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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
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http://www.CirqueFascination.com
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VOLUME 16, NUMBER 6 June 2016 ISSUE #149
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Welcome to the latest edition of Fascination, the Unofficial Cirque
du Soleil Newsletter.
While we promise to focus a little on LUZIA this issue (my 17-page
review/overview of the show can be found in the FEATURES section),
PARAMOUR continues to draw headlines. In fact, you'll also find some
reviews of Cirque first Broadway production in the FEATURES section
this month too - and they're not good. Be that as it may, revenues
for the show are still looking good - PARAMOUR is bringing in over
a $1 Million USD per week, when it can perform its normal schedule.
Week This Week Potential Difference Seats % Cap
Ending Gross Grosses in Dollars Sold
---------------------------------------------------------------------
17-Apr $190,773.60 $191,599.00 $0.00 1,897 100.05%
24-Apr $1,018,941.65 $1,149,594.00 $828,165.05 10,623 93.38%
01-May $1,065,771.30 $1,172,274.00 $46,829.65 11,043 97.07%
08-May $1,074,995.70 $1,367,653.00 $9,224.00 11,443 86.22%
15-May $464,021.20 $781,516.00 $610,975.50 6,197 81.34%
22-May $907,800.25 $976,895.00 $443,779.05 9,213 97.18%
29-May $1,126,943.25 $1,805,456.00 $219,143.00 13,731 90.53%
04-Jun $1,024,449.62 $1,805,456.00 $102,493.63 12,000 79.11%
Hopefully I'll get to see PARAMOUR in the near future and make up
my own mind, but in the interim, to get a new "high-flying" look at
the show, look no further than: www.cirquefascination.com/?p=8323.
But PARAMOUR and LUZIA aren't the only hot tickets this month. Leading
entertainment design firm, Goddard Group has revealed details about
the companys upcoming projects across Asia, in Mexico, and around
the world, including attractions currently under-construction.
Following the phenomenally-successful launch of the $3.2 billion
dollar Studio City Macau this past October, were very excited to
shift our focus to the next wave of game-changing destinations and
attractions, says Hollywood, California-based Goddard Group Founder
& Chairman, Gary Goddard. We are now focusing on a host of major
new projects in locations around the world, each of them unique and
original, and each of them iconic and immersive. One such project is
the Cirque du Soleil Resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico... Partnering
with Mexican resort developer Vidanta, Goddard Group is creating the
new attraction and it is the first project to come out of the Goddard
Group/Cirque du Soleil joint venture. The new properties from Grupo
Vidanta The Cascades and Kingdom of the Sun are on track and
scheduled to open in late 2018. The properties will be intertwined
with the Cirque du Soleil theme park, the only attraction of this kind
in the world. The projects first phase showcases what Goddard says is
"the worlds greatest and most-innovative water park a new kind of
experience that could only be done with partners like the Cirque du
Soleil." Here, travelers can move beyond spectatorship to become
characters within the parks interactive stage and experience Cirque
as never before. The park will include several themed sections that
feature live performances, entertaining rides with a unique cirque
spin and adventuresome games and challenges. An onsite cirque school
can take the participation even further. Here, travelers will be able
to learn some of the physical and entertainment skills they see in
the Cirque du Soleil shows from the performers themselves, ranging
from acrobatic feats to learning how to apply other-worldly stage
makeup. In doing so, travelers will get a taste of what it is like
to actually be a part of a Cirque du Soleil performance! Kingdom of
the Sun will be a golden palace providing luxury accommodations at the
doorstep of the theme park and the unique cirque school. The Cascades
will be a gorgeous spa resort that will provide immersive cirque
experiences with each room overlooking the park itself. As previously
reported, the land has been cleared and construction is underway!
Check out a few new renderings of the project here:
< http://www.cirquefascination.com/?p=8375 >.
Exciting to be sure! However, on the evening of May 22nd, during the
Teeterboard act, one of the artists had a fall. All the established
safety protocols were put in place and he was immediately attended by
Kooza's emergency response team. He was moved to a local hospital,
where it was established that he was secure and had no serious injury.
He has been released and the Kooza family is happy to report that he
is doing well. All scheduled performances of KOOZA were presented so
thankfully the injury was minor. Can't say the same over at LA NOUBA.
Both the early and late shows at La Nouba were canceled on Tuesday,
May 31st due to a fire. According to eye-witness reports (and fan
follow-up), it appears one of the popcorn machines in the lobby caught
fire, which in turn triggered the sprinklers which flooded the lobby
area of the theater, including offices for stage management underneath.
Power was also shut off to the building creating quite a watery mess.
As of now, We are on normal schedule for tomorrow. But it will all
depend on how fast Disney can clean up and clean out. Then our people
have to go in and triple check the show systems. Costumes and props
came out unscathed. It was more front of house stuff that was damaged.
The water was fairly contained to the lobby and everything underneath
that awning, which contains [the] front offices and stage management."
All electrical and automation systems were checked-out and the show
resumed its normal schedule the following day.
It's been an interesting month! Now, without further ado...
Let's get started!
/----------------------------------------------------\
| |
| Join us on the web at: |
| < www.cirquefascination.com > |
| |
| At CirqueCast: |
| < http://www.cirquecast.com/ > |
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| Realy Simple Syndication (RSS) Feed (News Only): |
| < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?feed=rss2 > |
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\----------------------------------------------------/
- Ricky "Richasi" Russo
===========
CONTENTS
===========
o) Cirque Buzz -- News, Rumours & Sightings
* La Presse -- General News for the Month
* Q&A - Quick Chats & Press Interviews
* Special Engagement - More In-depth Articles
o) Itinéraire -- Tour/Show Information
* BigTop Shows -- Under the Grand Chapiteau
* Arena Shows -- In Stadium-like venues
* Resident Shows -- Performed en Le Théâtre
o) Outreach -- Updates from Cirque's Social Widgets
* Webseries -- Official Online Featurettes
* Fotos -- Images From Cirque & Other Photographs
* Videos -- Official Peeks & Noted Fan Finds
o) Fascination! Features
* REVIEW /// "LUZIA: A Waking Dream"
By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
* "PARAMOUR - The Reviews Are In..."
A Special Collection of Articles from the Press
* "Q&A w/Criss Angel: Mindfreak Live is 'Ready to Go!'"
By: Robin Leach, The Las Vegas Sun
o) Subscription Information
o) Copyright & Disclaimer
=======================================================================
CIRQUE BUZZ -- NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS
=======================================================================
---------------------------------------------------
LA PRESSE General News for the Month
---------------------------------------------------
Dessy Di Lauro, Rickey Pageot Debut as New Music
Duo with Hotel Cafe Residency
{May.03.2016}
-------------------------------------------------------
Singer-songwriter, neo-ragtime vocalist Dessy Di Lauro and
musical director/producer Rickey Pageot (touring keyboardist to
Madonna and writer for Jill Scott and Earth Wind & Fire)
announce their official partnership as recording duo Parlor
Social with a Residency at L.A.s Hotel Cafe this summer. Read
their exclusive interview on this announcement with AXS here.
