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Fascination Issue 035
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T h e U n o f f i c i a l
C i r q u e d u S o l e i l N e w s l e t t e r
=======================================================================
Issue #35 "There is a Love in me Raging" July 2004
=======================================================================
We're off and running again!
It's certainly been an interesting month here behind the scenes at
Fascination!, and once again I find myself having to apologize for our
untimely release. It does seem like we get later and later each month,
doesn't it? I hope our delay has been worth it, and I think you'll
agree it has. We have a really great issue in-store for you this
month, but then again I always say that.
This month we have a wonderful review of Cirque du Soleil's Birthday
celebration in Montreal -- Midnight Sun. Our own Wayne Leung took time
out of his busy schedule to take part in the festivities, and I think
we'll all agree it was a bash to remember! Our review of CirqueCon
2004 Vancouver continues this month with the first evening of the
gathering. I'll take you through some of the pains of getting to
Vancouver as well as some of the early events we had hoped to
experience. Next issue I'll continue with our very special day, by
examining the behind-the-scenes tour, the Tapis Rouge Experience and,
of course, the show itself. Keith Johnson rings in this month with an
analysis of the facts reported in the Cirque issue of the Hollywood
Reporter, as well as, reviewing Cavalia, the Cirque-esque horse show.
So, let's say we get too it, shall we?
We hope you enjoy this issue of Fascination! If you have any questions
or comments please feel free to email them to us using the following
address: < CirqueFascination-owner@yahoogroups.com >.
- Ricky
===========
CONTENTS
===========
* Cirque Buzz -- News, Rumours & Sightings
* CRQ-TV -- Cirque on Television
* CRQ.NET -- Cirque du Soleil Online
* Itinéraire -- Tour/Show Information
* Didyaknow? -- Facts About Cirque
* Beyond the Bigtop:
"Cirque du Soleil's Birthday Bash: Midnight Sun"
By: Wayne Leung - Ottawa, Ontario (Canada)
* Le Spectacle:
"CirqueCon 2004: We're Off and Running!"
By: Ricky Russo - Orlando, Florida (USA)
* Behind the Curtain:
"The Hollywood Reporter Spotlights Cirque"
By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA)
* Special Engagement:
"A Fan, An Invitation, A Party -- LA NOUBA! (Part Une)"
By: Ricky Russo - Orlando, Florida (USA)
* The Cirque Connection:
"Cavalia Hoofs It"
By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA)
* Parting Quote
* Subscription Information
* Copyright & Disclaimer
=======================================================================
CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS
=======================================================================
Cirque 2005 Tickets On-Sale NOW!
--------------------------------
While its premiere is still eight months away, tickets are now
on-sale for Cirque 2005, Cirque du Soleil's 2005 touring
production! Members of CirqueClub can now purchase a special
ticket pre-sale for Montreal and Quebec City!
Directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, the show will explore the world
of dreams, a dimension somewhere between Heaven and Earth.
In the director's words: "Proportions will live in a different,
strange dimension: great and small, tragic and ridiculous, the
magic of perfection and the charm of imperfection. (...) The
mysticism of this show will transcend through the voice, its
beauty through movement, its craziness through rhythm, its
sensuality through touch, its mystery through gazes, its passion
through dance".
Cirque 2005 will make its world debut on April 21, 2005 on the
shorts of the Old Port of Montreal and will initially run
through May 15th. The second stop on the tour is Quebec City
from June 23rd through July 10th. [Source: Cirque du Soleil]
Mystère Celebrates 5,000th Performance!
---------------------------------------
Now in its 10th year at the Treasure Island Casino-Hotel in Las
Vegas, Mystère has another reason to celebrate: its 5,000th
performance! The commemoration took place during the 7:30pm show
on Sunday, June 27th. Fireworks, confetti and balloons were
released during the finale to mark the milestone.
Mystère previously celebrated its 4,500th performance on Monday,
June 16, 2003; its 4,000th performance on Friday, May 24, 2002
at 7:30pm; its 3,000th performance on Saturday, May 27, 2000 at
10:30pm; and its 2000th performance on Sunday, March 15, 1998 at
7:30pm.
The Fascination! Newsletter wishes the cast and crew of Mystère
the best with many, many more performances to come!
Congratulations!
WDW Passholder La Nouba Special
-------------------------------
Ever wonder, after witnessing the dazzling gymnasts, trapeze
artists, bicyclists and dancers of Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba,
how they did that? Now's your chance!
Walt Disney World Passholders who see La Nouba between July 6th
and September 30th, 2004 qualify to attend a Cirque du Soleil
Q&A! The best part about it is... you can bring up to 3 guests
with you!
The event takes places at the Cirque du Soleil theater at
Downtown Disney Westside from 1 to 2pm on: July 10, 24; August
7, 21; or September 11, 25.
In order to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity, you must register at least 7 days in advance and
save your La Nouba ticket. Only a ticket and a valid Disney
World Passholder ID will admit you into the event! To register,
please visit the website below:
<http://vacation.disneyworld.com/W5RH05A36305C4D33C5503FE2753E0>
And, if you don't yet have your tickets, you can purchase them
now and save 25% on the non-discounted Category 2 seats on
select performances between July 6th through August 21st, and
August 26th through September 30th. These savings are good for
the Passholder and one Guest! [Source: Walt Disney World
Passholder Services]
MGM/Mirage and Mandalay Bay Resorts Come Together
-------------------------------------------------
It was as if a bombshell was dropped on the Las Vegas strip on
June 16, 2004, when the announcement was made that MGM/Mirage
was bidding to takeover Mandalay Bay Resorts in a whopping $7.9
billion dollar deal.
The Mandalay Resort Group currently owns or operates more than
15 casino properties throughout the United States, five of which
are premiere properties in Las Vegas: Mandalay Bay, Luxor,
Excalibur, Monte Carlo (50%) and Circus Circus.
MGM Mirage currently owns and operates 12 casino resorts located
in Nevada, Mississippi, Michigan and Australia. It's portfolio
of brands include the Bellagio, MGM Grand Las Vegas, The Mirage,
Treasure Island, New York-New York, Boardwalk Hotel and Casino,
and Monte Carlo (50%) all located on the famous Las Vegas Strip.
The combination of these two massive companies has many worried,
but excited about the possibilities. Fascination! wants to know
one thing, however, what does all this mean for current and
future Cirque du Soleil projects in Las Vegas? For now, those at
Cirque are remaining tight-lipped. Only time will tell. However,
with three currently running shows with a forth (at MGM-Grand)
and fifth (at Mirage) coming soon, the possibilities are
endless. Stay tuned! [Source: Las Vegas Sun; Ricky Russo]
More Remixes on Their Way!
--------------------------
While we thought Solarium was a noble experiment, we wondered
whether Cirque would move forward with the concept. According
to a feature in the June 15th Hollywood Reporter, they are!
Last December, Cirque's 13-year distribution contract with BMG
expired. At that time CDS Musique General Manager Ian Tremblay
reorganized the division to place control of all its musical
properties in-house. They now have distribution deals in place
with various companies worldwide for distribution.
One of the first releases will be coming in September! "20 Years
Under The Sun" is described as a 2-disk CD/DVD combination remix
package. Some of the recruited remixers include Louie Vega,
Sasha, Tiesto, Francois K, Roger Sanchez, and Alian Vinet. Disk
1 will be a repackage of "Solarium" with its chill-out mixes.
The second disk, "Delirium," is a high-energy dance-floor
compilation. In fact, Cirque has been "test marketing" some of
the new tracks for the set - we're aware of a Louie Vega remix
of "Emballa" from Varekai and a Roger Sanches tribal remix of
"Kumbalawe" from Saltimbanco that have made their way into the
hands of DJ's.
