yoing, like you’ve never seen before.

An international cast of 47 artists from 17 countries will leave you mesmerised and full of admiration for the otherworldly characters and all their amazing feats of athleticism and artistry.

There’s little wonder why those that I spoke to, if they had seen one show, said they had seen many by the Montreal-based entertainment company.

Sure it would be nice, but you don’t have to travel to Las Vegas, where there are eight different shows on. The tour company often frequents our shores with various shows from Cirque du Soleil, French for ‘Circus of the Sun’.

Now showing under the big top at Northshore Hamilton, the Kurios show runs until February 23.

After the show we’re transferred back to our hotel in the heart of Brisbane’s art and entertainment precinct.

Rydges South Bank is just a 10 to 15-minute drive and we do it in style in a stealth Range Rover Sport.

Back to reality, albeit a surreal one: staying in a hotel that boasts a view of the Brisbane River, is just a bridge-walk away from the city centre and is in the heart of South Bank where restaurants, markets, the parklands, museums and the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) await to be explored.

There are plenty of opportunities yearround to escape your reality and see a show, with Brisbane offering a variety of world-class offerings.

A scene-setting description of Kurios says: “Kurios – Cabinet of Curiosities is a tale in which time comes to a complete stop, transporting the audience inside a fantasy world where everything is possible. In this realm set in the latter half of the 19th century, reality is quite relative indeed as our perception of it is utterly transformed.” Reality is certainly relative.

Some Australians are going through the harshest of realities with the drought and bushfires. I hope we all continue to support

the regions affected by these horrendous conditions and in due time travel and explore them.

And I hope those going through the toughest times at some point are able to get their escape from reality and a chance to fill their minds with hope, wonder and curiosity.