Allen Foster of AXS remarks, Parlor Social still wields the
same evocative sound that earned award-winning vocalist Dessy Di
Lauro the distinction of being named Hot 100 Live Unsigned
Artists and Bands by Music Connection Magazine.
Creating a sound inspired by jazz pioneers, Duke Ellington and
Cab Calloway, Parlor Social uses the musical language of the
Harlem Renaissance era fused with todays urban beats,
contemporary sounds and catchy R&B hooks.
Upon returning to her native town, Montreal, from a long-
standing residency with Cirque du Soleil in the United States,
Di Lauro met her now producer/husband Rickey Pageot. As
writing partners, they created original songs for her soulful,
latin-tinged debut EP, A Study Of A Womans Soul released in
2004. The Di Lauro/Pageot couple later moved to Los Angeles,
where they curated their neo-ragtime sound in the L.A. club
scene with notable residencies in the Santa Monica and Hollywood
circuits. As a result, the release of the duos first full
length album, This Is Neo-Ragtime (2013) was inspired.
With critical acclaim from several tastemakers in the
blogosphere, AFROPUNK reverences the duos
Blend [of] hip-hop,
soul, RnB, and ragtime into a sound and style that looks back on
the last 100 years of black culture while simultaneously looking
forward. LA Weekly states, Di Lauros honeyed vocals are
smart, sassy and sensual. Perez Hilton coins the act as a,
postmodern jukebox meets Blu Cantrell while Motown praises
them as, a unique visionary that transcends genres [and] eras
of time..
Parlor Socials latest effort entitled Say Hep Hep + This is
Neo-Ragtime still perpetuates the dynamics and energy of their
live shows as the other records have in the past. Essence
Magazine sums up the album in one word funky. Their upcoming
residency with Hotel Cafe, entitled Retrofuturism happens
every Monday night in June at 9 PM. Visit Hotel Cafes web site
for tickets and more information.
For More Information:
o) SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/parlorsocial
o) WEBSITE: http://www.myppk.com/get/parlorsocial
o) FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/dessydilauro/
o) TWITTER: https://twitter.com/dessydilauro
{ SOURCE: Broadway World | http://goo.gl/pDs2pQ }
COFFEE WITH GOLDSTAR to Feature Cirques KURIOS
{May.03.2016}
-------------------------------------------------------
Curious to learn just how the stars of Cirque du Soleil pull off
those amazing physical feats on stage? On Thursday, May 5th,
audiences logged on to YouTube and ask the performers questions
in real time when Coffee With Goldstar returned with two stars
from the popular Cirque show, KURIOS: Cabinet of Kuriosites.
Broadcasting live from under the Big Top Tent in Atlanta, this
episode of Coffee With Goldstar welcomes hand balancer Andrii
Bondarenko and singer Eirini Tornesaki.
Ukrainian born, Andrii Bondarenko, started his career in
acrobatics at what other performers consider a late age 10. In
2002, he won his first world Acrosports competition at the
European Championships in Belgium. For the next three years he
competed around the globe taking home first and second place
prizes at every turn. After winning the prestigious World Games
in Duisburg, Germany in 2005, he looked for other opportunities
outside the Acrosports community.
It was in 2006 that Cirque du Soleil came calling. Andrii got
his start with the organization as the flyer in a four-man
general formation team doing special events such as Mercedes
Benz McLaren in Spain and Fiat Bravo in 2007, where he met
director Michel Laprise. In 2010, Andriis dream of joining his
favorite show, Quidam, was realized. For four years he toured
the world with the show as part of the Banquine group. It was on
this show that Andrii learned hand balancing on a platform and
served as back up for Rola Bola.
In 2014, Andrii was invited to be part of a brand new show
created by Michel Lepris, KURIOS: Cabinet of Kuriosites.
Eirini Tornesaki grew up in Heraklion, on Crete, Greece. She
started classical piano lessons at the age of six with Alena
Rendzejova, while also studying music theory at AR Music
Conservatory. Later, she studied cello with Soren Lyng Hansen.
After finishing high school, Eirini moved to the UK to study
modern vocals at Brighton Institute of Modern Music, graduating
in 2012 with honors. While in the UK, she worked as a singer
she collaborated with various artists of the British, Greek and
international music scene, including Jona Lewie, Saw Doctors,
Barry Manilow, Amy Winehouses backing band, Yannis Economides,
Dimitri Vassilakis and more.
Eirini appeared on Classico Latinos album, A Journey through
Latin America, recorded in Abbey Road Studios and toured with
the group in South America. Since January 2014, Eirini has been
working with Cirque Du Soleil in the show KURIOS: Cabinet of
Kuriosites, touring Canada and the USA. Eirini is the original
singer of KURIOS and performed the vocals on the soundtrack
album of the show, recorded in Montreal and released in November
2014.
LINK /// Coffee with Goldstar:
< https://www.youtube.com/user/GoldstarEvents/live >
{ SOURCE: Broadway World | http://goo.gl/nSVFeF }
Globe and Mail: Luzia is a magical Mexican spectacle
{May.03.2016}
-------------------------------------------------------
Who else but Cirque du Soleil would cast a performer as a
demigod and a cockroach in the same show? Those are just two of
the roles taken by Benjamin Courtenay in the Cirques new
Mexican-themed spectacle Luzia, which opens in Montreal on
Wednesday after two weeks of previews.
Courtenay is a straps acrobat, who was hired straight out of
Montreals National Circus School to perform a moody-looking
number set in a watery natural sinkhole known in Mexico as a
cenote. The young Canadian is a rain god in that solo spot, but
scampers through other parts of the show as a swimmer, soccer
player and gigantic roach, whose appearance is all too
realistic.
At one point I run off the stage and literally change my
costume as Im running back on, Courtenay said. This kind of
stagecraft was new to a performer whose primary focus until
Cirque came calling was to build up the strength and finesse to
excel at his very specialized calling.
Like other Cirque vehicles built for years of touring, Luzia
heaps a lot of responsibilities on its 44 performers, none of
whom can simply do their set pieces and then chill in the
dressing room. The show is compressed thematically too,
frequently alluding to several Mexican themes in a single image.
Near the opening, for example, a woman runs on a rotating
conveyor belt, as other performers groom her six-foot gossamer
wings. Its a striking image, but I had to talk with creative
director Patricia Ruel to discover that the wings referred to
the monarch butterflies that migrate from Mexico to Canada every
year, that the running was a nod to the long-distance abilities
of the indigenous Tarahumara, and that the runner was a woman
because Mexican culture has strong matriarchal aspects.