But that's not all. Later on, CDS Musique will spin off a
subsidiary label devoted to new talent. One of the bands
involved will be Quicksound, a Montreal-based percussion troupe.
The launch party of this new label will be taking place in early
November. Plans for the label also call for extensive tours
featuring the label's artists.
Now, if they could only get around to releasing the "Zumanity"
soundtrack! [Source: Hollywood Reporter, Keith Johnson]
"Lovesick" Coming to Bravo
--------------------------
Back in March we reported that a documentary on Zumanity, the
Cirque du Soleil resident show at the New York-New York Hotel-
Casino in Las Vegas, had wrapped. The documentary, entitled
"Lovesick", is a very candid behind the scenes look at the
making of Zumanity and it is currently set to air on Bravo USA
in 2005. Here's what they have to say about it:
"Lovesick exposes the challenging production of Cirque's first
adults-only show, Zumanity. Viewers are thrown into the
turbulent lives of Zumanity's five characters who are each
struggling with the show's sexual themes, as well as their own
personal dramas. Meanwhile, as a group, the performers struggle
to remain focused on the most provocative Cirque show ever
staged. Filmed over an entire year, the special covers
Zumanity's early rehearsals up through its dazzling opening
night at New York/New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The
physically and emotionally draining drama behind the scenes only
makes Zumanity's debut that much more powerful."
Other upcoming, yet to be determined airdate, specials are:
Cirque du Soleil Presents La Nouba, and Cirque du Soleil 20th
Anniversary Special. [Source: Bravo Networks]
In the Ring
-----------
Starting in December 2004, observation lounges in at least two
of Celebrity Cruise's Millennium-class ships will feature
entertainment especially designed for them by Cirque du Soleil
in accordance with a partnership agreement earlier released. The
concept is said to be called "The Bar at the Edge of the Earth".
The first Cirque cruise departs on the Constellation from San
Juan on December 4th. For further information visit Celebrity
Cruises at the following address: < http://www.celebrity.com >.
Is Cirque du Soleil planning more permanent venues? You betcha!
Cirque President and CEO Daniel Lamarre recently alluded to no
less than three new permanent ventures within the next few
years; Tokyo, London and New York City. "I wouldn't want to put
a calendar to the construction," Lamarre said in an interview
with The Star (www.thestar.com) but I think it's safe to say we
will begin work on the Tokyo project very soon."
The rumored delay in the debut of MGM Grand/Cirque 2005 has
finally been confirmed. Lammare announced that it is indeed true
that the new Vegas Show has postponed its opening to either
December 2004 or January 2005 due to technical difficulties.
And, on July 11th, Zara Tellander sang her last vocals for
Cirque du Soleil's Varekai, a position she filled for two years.
Zara will be returning to her native Sweden.
=======================================================================
CRQ-TV -- CIRQUE ON TELEVISION!
=======================================================================
* CIRQUE DU SOLEIL PRESENTS LA NOUBA
----------------------------------
Network: HBO Ole (Latin America)
< http://www.hbo-la.tv/ >
Aug 14 @ 07:15pm HBO Este
Aug 14 @ 09:15pm HBO Oeste
Aug 17 @ 05:15pm HBO Este
Aug 17 @ 07:15pm HBO Oeste
Aug 20 @ 12:00pm HBO Este
Aug 20 @ 02:00pm HBO Oeste
Aug 23 @ 03:30pm HBO Este
Aug 23 @ 05:30pm HBO Oeste
Aug 26 @ 11:30am HBO Este
Aug 26 @ 01:30pm HBO Oeste
[Schedule courtesy HBO-LA and Rodolfo Elizondo from
group fanmexicosoleil]
* CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: FIRE WITHIN
-----------------------------
Network: Vitaya - Belgium (Europe)
-- Thursday's at 9:00pm
Network: Odyssey Television - Australia
-- Wednesday's at 9:30pm
Network: Bravo - United States
* Episode 1: * Episode 8:
Jul 27 at 5:30am Aug 04 at 5:30am
* Episode 2: * Episode 9:
Jul 28 at 5:30am Not Airing
* Episode 3: * Episode 10:
Aug 07 at 6:30am Jul 21 at 5:30am
* Episode 4: * Episode 11:
Not Airing Jul 23 at 5:30am
* Episode 5: * Episode 12:
Not Airing Jul 24 at 5:30am
* Episode 6: * Episode 13:
Aug 14 at 6:30am Jul 25 at 6:30am
* Episode 7:
Not Airing
* NOTE: Check your local listings for complete information. Schedule
is subject to change.
=======================================================================
CRQ.NET -- CIRQUE DU SOLEIL ONLINE
=======================================================================
This Month in Cirque Club
(By: Keith Johnson)
-------------------------
They were sure busy this month, with lots of Anniversaries and firsts
to cover. Firstly, an article by our very own Erstwhile Editor Ricky
about CirqueCon Vancouver 2004! Anne-Josee gives a compelling first-
hand report of being in the crowd for Cirque du Minuit. And Cirque has
broken a record! To celebrate Cirque's 20th anniversary by
commemorating Gilles Ste-Croix's 90-kilometer stilt walk from Baie-
Saint-Paul to Quebec City, 544 people donned stilts and walked their
way into the record books! They had to walk at least 100 meters in
stilts at least 12 inches high. Cirque Club covers it nicely with
three gallery pages. They also have a bit on the Celebrity Cruises
deal.
There are also more contests! While the contest for Quidam in
Aukland, New Zealand has closed; this time it's for the November 4th
premiere of Quidam in Brisbane. But you must be a resident of New
Zealand to enter and do so by late July, sorry. Finally, in one of
the longest articles I've seen on the site, is a great diary-format
report of a "Cirque du Monde"-ish gathering of youth from around the
world to work on a performance in Sydney, Australia.
And there are several new clothes items in the Boutique, with the
debut of the "20th Anniversary" line of clothing.
In Cirque Club marketing messages, Anne-Josee wrote about Alegria's
leaving New York -- "Well, it's hard to believe that we have less than
two weeks left of our stay in New York. Our time here is flying by,
but we're still managing to squeeze every last "bite" out of the Big
Apple! Between cast, crew and staff, we've seen just about every
major play on Broadway. Some of our favorites have included Avenue Q,
Wicked, De La Guardia, Big Apple Circus and the NYC Ballet Balanchine
Tribute. Much like the millions of other visitors, we got to play
tourist and fell under the spell of the Empire State Building, the
Statue of Liberty, Times Square and Central Park. We love what the
city has to offer and the diversity of the people found within it. It
was in some ways like our tour team-a melting pot of nationalities and
cultures. We felt right at home!"
She also wrote about Varekai's triumphant advance ticket sale, where
they have already sold over 1/3 of all their available seats!
"We would like to thank the people of Washington, D.C. for your
amazing response. The Cirque Club advance sale for our upcoming
engagement with Varekai, our latest touring production, has shocked
us! In fact, during last month's Cirque Club exclusive ticket sale
period, members in Washington purchased more than 35,000 tickets-a 50%
increase in ticket sales compared to our last visit. This increase
positioned Washington among our top ten most successful tour stops in
North America! Other cities on the list include New York, San
Francisco, Chicago and Toronto."
Above text reprinted courtesy of Cirque Club.
La Presse:
----------
1. [Father's More than a Big Baby in Mystère -- Las Vegas Sun]
< http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/sun/2004/jun/18/
517040607.html >
=======================================================================
ITINÉRAIRE -- TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION
=======================================================================
Note that any information in brackets [] is UN-official information
and subject to change.
