We Got A Behind-The-Scenes Look At Cirque Du Soleil’s New “Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities” Production Before It Kicks Off Its Month-Long Run In Grand Prairie.
Just off Belt Line and I-30, a giant blue- and yellow-striped tent sits in the parking lot of Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie. Surrounding the tent are rows and rows of trucks bearing the name “Cirque du Soleil” in big yellow letters.
The entertainment company has a handful of shows in various cities each year, each with different themes to go along. Perhaps you’ve seen their Las Vegas productions, which attract hundreds of people to each show. Or maybe you’ve caught one of their many stops in Dallas in recent years.
History would suggest that you have — or that someone you know has. There’s a reason why, starting tonight, the internationally acclaimed outfit is back in the region for another month-long affair that will run through March 26.
The traveling Cirque du Soleil team arrived here in Grand Prairie about a week ago to prepare for their latest Dallas-area production, an effort called “Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities.” Just based on its scale, a production of this size – one that features 23 international performers and dozens more working behind the scenes – requires some serious preparation. The fact that this particular show centers around the notion of an “alter reality” in which seeing is believing, only further cements the need for careful set-up.
Specifically, the “Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities” narrative revolves around an ambitious inventor whose work defies the laws of time, space and dimension. That plot set in motion, the show’s world then opens up to endless perspectives. Portraying such a fantastical storyline takes some serious effort on the part of the performers, and watching these remarkable athletes train for the show is a spectacle in and of itself.
Making sure the vertical stunt performers stay safe during their acrobatics at this show is Dallas native native Jacob Obermeier, the head of automations for the production .
“We take a giant net across the stage and pull it to about 12,000 pounds of tension, and it makes it really tight,” says Obermeier, a 10-year veteran of the entertainment industry. “The guys are able to go up there and bounce, and they’ll bounce the other guys as high as the tent allows them.”
For this show, that sometimes means leaps as high as 45 feet into the air.
“Being able to pull that much tension inside of a tent is pretty cool for Kurios,” Obermeier says.
“Pretty cool” might not sound like a resounding endorsement. But, considering Obermeier watches these high-end performers plying their craft on a nightly basis, you’ve got to figure it takes a lot to impress him.
For what it’s worth, watching these acrobats practice such jumps impressed the hell out of me.
“Kurious: Cabinet of Curiosities” runs February 17 through March 26 at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie. Head here for tickets and more information.