It isnt necessary for the audience to notice all those
allusions, Ruel said. Were not trying to teach people about
Mexico. We want them to get a feeling for it, to be inspired by
it. The show often has a surrealistic look, which she relates
to the magic realism of Latin American fiction, and even to the
peyote-inspired Mexican writings of French theatre guru Antonin
Artaud.
The concept for the show originated with Daniele Finzi Pasca,
the Swiss-born director behind Cirques 2005 show Corteo, which
toured for more than 10 years. But Pasca was obliged to withdraw
due to a family illness, leaving actor-director Brigitte Poupart
in charge of the action the first Québécoise to direct a
Cirque production.
Daniele left a skeleton for each act, a mosaic of things from
different places in Mexico, Poupart said. I had to find a
story to link all the parts of that mosaic. Coming to circus
for the first time, working with people not trained as actors,
she said she felt a real affinity with the central clown
character, who in the first scene, tumbles from a plane into a
beautiful but foreign environment.
Poupart said the essential thing for her was to find an
emotional thread and a narrative in each of the acrobatic
numbers. Courtenays straps solo, she said, was about moving
from pain to some kind of relief, while attempting things
performing while soaking wet, for instance that straps artists
dont normally do. Luzia has three acrobatic choreographers,
including Cirque veteran Debra Brown, to help give dramatic flow
to the routines.
Water is a big theme in the show, said Ruel, because water and
rain in Mexico are often a matter of extremes a glut during
rainy season and a stark absence in arid regions. A computer-
controlled rain curtain frequently douses the perforated
turntable stage and the performers. Luzia is the first big-top
Cirque show to give a leading role to water, Ruel said, which
meant providing a system to capture, clean, warm and recycle the
water during the shows run in each city.
The creative team wanted to avoid clichés, Ruel said, which is
why, for instance, each scene favours one colour, rather than
the riot of tones seen in tourist brochures. A huge movable disc
suspended at the back of the stage is used as a visual anchor
point, at various times symbolizing the sun, the moon and the
circular Mayan calendar.
Composer Simon Carpentier met with musicians in Mexico while
working on the score, including members of Nortec Collective, a
dance-oriented group that he said had an international sound
but also carried the real Mexican vibe. They helped steer the
show away from a default mariachi sound never a real option,
Carpentier said and even worked as co-producers on the Luzia
soundtrack album.
The shows eight musicians include an East Indian singer, Mahesh
Vinayakram, whose florid melismatic solo partway through the
show feels like something from another world. The singer was
Finzi Pascas idea, Carpentier said, adding that he had to work
hard to find a way to integrate that sound into the show or
rather to find a creative way for it to destabilize everything
we have organized.
High-level acrobatics are all about finding dramatic ways to
destabilize a situation, usually by making it more daring or
complicated. The adagio routine performed by the sylph-like
Naomi Zimmermann looks plenty daring, as three brawny porters
catch her out of plunging dives, and hurl her up to new
precarious positions above their heads.
But just before she goes on stage, she said, shes not thinking
about the moves, which theyve been rehearsing for months, but
about the mood. The character shes playing, she says, is a
little bit stuck in her world, in her nostalgia. What she sees
are all memories, and things that shes not sure whether shes
seeing them or not. Those three guys are people who have been
very important in her life, and she knows that whatever she
does, theyre always going to catch her.
Were not sure at that point in the show what were looking at
either, as the stage around Zimmermann and her partners fills
with elegant-looking people, some of them with the heads of
iguanas or fish. Mexico, in this circus evocation, is certainly
a magical place, where nothing ordinary stays that way for long.
{ SOURCE: Globe and Mail | http://goo.gl/gcvl0p }
Montreal Gazette: Luzia unveils a Mexican dreamscape
{May.05.2016}
-------------------------------------------------------
The smell of popcorn hangs in the air. A clown parachutes into
the big top, turns a giant key et voilà: a new world is
revealed, one populated by giant butterflies, hoop-jumping
hummingbirds and a garden of real marigolds tended to by tin
robots. Welcome to Cirque du Soleils vibrant new big-top show,
Luzia.
The première of a Cirque du Soleil production here in Quebec is
always cause for curiosity after all, the show we see today is
what the rest of the world will be seeing for (potentially)
years to come.
Directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, Luzia provides us with a
glimpse into a dream-like Mexico that is simultaneously
traditional and modern.
What impressed me most of all about Luzia was actually the
design: the set, costumes and lighting provided a strong
unifying force to the show (both thematically and visually).
While there were nods to Day of the Dead and Mexican wrestling,
the design thankfully steered clear of cliché, offering instead
a rich visual language animated with animals, rain, movement and
flowers.
From a performance perspective, there were several memorable
highlights.
Shelli Epstein, as the emblematic Running Woman, was superb
strong, beautiful and in possession of buckets of stage
presence.
The trapeze artist and Cyr Wheel performer both had flawless
technique and the two disciplines worked well together onstage.
A Cyr Wheel resembles a giant hula hoop and the performer holds
its rim and propels it into motion, causing it to roll and spin
gyroscopically. Performing on a Cyr Wheel and trapeze under a
rain curtain seems an implausibly slippery feat, but I noticed
they got around the traction issue by attaching a bicycle tire
to the Cyr Wheel rim. Smart! The aesthetic of risk is a huge
part of contemporary circus and its audience appeal, but you
dont want the implied danger of circus to become an actual one.
They bumped the risk level up another notch in the second half,
wheeling out the more extreme tricks: the swing 360, the straps,
a contortionist and the death-defying leaps of the Russian
swing-to-swing troupe.
The aerial straps artist Benjamin Courtenay was a highlight
(physique! artistry!), and the Russian contortionist Aleksei
Goloborodko was very impressive, not least because we so rarely
see male contortionists. The audience loved the luchador on the
swing 360 they whooped and gasped like children all around me.
The juggler and some of the hoops performers had a rough night
technically, however it didnt diminish the show overall and in
some ways attested to the veracity of the stunts (and the fact
that this is a newly minted production).
A word about the music: Luzias composer Simon Carpentier has
written an excellent score with distinctive Latin American
flavours: from the salsa-like rhythm of cumbia to huapango, a
flamenco-based music style from the La Huasteca region. Singer
Majo Cornejo is a near-constant presence throughout the show,
and lends a finely-nuanced voice and personality to the mix.
Luzia was an absolute pleasure to watch not just for the high-
octane tricks but as a spectacular and cohesive theatrical
experience that was successful on every level. If youve skipped
seeing the Cirque for a few years, this is truly a show to bring
you back into the fold. Bravo.