[Touring Shows]
Alegría:
* Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -- Avenue of the Arts
Dates: July 8, 2004 to Aug 8, 2004
* Toronto, Ontario -- Ontario Place
Dates: Aug 19, 2004 to Sep 26, 2004
* Tokyo, Japan:
Dates: Oct 29, 2004 to Jan 23, 2005
* Fukuoka, Japan:
Dates: Feb 9, 2005 to Apr 3, 2005
* Nagoya, Japan:
Dates: Apr 20, 2005 to Jun 12, 2005
* Osaka, Japan:
Dates: Jun 25, 2005 to Aug 10, 2005
Cirque 2005:
* Montreal, Quebec, Canada -- Jacques-Cartier Pier
Dates: Apr 21, 2005 to May 15, 2005
* Quebec City, Quebec, Canada -- Galeries de la Capitale
Dates: Jun 23, 2003 to Jul 10, 2005
Dralion:
* Vienna, Austria -- Prater - Rotundenplatz
Dates: Jun 3, 2004 to Aug 1, 2004
* Antwerp, Belgium -- Gedempte Zuiderdokken
Dates: Aug 12, 2004, to Oct 3, 2004
* Madrid, Spain -- TBA
Dates: Oct 15, 2004 to Nov 21, 2004
* London, England -- Royal Albert Hall
Dates: Jan 6, 2005 to Jan 30, 2005
Quidam:
* Calgary, Alberta, Canada -- Currie Barracks
Dates: June 24, 2004 to July 31, 2004
* Sydney, Australia -- The Showring, Fox Studios
Dates: Aug 12, 2004 to OPEN
* Brisbane, Australia -- Kingsford Smith Drive
Dates: Nov 4, 2004 to TBA
* Auckland, New Zealand -- TBA
Dates: Dec 31, 2004 to OPEN
* Melbourne, Australia -- TBA
Dates: Mar 4, 2005 to OPEN
* Adelaide, Australia -- TBA
Dates: May 12, 2005 to OPEN
* Perth, Australia -- TBA
Dates: June 30, 2005 to OPEN
Saltimbanco:
* Gijon, Spain -- Puerto de Musel / Muelle de la Osa
Dates: June 25, 2004 to TBA
* Frankfurt, Germany -- Next to the Jahrhunderthalle
Dates: Aug 20, 2004 to Sep 10, 2004
* Rome, Italy -- Viale Cristoforo Colombo
Dates: Oct 7, 2004 to Oct 24, 2004
* Lille, France -- TBA
Dates: Nov 25, 2004 to Dec 26, 2004
* Manchester, UK -- TBA
Dates: Jan 6, 2005 to OPEN
* Birmingham, UK -- TBA
Varekai:
* Denver, Colorado -- Pepsi Center
Dates: Jun 3, 2004 to Jul 22, 2004
* Boston, Massachusetts -- Suffolk Downs
Dates: Jul 27, 2004 to Aug 22, 2004
[May extend to Sep 5, 2004]
* Washington, DC -- Grounds of RFK Stadium
Dates: Sep 16, 2004 to Oct 10, 2004
[May extend to Oct 24, 2004]
* Dallas, Texas -- Fair Park
Dates: Nov 4, 2004 to Dec 5, 2004
[May Extend to Dec 19, 2004]
* Houston, Texas -- TBA
* Austin, Texas -- TBA
* Pittsburg, Pennsylvania -- TBA
* Baltimore, Maryland -- TBA
* Hartford, Connecticut -- TBA
* Columbus, Ohio -- TBA
* Detroit, Michigan -- TBA
* Miami, Florida -- TBA
[Resident Shows]
La Nouba:
* Two shows Nightly - 6:00pm and 9:00pm
* Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark Sunday/Monday
* Location: Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando (USA)
* 2004 Dark Dates:
-- July 20th - July 5th -- October 17th - 20th
-- August 22nd - 25th -- December 6th - 13th
Mystère:
* Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:30pm
Beginning June 13th: Except Sundays; 4:30pm and 7:30pm
* Performs: Friday through Tuesday, Dark Wednesday/Thursday
Beginning June 9th: Wednesday - Sunday, Dark Monday/Tuesday
* Location: Treasure Island, Las Vegas (USA)
* 2004 Dark Dates:
-- August 23rd - 31st -- November 28th
-- October 3rd, 6th
"O":
* Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:30pm
* Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark Monday/Tuesday
* Location: Bellagio, Las Vegas (USA)
* 2004 Dark Dates:
-- August 9th - 17th -- December 6th - 21st
-- October 11th - 13th
Zumanity:
* Two Shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 10:30pm
* Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday
* Location: New York-New York, Las Vegas (USA)
* 2004 Dark Dates:
-- August 15th - 18th -- November 28th - 30th
-- October 10th - 13th -- December 1st - 20th
=======================================================================
DIDYAKNOW? -- FACTS ABOUT CIRQUE
=======================================================================
* Did you know that the German Wheel was invented in 1925 by Otto
Fick, and was used as a Nazi propaganda device? That's right! The
German Wheel actually became the most practised sport by Hitlerian
Youth during the rise of the Nazi Movement. During the 1936 Olympic
Games, the Nazi propaganda machine even placed a Swastika in the
middle of the wheel. When the Third Reich fell, the Wheel was banned
worldwide. It was Israel, in the 1970s, which brought the Wheel out of
obscurity and back into the light, making it the more dynamic and
artistic sport we know today.
* Did you know that the last five touring productions all premiered in
Montréal during the same week in April? Saltimbanco premiered on April
23, 1992; Alegría on April 21, 1994; Quidam on April 23, 1996; Dralion
on April 22, 1999; and Varekai on April 24, 2002. Cirque 2005 will
continue this tradition by premiering on April 21, 2005! Previous
tours had staggering premieres, take for example, the 1985 tour, which
premiered in Montréal's Old Port on May 14, 1985.
=======================================================================
BEYOND THE BIGTOP:
"Cirque du Soleil's Birthday Bash: Midnight Sun"
By: Wayne Leung - Ottawa, Ontario (Canada)
=======================================================================
Twenty years ago Cirque du Soleil was founded by a group of
artists who performed on the streets. Appropriately, for the
celebration of the company's 20th anniversary the performers returned
to the streets from whence they came. Coincidentally, another of
Montreal's great cultural institutions, Le Festival Internationale de
Jazz de Montréal, also celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. As a
special thank-you gift to the members of the public who established
these two organizations as cultural icons, the Jazz Fest and Cirque du
Soleil joined forces to produce a commemorative concert to close this
year's edition of the festival.
Produced by Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon with the musical direction
of Guy Dubuc and Marc Lessard, Soleil de Minuit (Midnight Sun) was
described as a meeting of the sun (representing Cirque du Soleil) and
the moon (representing the Jazz festival) and resulted in a dream
concert for fans of Cirque du Soleil's music. The program handed out
at the gates claimed that the evening's show would surround the
audience and feature 200 artists, dancers, musicians and singers.
The mega-bash took place on the evening of Sunday, July 11, 2004. The
city of Montreal closed a length of Ste. Catherine Street spanning
several city blocks in front of the Place des Arts performance halls.
A large stage was set up at one end of the plaza with sunrays
radiating out from the proscenium arch. The main sun stage gave way
to a long catwalk that ended in a circular, spinning moon satellite
stage.
By mid day the crowd had already begun to form at the site and was
treated to rehearsals and sound-checks. As the sun set and a warm,
humid summer evening began, the crowd grew bigger. By show time the
assembled audience would include approximately 205,000 people with
hundreds of thousands more watching the event live on television.
In the early evening I waded through the densely packed crowd to get
as close to the action as possible. About half an hour before the
scheduled start time, the stage shuddered to life and lighting effects
danced on the curtains and illuminated the rays projecting from the
proscenium arch. A slow, tribal percussion beat was played over the
sound system to set the mystical mood for the evening's performance.
