words by NATALIE GAL

When I was a child, I had a friend whose parents owned a circus. She was a gymnast, and from the time she was a toddler, she was training and performing in the shows. I remember watching her with a mix of awe and curiosity. I imagined the lights, the costumes, the roar of the crowd. It seemed glamorous but also a little frightening. The endless travel, the pressure of the performances, the closeness with wild animals—it was a life that felt like both a dream and an impossible challenge.

Now, in The Hague, from this October until Christmas, we’re invited to step into that dream ourselves at CIRQUE DU SOLEIL’s new production, “KURIOS: Cabinet of Curiosities”—even if it’s only for one night. Adulthood has a way of dimming the magic around us; but the truth is, the colours never faded. Perhaps, it was really us who changed. This show is a chance to look again and rediscover that special spark of fantasy.

Written and directed by MICHEL LAPRISE, this special Cirque du Soleil production features 50 performers from 21 countries and in total a travelling team of 120 members. The show is all about amazing people, no animals needed. The performance unfolds inside a retro-futuristic universe, where Belle Époque elegance meets the industrial aesthetics of the steam age.

At the heart of the story is the Seeker, a dreamer who believes in an invisible world of wonders. From his cabinet of curiosities, strange and poetic characters emerge, a nod to the Renaissance practice where aristocrats and scientists collected the rare and the marvellous. Among them are Mr. Microcosmos, Nico the Accordion Man and Klara, the Telegraph of the Invisible. They each embody a concept that is meaningful and poetic.

Expect spectacular acrobatics, live music and storytelling that balances humour with depth. The design is breathtaking, with genius mechanical inventions and costumes whose oversized, fantastical shapes feel rooted in a forgotten era.

Circus culture has been with us since ancient Rome. It is a way for people to gather, marvel, laugh and remember that beauty exists even when the world tries to convince us otherwise. To sit under the lights of the circus is to share something: the reminder that wonder belongs to all of us.

And maybe that’s why this matters now more than ever. In a time when our days are filled with screens, commitments and deadlines, stepping into a Cirque du Soleil show is, dare I say, a small act of rebellion. It’s choosing to believe, if only for a few hours, that magic still exists—because, dear reader, we promise you it does.