{ SOURCE: The Montreal Gazette | http://goo.gl/nnbB8D }
Mindfreak Live Delayed!
{May.10.2016}
-------------------------------------------------------
Wednesdays start of previews for Criss Angels new Mindfreak
Live! at the Luxor will require a little more time. Cirque du
Soleil announced that Mindfreak Live! previews will begin May
25 (rescheduled from Wednesday the 11th), and the official
premiere will be June 30th.
As the first-of-its-kind show and because of the size, scope and
dangers from the vast number of death-defying illusions, Clark
County fire and engineering officials are still pouring over the
Luxor stage to ensure that all safety measures are in place
before they issue permits to allow insurance coverage in place.
Cirque du Soleil hopes that it will receive a sign-off this week
to announce the new start of previews. Experts are being extra
cautious for his audiences and him since he winds up in the
middle of them at one point of the show. Crisss theater has
been dark just a few weeks since he ended Believe in order to
make the total transformation for Mindfreak Live! Criss says
hes ready to go with his new Strip spectacular.
Jerry Nadal, Cirques senior vice president of resident shows
said: The decision to delay the Mindfreak Live! previews is
based on the cutting-edge technology in the show and the demands
to ensure that our crew and artists are fully trained and versed
in them. With substantial technological elements that have never
been used before, we have asked Criss to take additional time to
ensure a seamless integration.
{ SOURCE: Robin Leach, Las Vegas Sun | https://goo.gl/tNVGEd }
Cirque Employees to Showcase Art in THE COLLECTIVE
Exhibition at Eden Gallery
{May.10.2016}
-------------------------------------------------------
EdenIn a continued effort to nurture artistic expression and
development within its employees, the Global Citizenship Service
at Cirque du Soleil will host its 11th annual art exhibition,
The Collective, featuring artwork by the companys performers,
technicians and support staff in Las Vegas.
Presented exclusively at the Eden Gallery inside the Arts
Factory in Downtown Las Vegas, the extraordinary collection will
be shown for a limited time from May 14 June 14, available
Thursdays through Mondays from 11 a.m. 11 p.m. with a special
reception on June 2 from 6 p.m. 8 p.m.
All formats of artwork will be featured, giving way to an
exhibition that displays a wide range of artistic approaches. In
addition to the 33 works showcased this year, The Collective
will also feature the square project from the Zarkana Theater, a
collection of squares created by individual cast and crew
members that, once brought together, represent the beauty,
importance and impact of working together toward a common goal.
The Cirque du Soleil employees whose artwork will be featured
include:
o) PAINTING
- Brien McCrea, Performer, KÀ
- Charisma Schwarze, Props, The Beatles LOVE
- Chelsea Allen, Wardrobe, The Beatles LOVE
- Gail Gilbert, Performer, KÀ
- Juan Pedro Carrillo, Performer, Zarkana
- Lisa Pyle, Wardrobe, Michael Jackson ONE
- Otto Bolanos, Performer, The Beatles LOVE
- Peter Arias, Rigger, The Beatles LOVE
- RuBen Permel, Head of Wardrobe, Zarkana
- Sergio Kiss, Rigger, Mystère
o) PHOTOGRAPHY
- Armand Thomas, General Stage Manager, Mystère
- Christina Russo, Electrics, Mystère
- Ginger Griep-Ruiz, Performer, Mystère
- Maximiliano Torandell, Performer, Michael Jackson ONE
- Melissa Dallon, Carpenter, KÀ
- Sergey Kholodkov, Performer, Zarkana
- Vira Syvorotkina, Performer, Zarkana
o) SCULPTURE
- Brent Sommerhauser, Props, Michael Jackson ONE
- Linda Le Bourveau, Wardrobe, Zumanity
o) VIDEO/SHORT FILM
- Jonas Woolverton, Performer, Zumanity
o) MIXED-MEDIA
- Andrew Schmitz, Rigger, O
- Annie Wilkins, Head of Props, Mystère
- Brittany Baum, Wardrobe, O
- Castile Ritter, Wardrobe, Michael Jackson ONE
- Chi Ho Chan, Craft Technician, The Beatles LOVE
- Evan Reisner, Lighting, MINDFREAK LIVE!
- Jeremy Jagow, Technician, Zarkana
- John Jrock Nelson, Performer, Michael Jackson ONE
- Kent Caldwell, Performer, Mystère
- Lillian Dennis, Wardrobe, Michael Jackson ONE
- Marisa Townsend, Wardrobe, Michael Jackson ONE
- Tiffany Turner, Wardrobe, O
- Tumelo Michael Moloi, Performer, The Beatles LOVE
- Ysobel Caleja, Retail, KÀ
The Collective is free and open to the public. More information
will be available on the Eden Gallery website at
EdenArtStudioAndGallery.com beginning May 14.
{ SOURCE: Broadway World | http://goo.gl/wesvgD }
The WNYC & Paramour: Cirque on the Great White Way
{May.13.2016}
-------------------------------------------------------
WNYC is following the creation of an ambitious new Broadway
show, Paramour, from Cirque du Soleil. The production combines
circus with elements of a traditional Broadway musical. And its
full of risks: physical, personal, and artistic. All this and
more in a three-part audio exposé:
o) PART 1: CIRQUE DU SOLEIL LAUNCHES ITSELF ONTO BROADWAY
Cirque du Soleil, the Canadian entertainment company, with
outposts in Las Vegas and Dubai, now aims to plant a flag in New
York City with a new show, Paramour, opening on May 25, 2016,
at the Lyric Theatre on 42nd Street. The show features ambitious
aerial acrobatics and showstopper musical numbers. But the most
radical element may be this: it has a plot. In over 30 years,
Cirque has never before made a show that is so heavy on dialogue
and story. In order to be respected on the Great White Way,
we know that a show with a narrative is the only way you will
succeed long-term, said Scott Zeiger, president of Cirque du
Soleil Theatrical, a new, New York-based division focused on
producing story-driven entertainment. Among the challenges for
Paramour: developing a story that resonates with audiences,
integrating a team of both actors and acrobats, and re-sizing
the circus for a Broadway theater (Cirques artists usually
perform under a tent or in purpose-built venues.) Its the
riskiest thing Ive done in my life, Zeiger said.
< http://www.wnyc.org/story/risky-business-cirque/ >
o) PART 2: RISKY BUSINESS
One of the biggest rolls of the dice came at the beginning of
April, when the shows creators decided to replace a lead actor.
That left the new actor, Jeremy Kushnier, with only two weeks to
learn the script, before the start of previews. I must look
like a crazy person on the subway every day, Kushnier said.