Finally, with an excited roar from the crowd, an announcer heralded
the arrival of Alain Simard, founder of the Montreal Jazz Fest and Guy
Laliberté, President of Cirque du Soleil. The two gentlemen
enthusiastically welcomed the massive crowd. "We wanted to celebrate
our respective anniversaries and give you, the people, a gift," said
Guy.
The large video screens lining the street displayed the title sequence
and officially the show began. The camera zoomed in on a character
perched on a small stage on top of the Museum of Contemporary Art,
overlooking the crowd. Soleil de Minuit's overarching story is about
an idealistic and visionary dreamer "Le Rêveur" (played by Paul
Ahmarani), a sort of Jules Verne-inspired Fogus Punch who dreams of a
solar eclipse and sends out invitations via balloon to tribes all over
the world to come and celebrate the meeting of the sun and the moon.
It's a slightly corny story but it serves its purpose by tying the
disparate elements of the concert together.
As a whole the performance was average. It was sometimes reminiscent
of Solstrom; the costumes were minimal, and only three of the featured
acts were actually from live Cirque du Soleil shows. Contracted
performers and second-stringers performed the rest of the numbers.
Where the show really shone was as a concert featuring the music of
Cirque du Soleil. Several former Cirque du Soleil singers were
featured. Laur Fugère (Saltimbanco), Élise Velle (Mystère), Francine
Poitras (Saltimbanco), Mathieu Lavoie (Quidam, Varekai), and Francesca
Gagnon (Alegría) were all on hand to recreate the songs they performed
on the original Cirque du Soleil albums along with an array of guest
musical artists from around the world. The experience was an absolute
treat for ardent Cirque fans. The original Cirque voices looked like
pop stars performing in a show with more spectacle, grandeur and
screaming fans than a Madonna concert. Throughout the night the
atmosphere was electric. The crowd came to party and party it did,
the infectious beat of the music overtook many in the audience who
swayed and danced or clapped their hands in time to the music despite
being crammed together like sardines. It was an incredible
atmosphere.
The show starts with a peal from a Taïko drum, calling everyone to the
celebration. A tribal procession of dancers and percussionists makes
its way onto the stage and a pumped-up dance remix of "Birimbau" from
Mystère shakes the earth with Élise Velle singing the exotic melody.
The stage fills with dancers and percussionists who radiate an immense
energy to the crowd.
After the raucous introduction, a string section (the I Musici chamber
orchestra of Montreal) is heard filling the air with the opening
strains of "Il Sogno di Volare", the theme to Saltimbanco's Bungee
Ballet. The curtains part and Francine Poitras is revealed dressed
like a galactic empress from Star Trek in a black dress and tall hat.
The beautiful operatic aria has never sounded better then when
accompanied by live strings.
As soon as the aria winds down we see Chris Lashua of Quidam inside a
German Wheel being borne to the stage on the shoulders of four
porters. Chris proceeds to perform his dazzling wheel act to the
rowdy, Cajun-inspired song "Zydeko" from Quidam, complete with Mathieu
Lavoie playfully scatting, yelping and giggling. As the act climaxes
with Chris spiraling perilously, the wheel erupts into a shower of
fireworks until he is upright again, a spectacular surprise ending for
the act.
When the sparks die down we find an accordion player seated on stage,
Francesca Gagnon appears wearing a red dress and assumes the role of a
jilted lover. She begins to sing "Querer" while two dancers perform a
dynamic and violent pas de deux. The choreography is a little over-
the-top but it provides a fitting illustration for the theme of a song
sung with so much aching emotion by Francesca.
The song ends and the dancers embrace. Meanwhile, drums pound out the
rhythm of "Bamboo" from Dralion and Chinese lion dancers fill the
stage. Midway through the song DJ P-Love starts mixing beats into
the live percussion and scratches up a storm with spectacular results.
Next, Brazilian singer Daniela Mercury joins Mathieu Lavoie to sing
"Emballa" from Varekai. Keeping with the theme of the Brazilian-
inspired song, performers take to the stage in mock battle, showcasing
the Brazilian form of martial arts called Capoeira.
The crowd's attention is then drawn high above the ground to a man
dangling from Le Rêveur's perch and performing an aerial act of twists
and figures using nothing but a hanging rod. The song "Le Rêveur"
from the Varekai album fills the air and Youssou N'Dour, acclaimed
world music artist and the "voice of Africa" walks down the catwalk in
a flowing black and red robe. Youssou lends his unique touch and
golden voice to the vocalizations of the song. Meanwhile another act
progresses onstage - a woman thrashes and writhes while trapped
inside a Plexiglass box. The two acts are supposed to contrast the
freedom of flight with the suffocation of imprisonment, but the aerial
act is too understated and the glass coffin number too overstated to
get the point across. Nonetheless, the music is the number's saving
grace.
Continuing the African motif, the music breaks into a remix of Sun
Drum Fun from Varekai (a variation on the Carmen Rizzo Toumany remix
featured on the Siddharta Spirit of Buddha Bar Vol. 2 compilation,
which sounds nothing like the live version). Youssou N'Dour continues
his vocalizations backed up by an African choir. Meanwhile, a group
of performers on stage and in the windows of the adjacent Hyatt
Regency hotel perform a slow and graceful tai chi.
A simple but beautiful performance follows as Québec's Jorane sings
"Marelle" from Quidam while accompanying herself on the cello.
Performers on stilts roam the stage and Le Rêveur is spotted pulling a
very long red silk scarf out from under his coat.
Daniela Mercury returns and joins Jorane and Mathieu Lavoie in a
rendition of El Péndulo from Varekai. A team of acrobats runs around
the satellite stage while manipulating a woman attached to a flying
rig at the end of a lever. Unfortunately, the apparatus is much too
clumsy and awkward to effectively convey the freedom of flight,
especially compared to the images of the Atherton twins that the music
conjures. But the song is beautifully sung and the music once again
saves the act.
A boring clown act follows where a guy dressed like the Quidam
character repeatedly runs into a Plexiglass wall. Unfortunately, the
routine falls flat with the audience as well.
Soon, a brigade of bagpipers marches onto the stage and leads the
orchestra into "Simcha" from "O" featuring Mathieu, Élise and Francine
with Laur singing the lead. The same team of acrobats who performed
the flying harness now execute choreography, running up repeatedly
against Plexiglass wall and forming figures. The act is supposed
to be artistic but just comes off as silly. Fortunately, "Simcha"
sounds spectacular with the brass section laying it down together with
the accents from the bagpipes.
One of the evening's highlights comes when Mathieu Lavoie takes centre
stage, looking smashing in a burgundy suit, and sings the English
version of "Let Me Fall" from Quidam. Isabelle Chassé is hoisted high
above the crowd and performs her Aerial Contortion in Silk act with
the fabric blowing dramatically in the breeze.
At the conclusion of the song the band transitions into the fast,
second movement of the version used in the live show. Mathieu
vocalizes the guitar riffs while Isabelle writhes and contorts
frantically in the red fabric, a brilliant presentation of this
dramatic act.
The next number is one of the biggest crowd-pleasers of the evening.
Joseph Dominick Bauer performs on the Wheel of Death (think hamster
wheel attached to a long pendulum about 30 feet high). This act was
featured in the Cosmic Disco episode of Solstrom.
Accompanying the wheel of death; a thundering dance remix of "Mer
Noire" from "O" rocks the audience. The crowd cheers, dances and
claps rhythmically to the infectious beat while "ooh"-ing and "ahh"-
ing the death-defying act.
Next, the audience is treated to an all-time Cirque du Soleil
favourite. Yves Descost and Marie-Laure Mesnage take to the spinning
centre platform to perform their Vis-Versa Statues act from Quidam.