The stuff I have memorized, Ill start from the top and just
start saying it out loud on my train ride in
And people are
like, Go ahead sir. You can have the seat, There are also
physical risks in bringing big, expansive acrobatic acts into
the relative confinement of a Broadway theater. The Lyric
Theatre happens to be the same theater where another musical
with grand acrobatic ambitions, Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark
crashed full-speed into a wall of injuries and infighting. We
all consider that injuries are part of the field of work, said
Eric Heppell, the shows artistic and acrobatic director.
Cables and drums and shivs and pulleys and winches are
inspected constantly, daily.
< http://www.wnyc.org/story/risky-business-cirque/ >
o) PART 3: CIRQUES PLOT TO CONQUER BROADWAY
Making a musical means getting actors, dancers, and musicians to
all work together to tell a story. And previews is the time
period when producers get to finally find out from audiences
whether they like what they see. Cirque du Soleils first
Broadway show, Paramour, is the story of a love triangle set
in the golden age of Hollywood. And now that the musical is in
previews, the creators freely admit that the story still needs
work. Part of the problem, though, may be expectations.
Especially the international folks expected more Cirque and
less Broadway, said Scott Zeiger, president of Cirque du Soleil
Theatrical. The Broadway audience didnt know what to expect.
By one measure, the show is already succeeding: its playing to
packed houses and passed $1 million in revenues in the first
week. But Zeiger said the show is far from finished. Every
night, there are changes to the script and songs and stage cues.
Jack Viertel, author of The Secret Life of the American
Musical: How Broadway Shows Are Built, said whether audiences
can connect to the story often determines whether shows fail or
succeed. Its hard to do one of these things without a good
story. Almost no matter how much spectacle you put out there,
Viertel said.
< http://www.wnyc.org/story/cirques-plot-conquer-broadway/ >
Ambassador Theatre Group Founders Step Down
{May.19.2016}
-------------------------------------------------------
Its more like a separation agreement than an all-out divorce,
but Wednesdays surprise management shakeup at London-based
Ambassador Theatre Group is sending shockwaves through Broadway.
Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire - the husband-and-wife team
who founded what has evolved into the worlds largest live-
theater-owning company - announced they are stepping off the ATG
pyramid theyve topped for 25 years.
Theyre remaining on the ATG board and taking a chunk of the
company - off-Broadway style producer Trafalgar Studios - as
their own new fiefdom. Panter (the creative one) and Squire (the
finance one) are being replaced by a business executive with no
connection to the world of live entertainment except possibly
opening-night parties: Mark Cornell, a former executive of
Champagne producers Moët Hennessy and Krug and a former managing
director of auction house Sothebys. Hell now take the reins of
a company with 45 UK theaters and 3,500 employees.
Most immediately significant on this side of the pond is the
timing of the change for Broadway. ATG recently acquired two
Times Square houses: one of the largest, the oft-renamed Lyric,
with about 1,900 seats, and the long-defunct Hudson, used in
recent years as a corporate event space and now being restored
by ATG as an intimate playhouse. The Lyric is currently home to
Paramour, Cirque du Soleils first made-for-Broadway sit-down
show, in previews and slated for a May 25 opening. Previews have
been selling well, with grosses before deductions of around $1
million per week. No comment yet from executive producer Scott
Zeiger, whos in Montreal, but watch this space.
Panter and Squire have long been a welcome and much-admired
presence, as much on Broadway as in the West End. We are
looking forward to devoting more time to our passion for
creating great theatrical content and a vibrant London theater,
Panter and Squire said in a joint statement. It is a good time
for us to start new creative roles. We have thought long and
hard before taking this decision but feel it is a time in our
lives for an exciting new challenge.
Like Cirque, the Montreal-based troupe that became a global
sensation and was taken over last year by an American-Chinese-
Canadian financial conglomerate, ATG has gone from the
Panter/Squire mom-and-pop operation to a company whose reach
includes ownership of Sonia Friedman Productions and other
producing channels and recently was taken over by private-equity
firm Providence, based in Rhode Island. With such turnover comes
increased pressure for profitability.
In the ATG statement, Cornell said that ATG shows significant
potential for future growth under his leadership, adding, I am
excited by the prospect of helping to shape and lead the next
chapter in the life of this remarkable company.
{ SOURCE: Deadline | http://goo.gl/UvdBNl }
ABC Goes Behind the Scenes at La Nouba
{May.25.2016}
-------------------------------------------------------
La Nouba by Cirque du Soleil at Walt Disney Worlds Disney
Springs has been going strong since 1998. But even visitors who
have seen the show havent seen it all. Notable new additions to
the show include the B-Boys, a world-famous breakdancing act,
and the Aerial Bamboo routine, a love story told through high-
flying acrobatics. ABC News got a behind-the-scenes look at La
Nouba and a lesson in B-boying as well as aerial acrobatics.
Matthew Sparks, head coach of La Nouba, said the pure physical
performance show has 20 minutes of entirely new content. La
Nouba keeps the spirit it has always had, but its really a
brand-new show, he told ABC News.
CHECK OUT THE VIDEO HERE:
< http://goo.gl/oXqOsM >
VIDEO /// The Making of JOEL
{May.31.2016}
-------------------------------------------------------
Cirque Fan and Enigma Golden Sun posted a nice little making
of video today on JOEL, the 45 DEGREES special event production
in Russia over the winter holiday. Check it out!
LINK /// < https://youtu.be/eCZhCg3oYo8 >
Verity Studios Brings Drones to Broadway
{May.31.2016}
-------------------------------------------------------
In Cirque du Soleils first Broadway show, Paramour, its not
just the acrobats who take flight. Its the lampshades.
In a romantic moment when two characters declare their feelings
for each other, their love gets a visual expression when an
octet of circular lampshades rise into the air and execute
airborne choreography. Turns out theyre not lampshades at all -
theyre drones.
Its tech more closely associated with warfare and paparazzi, and
the use of it onstage marks a first both for Broadway and for
Cirque. It also stands as one small manifestation of Cirques
broader mission statement on Broadway: combining the bones of
traditional musical theater with the nouveau-circus stagecraft
for which the brand is known. That means high-flying acrobatics,
a distinctive musical vocabulary and the kind of envelope-
pushing scenery, makeup and technical elements that audiences
havent seen before - like those flying machines.
We are thrilled to provide this artistic contribution to the
show and bring our machines to life on Broadway, said Raffaello
DAndrea, founder of Verity Studios and creator of the flying
machine choreography. Creating flying machines that are
reliable enough, and that have the performance ability to
operate day after day in such a challenging live theatre
environment is the fruition of more than a decade of research
and development. Verity Studios flying machines will perform
eight times a week without nets in front of an audience of
up to two thousand people.
This kind of thing is almost expected when you buy a ticket to
a Cirque du Soleil show, said Scott Zeiger, president and
managing director of Cirque du Soleil Theatrical. For the three
minutes theyre watching those lampshades, the audience is
witnessing a $500,000 moment. They may love it or they may hate
it, but they cant see it anywhere else on Broadway.