While the act is amazing to experience in a big top with a crowd of
2,600 in rapt attention, the act is sublime when 200,000 watch in
quiet reverence. The taïko beats periodically and the orchestra
strikes up "Reveil."
After a moment of solace it's time to start the party up again. As a
remixed version of "Oscillum" fills the air the crowd dances and sways
while the stage ignites with a team of artists wielding fire wands.
The fire jugglers and fire breathers create an inferno on stage. The
scene reminds me of an expanded version of the fire act originally
featured in Zumanity with its veiled references to S&M in the costume
treatment.
After nearly two full hours, the time has come for the end of the
show. A voice rings out over the speakers, "Alegría". The crowd
erupts into a cheer, as Francesca Gagnon emerges dressed in the full
White Singer costume from Alegría. She beckons us to sing along and
we gladly oblige. The familiar strains of Cirque's signature song
fill the air, many in the crowd sing along while waving little
souvenir cardboard suns in the air. Snow machines perched on top of
buildings create a gentle flurry and as the song climaxes fireworks
are set-off from building rooftops, a spectacular finale to a magical
concert. The crowd erupts into a loud ovation at the end of the song.
As "Mirko" from Alegría fills the air, a giant inflatable moon is
tossed into the audience where the crowd proceeds to play catch with
it. The artists and several costumed characters from Cirque du
Soleil's shows take the stage for a final bow.
The singers end the show leaving us with a chanted version of "Horéré
Ukundé" and the crowd disperses.
Leaving the massive event I remember feeling strangely satisfied. It
wasn't the greatest Cirque show I had seen by a long shot but what
made the experience so special was being in a crowd with so many other
fans and participating in a communal celebration of these two
homegrown organizations that bring magic into our lives. It was an
experience that I'll keep with me for a long time to come. Let it be
known that Cirque du Soleil knows how to throw a great party!
(Editor's Note: The show was also broadcast on CBC from 9:30-11:30pm
on Sunday, July 11th. Since it ran over 15 minutes, many VCR's didn't
catch the end, and most in America didn't see it at all. But fear
not! According to Cirque's "On Screen," Cirque du Minuit is scheduled
to be broadcast on Bravo Network on Friday, November 19th.)
=======================================================================
LE SPECTACLE:
"CirqueCon 2004: We're Off and Running!"
By: Ricky Russo - Orlando, Florida (USA)
=======================================================================
It's Saturday, May 22, 2004, and it's breakfast time down at Douglas
House, a beautiful old Victorian-style Bed and Breakfast on Cambie
Street near the heart of Downtown Vancouver, BC. We're just on the
other side of the Cambie Bridge and the old Expo center on West 13th
Avenue. I currently occupy room number two, a small yet cozy single
room with a Queen sized bed, my own sink, a television and a couple of
chairs on the second floor of the house. It's raining a bit now, but
that doesn't seem to dampen the spirits around here. Chatter fills the
air as many of our group has awakened to the sounds and smells of
mealtime.
Right across from me at the table is Simon Chavez, a twelve year-old
here with his dad Todd (from Idaho). He's had his head stuffed in his
Game Boy Advance console ever since he arrived. Keith Johnson (from
Seattle, Washington) is currently tormenting young Simon about his
unrelenting Game Boy playing, which Simon is cleverly not having
anything of.
Joining Keith is his wife LouAnna, her aunt Barb Houde, cousin Shelly
Blakeslee (from Missoula, Montana), and his father-in-law Calvin Davis
(from Spokane, Washington). Oh, and here comes Jeff Tolotti (from
Virginia) and Danielle Wall (from Ontario, California) who are staying
in nearby Cambie Lodge, another wonderful Bed and Breakfast. They
represent but a small fraction of the folks I've met thus far, and
have yet to meet, as this gathering goes on.
What gathering?
Why, CirqueCon Vancouver 2004 of course! 30 fans of Cirque du Soleil
came together in Vancouver from across North and Central America to
celebrate not only our friendship, but also Quidam. Quidam, which
comes from Latin for "a nameless passerby," is Cirque du Soleil's
ninth production, which premiered in Montreal on April 23, 1996. Since
then it has been heralded as one of Cirque du Soleil's quintessential
productions, showing us that we are all Quidams in one form or
another.
"It could be anyone, anybody," the show's programme allows. "Someone
coming, going, living in our anonymous society. A member of the crowd,
one of the silent majority. One who cries out, sings and dreams within
us all."
In the world of Cirque du Soleil's Quidam, the one who cries out is
Zoë, a young girl who fumes because she believes she's seen everything
there is to see, experienced all there is to experience. For her, the
world has lost all meaning. Her anger, sharp and unforgiving, shatters
her little world and soon she finds herself in the universe of Quidam.
Within this universe she finds she is not alone; Zoë is joined by a
joyful companion (Target) and a more mysterious character (John) that
will attempt to seduce her with the marvelous, the unsettling, and the
terrifying.
It's the marvelous that draws us, the Cirque "Passionates," to
Vancouver for this inaugural CirqueCon. It's been organized chaos
since we arrived, with our plans changing up to the very last minute.
But we're quite excited to be here. Cirque du Soleil has some
wonderful experiences waiting for us today, but last night was one of
the best evenings I've had with people I've never met before in my
life.
Last Night (the 21st), around 5:30pm, we welcomed our guests and
friends in style with a Cocktail/Show & Tell hour, which turned out to
be great fun. There were many of Cirque's older programmes and press
kits to look through. Keith brought his Wallpaper books and there
were a variety of other rare Cirque goodies to show off. The food
(including meats, cheeses, and of course Applets and Cotlets) catered
by Keith's wife, LouAnna and was simply delicious! I met many of the
Con's participants at the Cocktail Hour; including but not limited to:
Roderick Mariano (from Virginia), Albert Tsai, Shanna Shih, Taylor
Jeffs & Steven Rodriquez (California), Dave Lee (Georgia), Gary & Jill
Chapman (Oregon), and Rafael & Angelica Serrano (from Tijuana,
Mexico!) We drank "Cirque du Rosé" wine, regaled our friendships, and
even handed out a few gifts -- our own home-produced CirqueCon
programme, a two-CD set of rare Cirque music and badges with
everyone's name on them! It was a taste of things to come...
To be honest, Keith and I almost missed the Cocktail Hour ourselves!
Why? Thank the Canadian border agents. Honestly, I think the border
agents wanted to give a couple of unsuspecting American guys a hard
time. Imagine the two of us pulling up to the Canadian/USA border
through the truck crossing on Pacific Highway in Blaine with passports
in hand and a timetable to keep. At first things seemed to be going
well, however, the border agents seemed confused about the 40 programs
and 80 CD's we had sitting out in the open in the backseat. "You're
giving these away? You're not making any money? They aren't
commercial?" Overloading the intelligence of the border-crossing
officer we had to park and take a form into the customs building for
review and explain the entire situation to someone slightly more
evolved.
Great.
We were detained nearly 45 minutes as they schlepped us from one
building to the next with rudeness prevalent, recanting our story to
3-4 more people along the way. The last woman we spoke with (after
getting our paper stamped and cleared by the commercial office) was
very anxious and intent to find some kind of infraction to charge us
with. She tore out the entire contents of Keith's trunk (which was
packed very full). She came back into the building with the 6-pack of
Cirque du Rosé wine we had for the Cocktail Hour.
I watched as she strutted her way from the car into the building via a
side door, a smug look about her. "Okay my little Cirque fans," she
hailed. "What's this? You said you had only four bottles of wine and
this is six." Problem is; she didn't bother to look at the bottles.
While it's true there were six in the pack, four were Cirque du Rosé
wine, while the other two were sparkling water/cider type drinks and
non-alcoholic. Once she realized that she threw the case down upon the
counter and bid us a hasty farewell.
"Okay, well, BYE!"
After collecting our IDs from the agent, we grabbed the wine, repacked
the car and returned to the roadway, clear for takeoff. Unfortunately
that wouldn't be our only problem getting into Vancouver. We ran into
traffic just before the George Massey tunnel -- it was backed up to
one lane; therefore we took an alternate route over the Alex Frasier
Bridge (on Canadian Route 91). It put us well out of our way (by about
10 miles or so) but it was the only other option open to us.
But we made it to the party, and I think it was a great success.
Later, as the Cocktail party started to settle down (and as more of
Jeff's party went off to that evening's performance of Quidam) it was
decided amongst Keith's group to head on down to a restaurant entitled
Brothers, in Gastown -- an area where the city of Vancouver began.
It's said Gastown was established in the same year that Canada became
a nation (1867) and is named after "gold prospector, riverboat captain
and saloon keeper John 'Gassy Jack' Deighton." Its old, historic and
an interesting place. If I had to compare Gastown to a place I've
before visited, I would have to say it is (at least in spirit) similar
to the Jacques Cartier Square in the Old Porte of Montreal.
As for Saturday, there's so much planned that I find I'm already super
excited!
12:00pm -- Meeting with Cirque Merchandising
01:30pm -- Backstage Tour of Quidam
04:30pm -- Spaghetti Factory Group Dinner in Gastown
08:00pm -- Quidam, Group Show
10:45pm -- Q&A with Artists
11:30pm -- Possible Drink with BJ
Well... my French toast has finally arrived so its time to put down
the pencil and eat. Keith's party will be headed out to Stanley Park
this morning and I'm in on that. So, I guess I better tuck in!
(To Be Continued...)
=======================================================================
BEHIND THE CURTAIN:
"The Hollywood Reporter Spotlights Cirque"
By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA)
=======================================================================
Cirque has been popping up in some interesting places lately. One of
them is a special 30-page section in the Hollywood Reporter's
"International Edition" of June 15-21. The issue sports a full-color
cover portrait of Skywatcher, Guide, Olga, and Anton posing in front
of the Varekai Tent. The back cover is a mosaic of 49 character faces
from all Cirque shows.
Inside the issue, in addition to the "congratulatory" ads normally
taken out by associates, vendors, and others associated with the
"honoree" (Cirque du Soleil in this case) are 13 pages of features,
including:
* An overall view of the company and it's current status
* Interviews with CEO Guy Laliberte and COO Daniel Lamarre
* A visit to the training center, and the casting process
* Articles on the Production and Costuming departments
* Discussion of the new circus arts complex, Tohu, which will
open this September across from the Cirque IHQ
* Plans for Cirque du Soleil Musique
The articles, written by Irene Lacher, Etan Vlessing, and Ada Guerin,
aren't for the most part very long - most of them only run one full
page. Yet there are several new finds in those pages. Allow us to
run down some of them for you...
* Guy Laliberte on how he would describe his management style: "Much
more hands-off but completely aware of everything that is happening.
I have a great team around me, and they know how I work and what I
need to know. Creatively, I am a little more hands-on, but then again
not in the complete creative process. That's why the creators chose
to call me "Guide" some time ago. I like to not be too involved in
the beginning and during the process so as to keep this fresh look and
be able to give constructive recommendation on the final production."
* President and COO Daniel Lamarre on brand identity and the Cirque
audience: "We spend a fair amount of time understanding our brand. We
know what we want to be, but we have to respect how our consumers
perceive us. The research on our brand is very touching and puts an
additional responsibility on our shoulders. People are expecting us
to do things, to be innovative - they recognize values that they don't
see anywhere else. They understand we are creative-driven, so if we
became a business, they would be disappointed. They don't want us to
be a corporation; they see us as street performers. They like to see
us as nomadic, as people traveling around the world - and we are.
We're trying to make sure everyone in the world sees our shows."
* Cirque's formula for success? Partly it includes the following:
* Don't let budgets or purse string-minders dictate content.
* Invest heavily in research and development, but steer clear of
conventional market research about what audiences say they
want to see. In fact, don't worry about audiences, just
express yourself.
* Embrace risk.
* Never, ever relinquish creative control, no matter how much
money is on the table.
* There are currently three creative teams working on productions at
the Cirque IHQ, including a show for 2006.
* Cirque invests 70% of its profit back into developing new creative
content. Half of that money goes into research and development, more
than double what the average corporation invests, according to
Lamarre. The shows produce 85% of the $100 million a year the company
nets on $500 million in annual revenue.
* MGM Mirage has the exclusive contract to partner with Cirque on
shows in "gaming jurisdictions." Though the article indicates they
are still talking with Cirque and other suppliers about a replacement
for the Siegfried & Roy show, MGM Mirage is talking with Cirque about
possible shows at properties in Asia and the United Kingdom. (See "In
the Ring" in this issue.)
* Luc Plamondon, VP Production, and Eleni Uranis, Assistant Costume
Designer tell an interesting tale of the development of costume
technology for "O". A week after the show opened, costumers found
that chlorine was ruining the elasticity of the hand-painted sheer
netting of the costumes. Corsetry fabrics were tried, but they were
too heavy. So every three weeks they would try something else. A
year later they hit on a Lycra netting that allows water to pass
through so that air pockets don't form inside the suits.
Early on in production, performers started developing skin disorders.
With their costumes and the technology in the pool, the artists came
into contact with aluminum, steel, plastic, wire, rubber - "a big bowl
of soup with a lot of chemical interactions," Plamondon says. Another
complication was oil microbubbles leaking out of the underwater
hydraulics causing vision problems. Changing the pool chemicals only
changed the colors of the costumes! So, working with chemists at a
Montreal textile school, they were able to fine-tune the pool's
chemicals six weeks later.
=======================================================================
BEHIND THE CURTAIN:
"A Fan, An Invitation, A Party -- LA NOUBA! (Part Une)"
By: Ricky Russo - Orlando, Florida (USA)
=======================================================================
On June 2, 2004, Cirque du Soleil together with the Walt Disney
Company celebrated La Nouba's 5th Anniversary, and yours truly was
invited along to join in the fun. Imagine my surprise when I returned
home from CirqueCon 2004 in Vancouver to find the invitation from
Publicist and PR representative with La Nouba here in Orlando, waiting
patiently in my email's inbox.
"La Nouba, presented by Cirque du Soleil exclusively at the Walt
Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, is celebrating five amazing
years! We would be very honored if you could join us! You are invited
to join us for the 9pm performance of La Nouba on June 2, 2004,
followed by a celebration with the cast and crew! (There's RSVP
information). Thank you for your continued support of Cirque du
Soleil. We look forward to seeing you at La Nouba on June 2!"
I left for Downtown Disney on the 2nd full of excitement, unsure of
exactly what to expect upon my arrival. It felt like electricity was
in the air; I was anticipating the experience so much that my palms
were sweating. What would it be like? Would they do something special
during the show? What would happen afterward? Would I really get to
meet the cast? All these questions and more surfaced in my mind at one
time or another.
Once I arrived I immediately located the media check-in table, which
was located along the backside of the theater. I was at a loss for
words when I walked up to the press agents. Concerned was more like
it, because I really didn't know under what pretence they had me
placed on their lists. I'm not official "media" in the true sense of
the word (unlike many of the other folks there) so I was a little
curious, and spoke with trepidation. I needn't have worried; my
credentials were already on hand in an envelope marked with my name.
The credentials consisted of a lanyard with an ID Tag featuring a
black background with a headshot of one of the Les Cons at the top and
"Celebrating 5 years! La Nouba June 2004" underneath in varying font
sizes and varieties. Below that was the space for my name and what
resided there drew a smile: "Richasi" was on top in bold and below
that "Ricky Russo." Too cool!