The overall production costs of Paramour, a love triangle set
in Hollywoods golden age, rings in at $25 million, which is
expensive for Broadway but cheap for Cirque. That half-million
lampshade moment aims to translate an intimate character beat
into an unexpected visual motif, magical enough to fill the
Lyric, a 1,900-seat venue that Broadway types often describe as
cavernous.
The sequence grew out of an earlier, experimental collaboration
between Cirque and Verity Studios. In 2014 the two groups
collaborated (along with ETH Zurich) to produce SPARKED, a short
film featuring ten quadrocopters in a flying dance performance
with a human actor. SPARKED was named a Winner of the 2016 New
York City Drone Film Festival.
As in the Paramour number, the sequence is performed by
autonomous flying machines that, according to Veritys Raffaello
DAndrea, follow pre-programmed choreography but make their own
decisions based on their relation to each other and where they
are in space.
The technical challenge of incorporating robots into live
performance has meant that, until now, most theatre robots have
been remotely controlled essentially puppets, with humans
working behind stage to operate them. But to manually control
the flight paths of a troupe of quadrocopters in a tightly
choreographed sequence that also involves human performers would
be technically impossible. It would be impossible for human
beings to pilot these machines to do what youre seeing, in
terms of unison, timing, and choreography, he said.
Verity Studios flying machines use distributed intelligence and
sophisticated algorithms to achieve the kind of robust
performance and safety standards required for live public
performance. From the flying machines own built-in
intelligence to interference-proof communications, our systems
are designed around safety, reliability, and robustness, said
Markus Hehn, technical lead at Verity Studios. The only remote
commands the flying machines receive are high level ones, such
as takeoff or land.
There were plenty of challenges in getting those machines to the
stage. For one thing, there was tech to be adapted for flying
indoors without the aid of GPS, and lighting design had to be
modulated so that their flight would read for audiences members
all the way at the back of the house. Then there was the fire
department to contend with. Its pretty rare that you have to
have the fire marshal come to approve a number in your show that
doesnt involve fire, Zeiger said. The marshal, in fact, nixed
the original plan of having one or more of the machines fly out
over the audience.
But with the all those hurdles overcome, the drones now perform
eight times a week in a number that aims to imbue the mundane
with a little wonder. A lampshade is an everyday object,
DAndrea said. To see them fly, its like magic. (The
engineer-artist added that similar tech could be used onstage
any time creatives want to move something in an arbitrary way in
3D space.)
And this is not the first time robots have appeared on Broadway:
Karel Capeks science fiction play R.U.R. (infamous for
introducing the term robot to the English language) ran for
184 performances at the Garrick Theatre in 1922.
{ SOURCE: Broadway World, Variety }
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Q&A - Quick Chats & Press Interviews
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Lamarre: I dont have a job; I have a lifestyle
{May.02.2016}
-------------------------------------------------------
Daniel Lamarre, 62, is the president and chief executive officer
of Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil, which has about 4,000
employees working on more than 20 shows in about 50 countries.
Lamarre was born and raised in Grand-Mere, Quebec, about 170
kilometres northeast of Montreal. He earned a Bachelor of Arts
from the University of Ottawa, which later honoured him with a
doctorate. He was the CEO of Burson-Marsteller and then co-
founded National Public Relations with Luc Beauregard. He went
on to be the CEO at TVA Broadcast Group for four years before he
joined the circus in January 2001. In addition to his day job,
he spends a lot of time with the One Drop Foundation, a non-
profit organization to help improve access to water, and the
Montreal Heart Institute. He also has a personal foundation to
support various causes. When hes not traveling Lamarre calls
Montreal home, where he lives with his wife, the photographer
Emmanuelle Dupérré, and her two sons. He also has two grown
children and five grandchildren.
Lamarre spoke to Karl Moore, a professor of strategy and
organization at the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill
University.
# # #
I began my career as a journalist, and at the time, I would have
bet quite a bit of money on staying a journalist for the rest of
my life. I was passionate, and that was my ultimate goal. I was
tired of just listening and not doing something myself. An
opportunity to become a public relations practitioner knocked me
off the course of journalism, and I dove right into the business
world. I started working for a major corporation as a
consultant, and I immensely enjoyed discovering different types
of business. I was learning a lot.
When I became the CEO of TVA [a privately owned French language
television network], Guy Laliberté had been generous enough to
give me the opportunity to get the TV rights of the Cirque du
Soleil. Then we got in touch on a more regular basis and he just
called me one day out of the blue and he said, I had this
amazing flash last night that youre going to join the circus.
I burst out laughing and a few weeks later I was running with
the circus.
Guy is a rock star. He has his entourage and his fans and when
he walks somewhere, everybody knows that hes there. Im more
like the behind-the-scenes guy. My job working with Guy is to
make his crazy ideas happen. Hell come with a lot of different
ideas and I help him select the right one. My job is to put
together the right conditions. Im there to say: Yes, maybe.
Lets see, lets explore.
I think I have a strong presence, not by talking a lot but by
asking the right questions. As a journalist, I had to be good at
interviewing people and listening to people. In management its
very, very useful because when I meet with my employees,
normally I do what the journalist is good at doing: listening.
And I learned a lot. As you know, people like to talk, and
sometimes I would spend quite a bit of time listening to people
and the meeting would end and I had barely spoken, I just
listen. But people love it, and because they love it then its
easier after that to understand where theyre coming from, what
theyre looking for. For me, I think its a great management
tool. To listen to people.
People say that Im tough to read, but those are the people who
dont really know me. People that are working with me on a day-
to-day basis get my signals. I dont need to impose myself. I
dont scream or lose my temper, because for me thats a sign of
weakness. When you lose your temper, then you lose control of
the situation. If you are a leader and you lose control of a
situation, then a lot of people around you get really insecure.
You shouldnt trust yourself too much when you are selling shows
to consumers. We do a lot of research to test if our crazy ideas
are something that can work with the public. Its important that
we understand how the tastes of people are growing in different
manners. And make sure that we meet their expectations. In the
case of Cirque du Soleil, their expectations are getting higher
and higher. It puts a lot of pressure on our creative team.
Ive become more creative in my 15 years with the Cirque. I
learned a lot from the creators and the artists, and of course,
Guy, about their minds, their sensitivities, their passions and
how they could go from a white sheet of paper to a developed
concept that can work.
You have to get up in the morning and think, What can I
reinvent today? Thats what were doing all the time; were
always on the lookout for new ideas because its important that
we can continue to surprise our public. Our big reinvention this
year was Avatar. Everyone was concerned about what we could do
with such an amazing IP [intellectual property] brought to us by
James Cameron, whos probably the most successful movie-maker in
the history of that industry. I was so happy when I read in the
Montreal paper the day after the premiere, Cirque du Soleil is
going somewhere else. I felt so, so good about it.