Accompanying the credentials was an itinerary sheet, which detailed
the evening's events, as follows:
5:30pm
-- Show Seating Time
6:00pm to 7:30pm
-- Special La Nouba Performance
8:00pm to 10:00pm
-- Dinner at BET Soundstage Club, Pleasure Island
10:00pm to 1:00am
-- Post Production Party, Bongo's Cuban Cafe, 2nd Floor.
This was but a fraction of what the press and other honored guests
were able to experience throughout the day, as I found out. It was
unfortunate I wasn't able to come earlier, but I was extremely happy
and honored just to be considered, mind you. Here's what I missed:
11:00am
-- Celebration Moment, Cirque du Soleil Theater Exterior
12:00pm to 1:30pm
-- Behind-the-Scenes lunch with the Cast
1:30pm to 4:00pm
-- La Nouba Media Experiences
It was really that last one I was the most interested in. I wondered
what exactly were the media allowed to do? Were they given backstage
tours? (Most definitely.) Were they allowed on stage? (Possibly.) Did
they get to try their hand in some acts? (Surely Not... right?)
Wrong!
I learned this while speaking with a newspaper writer out of the Tampa
Bay area. He was filling me in on the entire special "goodies" the
press were able to take part in during that Special Media Experience
time I missed. Not only were they able to take backstage tours and
climb up into the rafters and see the scaffolding, but also received
the opportunity to tumble on the FastTrack!
He regaled me with tales of some of the media personnel who were
overanxious to try, and some who were just too frightened to attempt
it. As for me, if I had been there, I think you know what I would do.
I would be all over that FastTrack in a heartbeat! Though I have no
formal training (ok, I have absolutely no training at all), I think
just being given the opportunity to tumble would have been more than
enough. What an experience, no?
Before long it was time to enter the theater -- the pre-show was about
to begin, so I took my seat in Section 204, Row HH, Seat 10. The view
from this seat was spot on, dead center, right behind the soundman by
a few rows. I couldn't have asked for a better seat on such a short
notice.
When the lights dimmed, and after the safety announcement was played,
the characters paraded themselves before me and it was like those two
years since I'd last seen the show had melted away. I was transported
back to 1999, my first viewing of La Nouba, and reveled in history.
You see, La Nouba was my first live Cirque du Soleil show, and it
helped spawn something in me that has been going strong for five years
now. So, it was somewhat fitting that not only was I celebrating my 5-
year Anniversary as a Cirque du Soleil fan, but was also celebrating
La Nouba's 5th Anniversary in-house!
The show itself was very good and enlightening, such a contrast to
Quidam in Vancouver. I loved watching the characters hang on the
mountain set in various poses during the acts. I watched the Green
Bird and The Red Dancer many times and found myself watching the
secondary visuals much more than the primary acts! Some things even
surprised me, like the fact that Krystian's "Le Titan" character spit
fire during the opening sequence, sending an enormous fireball stream
skyward.
Or, how the Green Bird performed on a small pendulum swing during the
trapeze act, instead of chasing its small flower around. This change
must have occurred some time ago, after original Green Bird Elena Day
left, but since it had been about two years since I'd seen the
production, this was the first time I'd seen it. It's actually very
poignant, because it allows the flightless bird a chance to fly.
During the silk act I watched the Pierrot Dancer and the Ballerina
dance their emotional ballet and became teary-eyed near the end of
their dance when the Ballerina left him for the Flying Man, walking
away from his embrace. It was gut wrenching to see him hang his head
and turn away in sadness and disappointment, and equally so when she
returned to him. I still say La Nouba's Silk act is one of the best
Silk acts I've seen in Cirque. Not necessarily because of the emotion
it provokes, but the overall presentation. The entire palate is filled
with the color red from the silk, and the artists a mixture of white
and blue. It's just sweet stuff.
It was my first performance of La Nouba with the new "chair-balancer",
Rokardy, and his act is very interesting. For those of you who have
yet to see the show, he replaces Vasilly Dementchoukov, a veteran of
Cirque du Soleil (he performed the same chair-balancing act in
Cirque's 1990 production Nouvelle Experience). While Vasily balanced
only on chairs, Rokardy takes this discipline a step further by
balancing on a chair, a clock, a baby carriage and just about anything
else he can find laying around.
And then there were the singers, embodied and full of life. They
weren't nearly as strong as I would have hoped but on par with
previous vocalists. At one time, though, I caught myself doing the
"hand maneuver" made famous by Jeff Tolotti (a fellow fan) in
anticipation of the female singer's entrance.
All too soon the production came to a close, but it would be an ending
not soon forgotten. For during the final stanza and last curtain call
hundreds of multi-colored balloons were released from the rafters,
covering everyone in the audience! Balloons were flying, hands were
clapping, and whistles were blowing and through it all I stood, misty-
eyed, as the phase "La Nouba 5th Anniversary" was projected on the
asylum wall.
It was truly a birthday bash.
But the show was just one act of a three-ring circus that night.
In our next issue I'll conclude my experience with La Nouba's 5th
Anniversary Celebration by taking you through the Dinner at the BET
Soundstage Club at Pleasure Island and the Post Production Party at
Bongo's Cuban Cafe. Stay Tuned!
=======================================================================
THE CIRQUE CONNECTION:
"Cavalia Hoofs It"
By: Keith Johnson - Seattle, Washington (USA)
=======================================================================
As you might remember, Fascination! covered the rise and untimely fall
of "Cheval Theatre," Gilles Ste-Croix's attempt to mix horsemanship
with Cirque-quality showmanship. Rising from the ashes, and with some
ofthe equipment, of that failed partly-Cirque-financed production
comes a new show (produced by another Cirque veteran) that attempts
the same thing, Cavalia - "A Magical Encounter Between Man and Horse"
(www.cavalia.net). It recently passed through Seattle, and my lovely
wife and I had a chance to check it out.
Created and produced by Normand Latourelle, one of the founders of
Cirque du Soleil (and with them up to 1990), it is a show described by
Mr. Latourelle himself as, "Cirque du Soleil with horses." Publicity
materials say that he had a long-standing dream of doing a show
involving horses, which came to pass after being introduced to
renowned French trainers (and equestrian co-directors of Cavalia)
husband and wife team Frédéric Pignon and Magali Delgado. After first
touring in Montreal, Toronto, San Francisco and Los Angeles, Cavalia
chose the Seattle area as the fifth stop on its tour - possibly
because of the success of prior Cirque productions here.
Interestingly, the tour itinerary is a little erratic, as the next
stop after this is back in the Bay Area - Oakland starting August 5th
(dates beyond that are unknown)! Their initial strategy is to
announce only one week of dates and announce date extensions as
tickets are sold. Kind of like Cirque in that way, but while Cirque
might initially announce 3 weeks of dates Cavalia initially announced
only one.
They plopped their tent into the same huge parking lot Cirque used for
their last two appearances, in the suburb of Renton. Needing to house
some 30 horses on-site, the site footprint is larger than that of a
Cirque site. And not only that - the all-white four-spire tent is
North America's largest, a 26,624 square foot behemoth standing more
than 100 feet high, taller and wider in diameter than a typical Cirque
tent.
Ticket prices also took a bit of a leap. Whereas Cirque's price
topped out in the $65.00 range, Cavalia is charging $73.00, no doubt
because of all the hay the horses need. And if you are in the mood to
give them even more of your money, they also have a VIP Experience
similar to Cirque's Tapis Rouge, which includes a visit to the
stables. Prices for souvenirs are also inflated, but more on that
later.