Silicon Valley and China are so important to the Cirque. Silicon
Valley, first and foremost, because in the future live shows are
going to be influenced by new technologies. There are 3D
technologies, there are virtual characters, there are virtual
environments today and I want our shows to be at the forefront
of that development. And China is an amazing market to capture.
Having a Chinese partner gives me an opportunity. Ive been
traveling in China for 15 years and I was having great meetings
with people but I wasnt getting results. Ive been there five
times in the last four months and now a lot of people are saying
yes to us because were a part of them.
Chinese management style is very different to that of the
Silicon Valley. We are French-Canadian, we are French-speaking
North American people, so its easy for us to do business in the
U.S. Weve been doing that all of our life, we speak the same
language, which is the business language. In China, its
different because you talk business a lot but you have to
remember that there is always, behind-the-scenes, the
government. Im not making a judgment about whether its good or
bad, but you have to be conscious that the government is present
in any decision there.
I dont have a job; I have a lifestyle. I love my lifestyle. I
love travelling. Im fortunate that my wife can travel with me.
I work a lot of hours, and there is no such thing as the weekend
because there are always shows performing. I am in communication
with the organization all the time. But you have to develop your
own way to remain sane in an environment that can get you crazy
if youre not careful. Working out is a good way for me to
escape. There is nothing better than having a good bottle of
wine on a Friday evening at home or wherever you are.
At the end of the day, you want to be profitable, but thats not
the meaning of life. I was in New York recently because were
opening our first Broadway show in May. I walked in front of the
theatre and saw the billboard on 42nd Street and I was like a
kid, I was excited. It brings me a lot of adrenalin. Its very
tough for an artist to earn a good living. Cirque du Soleil is
providing a good living to more than 2,000 artists, and if I
could supply jobs for 4,000 artists, Id feel even better.
Thats what drives me. I cannot be driven by money alone; that
would be a boring life. But to see an artist performing and
travelling around the world, oh my God I feel good about that.
Im from the TV generation. Millennials dont know what a TV set
is any more; they are now working from their screens. We were
behind in social media and werent reaching out to the
millennials before, but weve hired a bunch of millennials and
kids, literally, to rework our marketing. Its very important to
recognize the fact that youre not 20 years old any more. and
youre not 40 any more. So, you need to leave younger people to
take more room. When I started my career there were older people
giving me opportunities. Now its my turn to give younger people
opportunities. I think you get very, very old if you are not
open to other peoples ideas. I think whats keeping you young
is listening to young people and leaving them room to grow in
your organization.
Being bilingual is crucial. You just cannot work internationally
if you dont speak English. And speaking French was an advantage
because it brought some colour. Its funny how little people
know about French-Canadians outside of Canada. Its always kind
of exotic for people, Theyre kind of confused, Are you French,
are you American? And Ill say, Were all of the above.
# # #
This interview has been condensed and edited from the CEO
Series, which can be heard on CJAD and other Bell Media stations
across Canada. For the full interview, go to the CEO Series on:
http://www.cjad.com/TheCEOSeries/aspx
{ SOURCE: The Globe and Mail | http://goo.gl/4rpBMw }
Meet Benjamin Courtney, LUZIA Straps Artist
{May.02.2016}
-------------------------------------------------------
He moves through space quick and agile, rising, dropping,
through the air like a cross between a colourful hummingbird
diving through the air and a playful otter. There is no other
land creature that moves like this. There are few humans who can
move like Benjamin Courtney. He has trained most of his life to
become a professional acrobat, and now, the young man will be
performing in the new Cirque du Soleil show, Luzia, A Waking
Dream of Mexico, that opens April 21 in Montreal.
I started doing gymnastics with the Bowen Island Gymnastic Club
when I was four, says Courtney the Montreal apartment he shares
with a friend. I trained at a few different gyms and then got
tired of gymnastics. I found Circus West, the circus school and
started doing acrobatics. It was great. At the circus school
Courtney could ride unicycles, hang from a trapeze, tumble from
straps dangling from the ceiling.
From there on in, Courtney trained as an acrobat in East
Vancouver though living on Bowen, and going to school in West
Vancouver. Like a true circus performer, Courtney became adept
and juggling all aspects of his life, between commuting, school
and athletics.
Building on his gymnastics training, he added acrobatics, and
built up his strength, flexibility and precision. Along with all
his training, he was acutely focused on improving his skills and
had the drive that would shoot him into an audition for the
National Circus School when he was 17. The school set up
auditions in Vancouver but, says Courtney, I didnt really
think I had a chance.
The try-outs lasted three hours where he was asked to give the
circus the best performance of his life. He did push-ups, chin
ups, handsprings, answered questions, showed his confidence and
stage presence.
To his happy surprise, the teen was invited to move to Montreal
to begin training. At first I lived in residence at the
school, he says, adding that there was so much to take in and
learn that there was very little time to be homesick. The Circus
School provides academic training along with circus training,
and food and accommodation.
The first year in Montreal was a trial period for the athletes
and Courtney adapted easily from his quiet home life on the
island to life in the circus. Most of the other people in the
Cirque dont speak English, and some dont speak English or
French, but we are like a family.
Courtney trains with coaches for various parts of his
performances, from the acrobatics to the choreography and
sometimes, acting. I have a couple characters, who he says he
will portray in the upcoming Cirque du Soleil shows. The Cirque
du Soleil first made its mark in the world of circus
performances in 1983, with a character driven show, completely
eliminating animal performers.
With the Cirque, though he has trainers and specific characters,
we are encouraged to go outside the box, to push boundaries.
Courtney says that creativity and imagination are key to the
success of each performer. We dont have names for our moves,
like a front roll in gymnastics because we are always creating
new movements.
Though he cant talk much about the upcoming Cirque show, he
says that there is a water element, and that its a Mexican
theme. Otherwise, the performer is tight-lipped. Luzia will not
open in Vancouver, but will go to Seattle this summer.
Courtneys mom Julia says shes never missed an Opening of her
sons shows, and shell be flying out to Montreal for Opening
night. I couldnt have done this without all the support from
my parents, says Courtney.
Ben Courtney says that kids should never be discouraged from
following their dreams. If you arent doing what you love, you
arent really living.
{ SOURCE: Bowen Island Undercurrent | http://goo.gl/qjeSEr }
How Cirques Daredevils Keep Their Bodies So Perfect
{May.18.2016}
-------------------------------------------------------
Supported only by straps and each other, the Atherton twins fly
above the stage, twisting and turning in a gripping display of
grace, strength and washboard abs - fueled, one guesses, by a
diet of protein shakes and power bars. Not entirely true. We
believe in eating what you enjoy, in moderation, say Andrew and
Kevin Atherton, the identical-twin aerialists of Cirque du
Soleils Paramour, opening May 25 at the Lyric Theatre. We
dont have a diet, just a lifestyle.