I won't go into too much background of the show here - one merely has
to type in "Cavalia" (or cavalia.net) or "Normand Latourelle" in a
search engine to find plenty of articles, features, and photographs
from other stops on the tour. What follows are my and my wife's (and
also her father's) impressions and comments.
We pulled into the parking lot (charging $8.00, less than the $12.00
Cirque charged) with plenty of time to take in the concession tents
and site. Turns out we needed the time, but for a different reason.
Cavalia uses one large tent as its combination concessions/souvenir
tent, through which all patrons must pass before having their tickets
taken. This was a massive bottleneck as the line extended 4 people
thick through the tent and half way into the parking lot! The line
moved quickly, however it was certainly not as smooth as Cirque's two-
entrance approach.
The concession tent had plenty of places to sit, though few were
partaking of the average food and beverage choices offered there.
The souvenir area was busier. This is one place where Cavalia has
tried some things differently. The program, for example. Instead of
a standard "book-type" souvenir program that Cirque would sell for
$12.00 USD, your $20.00 USD gets you a "portfolio" arrangement,
housing 22 - 10" x 16" one-sided "posters". Only one page is double-
sided, with an introductory poem by Latourelle and the shows credits.
Another page lists the acts; the rest are a combination of black and
white and color pictures of the cast with their horses. Several are
of star trainers Pignon and Delgado, but most all the acts are
represented here. An interesting approach, as this allows young girls
(a *big* audience for this show) to pin up their favorite pages as
posters.
While one could suggest the $8.00 premium for poster-sized pictures is
worth it, I can't say the same for the soundtrack. For what Cirque
charges $18.00, Cavalia wants $25.00. And I can't say that the CD is
very good, as it is more downbeat and contemplative in nature than I
found while watching the show. I was hoping for more of the exciting
pieces of music, but they aren't here.
Other than those basic souvenir items, Cavalia also had the typical
selection of shirts and caps. The prices for these seemed on par with
Cirque, but their presentation was lacking. In a more typical
"touring-show/concert" type of presentation, all of the merchandise
was behind the tables in the area, where only the employees could
fetch them. In addition, there were no prices to be found anywhere in
view! "How much is X?" rang out so much it almost formed a chorus!
This is bad show - if you aren't going to put the merchandise where
people can touch and compare them (encouraging additional sales), at
least put big placards of how much things cost where they can be seen
and read easily. I don't know, but perhaps someone was embarrassed at
the high prices charged.
Enough about the souvenir tent. After your tickets are taken at the
admission choke point, you are directed to one of the eight doors to
the tent. The tent is formidable from up close; it just seems to go
up and up and up! Its height and width are impressive when you are
next to it. While the extreme side doors lead to ground-level seats
at the front, most of the other doors lead to vertigo-inducing
scaffolding stairs that must be ascending before coming out at the top
of the seating area.
This, too, is quite different from a Cirque show. Instead of in the
round, Cavalia's 1800 seats go straight across the front stage area,
like bleachers in a high school gym (a Cirque show will typically have
around 2200 seats). In fact that's just what it looks like, except
that there are individual plastic seats with backs (but, like Cirque,
no armrests) and the bleachers are rather steeply raked. The top rows
(about 26 rows back) are high up in the air, but all seats still allow
a good view of the shows proceedings. It just may be a hike to get to
your seats and back!
Having ascended the metal staircase to the top of the seats, one might
get the impression the rest of the shows design would be
architecturally stark. Not so, at least from what you can see before
the show starts. What is seen at the beginning of the show is a wide
dirt track straight across the front of the "stage". Other than some
small props, that's it! Pre-recorded music plays while people are
seating.
When show time approaches, there's no fussing with "Animation" to get
you into the mood. After a short safety announcement, the lights dim
and the show begins! And you begin to understand why there are no
clowns or characters to entertain you beforehand, as the show subtly
begins to wrap you in its extraordinary world. It also may be
because, in fact, there are no clowns!
High-quality video projectors shine moving images on curtains on
either side of the stage in an impressive display. Soon afterward, a
trio of acrobats run and tumble across the dirt stage, followed by the
first "Gasp!" moment of the show. Two stallions, one white and one
black, run completely at liberty from one entrance and stomp and play
on the stage. Not controlled by human handlers, they are free to
behave in any way that suits them. It is as though you were watching
these magnificent creatures in the wild, playing and running on the
plains.
As during Cirque shows, music plays constantly. The music mix quality
was so good that for much of the first act I thought the music was
pre-recorded. It is only later that the musicians are shown behind
screens at the back of the stage, proving that they are indeed playing
the music live. I should have thanked the house sound mixer, he did
an excellent job. The soundtrack is rather new-agey with subtler
dynamics predominant, though it has moments of grand bravado.
And that music accompanies a fascinating fusion of extraordinary horse
(and human) behavior. Soon after this opening piece, curtains draw
back to reveal the entirety of the "stage" - in reality an oval dirt
track for the horses to run on. Now it becomes obvious why the tent
must be so large; the stage and seating area is easily a third again
as large as a Cirque show. In addition, video projections across the
panorama of the back stage wall set the scene of each act - from a
Coliseum, to a forest, to a field. These projections make an
impressive statement. However, a backlit projection on an occasional
center-stage water curtain is less effective, as the projector light
is so bright as to blind the eyes.
The horses have developed a powerful bond with their trainer/handlers,
responding to subtle finger and hand gestures almost imperceptible to
the audience. Circus arts are also brought into the mix. There is a
bit of fast track, ball balancing, bungee, and 3-man acrobatics as
well as Chinese pole and aerial straps; all done while horses reside
somewhere in the tableau. The acrobatics are well done, and pleasing
to watch, but sometimes feel out of place, or "added in" to the mix.
They are also not quite Cirque caliber.
Several acts stand out. A woman attached to a cable does a pas de
deux with a horse and rider that is quite pretty. Near the end of the
first act there is a "race" between three pairs of horses that run so
close in tandem that the rider can stand atop their bare
backs at full gallop, one foot on each horse. There is an astounding
segment of trick riding, in which horses and riders zip from one side
of the stage to the other, demonstrating tricks in a contest of one-
upmanship. And after the show ends, the audience leaves the tent
while three brown horses stay onstage, not flinching one bit at the
commotion, calmly munching on treats hidden in the dirt.
The real stars of the show are, of course, the horses. Especially
touching are the segments between Pignon and his "stars" Templado (a
Lusitano white stallion with the longest flowing mane of the bunch,
who even has his own hard-cover book for sale), and Aetes. These are
tender moments between trainer and horse, and the respect and absolute
trust the animals and trainer have for each other is very evident.
These are the most powerful parts of the show, illustrating the
potential of a symbiotic relationship between man and animal. Though
I would have switched the last slower segment between Pignon and
Templado with the more energetic trick-riding segment that precedes
it, giving the crowd a bang-up finale.
One comes away from the show impressed with its technical aspects,
especially the video projections and sound. Also impressive is the
interplay between trainers and horses. Less impressive are the
"circus arts" acts, but that could be because of our familiarity with
Cirque excellence. Is it worth the extra premium they are asking for
tickets? For anyone who has ever loved a horse, the answer would of
course be yes. And if horses aren't your thing, there is the grand
technical wizardry of the show itself.
Just think twice about the $25.00 soundtrack.
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PARTING QUOTE
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"Alegría means that, even when you're in pain, life goes on.
Alegría was an exorcism, and there was joy at the end of it."
- Director Franco Dragone
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COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER
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"Fascination!" is Ricky Russo, Keith Johnson, Paul Roberts, and
Wayne Leung.
"Fascination! Newsletter" is a concept by Ricky Russo. Copyright (c)
2001-2004 Ricky Russo, published by Vortex/RGR Productions, a
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