Growing up in Manchester, England, Andi and Kev lived above a
convenience store, where they could have any snack or sandwich
whenever they wanted. Once they turned 7 and started gymnastics,
they swiftly learned to ration their food - its hard to soar
and flip on a full stomach. Now 40, the 5-foot-7 British
gymnastic champions are both a trim 145 pounds, the same weight
they were as teenagers. We worked with a nutritionist and we
read a lot of MensHealth magazines, say the twins, who credit
the Bill Phillips book Body for Life for distilling their
secret for staying healthy and fit: eating five or six smaller
meals a day to boost their metabolism.
Breakfast is typically oatmeal with flaxseed or two scrambled
egg whites, multigrain toast with peanut butter, coffee and a
banana. For a midmorning snack, theyll whip up smoothies in
their dressing room made with Costcos whey protein powder,
frozen fruit, skim milk and flaxseed. Lunch is always the same:
salad with grilled chicken or salmon, either brought from home
or the nearby Europa Café. If we could eat nothing else in our
life, wed eat that, they say. They like a simple mix of greens
and vegetables, topped with chicken or fish, avocado, cilantro
and almonds. The dressings the same, too: Simple olive oil and
balsamic vinegar.
Their afternoon snack is often a Kind cereal bar - or a square
or two of Trader Joes chocolate that they keep in their
dressing room fridge. For dinner, its another salad, or, on
some nights, Andrews Kazakhstan-born wife, Gasya, will whip up
a Russian comfort food called plov. Its usually beef, rice and
carrots, but she makes it for me with chicken, he says. They
rarely have time to dine out, but when they do, they always ask
for an extra plate. If the foods there in front of you, youll
eat it, Andrew says. So we ask for a smaller plate, fill it
with what we want, and return the big plate with the rest.
Even their cravings are in sync. One balmy, post-rehearsal
evening, Andi went out with his wife and kids for a burger and
beer at Alfies in Hells Kitchen, and texted a pic of his food
to his brother. I was sitting about 20 blocks away, at Black
Iron Burger, Kev says, and Id just ordered the same thing!
{ SOURCE: New York Post | http://goo.gl/2xTAv5 }
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SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT - More In-depth Articles
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Criss Angels Magical $70 Million Profit Machine
{May.04.2016}
-------------------------------------------------------
Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos, aka Criss Angel, the biggest
name in Las Vegas magic, lives in the desert foothills 20
minutes from the Strip in a $22 million, 25,000-square-foot
Mediterranean-style estate he calls Serenity. The 48-year-old
illusionist, instantly recognizable to fans for his black
eyeliner, spiky black hair, and heavy-metal jewelry, parks his
Rolls-Royce Phantom, Lamborghini Murciélago, and Cadillac
Escalade out front. The décor inside suggests a Gothic-accented
Greek Orthodox church. The walls are adorned with stylized
crosses and portraits of the crucified Jesus, one of which
features drops of Angels own blood on the floor below.
Angel can afford Rolls-Royces and Lamborghinis and Jesuses
because Believe, the spectacular he put on at the Luxor Las
Vegas in partnership with Cirque du Soleil, together with his
other ventures, has been generating about $70 million a year for
him, say people familiar with Angels finances. That sum
comprises millions of dollars from television, including foreign
rights; road show versions of his act; magic kits and other
merchandise; and sponsorships. More than a mere magician, Angel
is a miniconglomerate with a remarkably diversified-and vital-
brand.
As the Strip faced increased competition from legalized gambling
elsewhere in the country and, later, fallout from the 2008 Wall
Street meltdown, casinos bridged the revenue gap with
nightclubs, Blue Man Group, Celine Dion-and Angel. As much as
anyone, he embodies the kind of entertainment thats kept Sin
City glowing. Last year, Vegas welcomed 42 million visitors, up
2 percent from 2014, but casino revenue on the Strip fell 2.5
percent, to $5.8 billion, according to the Nevada Gaming Control
Board. These figures confirm a long-standing trend: Twenty years
ago gambling accounted for 60 percent of Vegas tourism revenue,
says William Thompson, professor emeritus at the University of
Nevada at Las Vegas. In 2015 the figure was 35 percent.
Entertainment has been our lifeline, Thompson says, and
magic-Penn & Teller, David Copperfield, Criss Angel-is a big
part of that.
Criss came in with ideas [to which] wed say, No f-ing way you
can do that on TV, and then hed do it Its a lifeline Luxors
tapping into again. On May 11, Angel begins previews of a show
called Mindfreak Live! He says that after seven years, Believe
is a dinosaur compared with this one. Live! will feature
illusions, sure, but also musicians and DJs, 3D special effects,
and more autobiographical material. Angel promises a summer
blockbuster (tickets run to $142), and Luxor, of course, hopes
hes right. But the launch of any show is a tightrope walk. In
2008, Believe sold mountains of advance tickets based mostly on
Angels popularity on the A&E network, but the show turned out
to be a muddle of exotic costumes and hand-waving that many
reviewers panned initially. It needed a lot of work to become a
hit. Theres always some risk in revamping a Vegas show, says
Jerry Nadal, senior vice president of Cirque, which remains a
partner on Live! But if anyone can pull it off, its Criss.
Theres no questioning Angels desire to succeed. In 1998, as a
30-year-old, he performed a 12-minute routine from morning to
night, 50 times a day, at a Halloween convention in New Yorks
Madison Square Garden. In 2001 his mother, Dimitra, took out a
$360,000 mortgage on her house to help him mount an off-Broadway
show, the original Mindfreak. After a 14-month, 600-performance
run, Angel says he repaid the mortgage and banked more than $1
million.
In 2003 he moved to Vegas to focus on TV. After landing specials
on several networks, he introduced a series on A&E in 2005, also
called Mindfreak. It incorporated solemn, psychedelic scenes of
Angel wandering in the Nevada desert like a peyote shaman with
six-pack abs. Many of the actual tricks, though, took place on
Vegas sidewalks, where the star appeared to levitate and vanish.
The show took off.
Criss came in with ideas [to which] wed say, No f-ing way you
can do that on TV, and then hed do it, says Elaine Frontain
Bryant, a senior A&E executive. She points to a trick called In
Two: Angel appeared to pull a young woman apart at the waist on
a park bench, as observers screamed in dismay. It was so
visceral, amazing, no box or cloak, she says. Other times he
seemed to walk on water-a YouTube version of this has gotten 52
million views-and made an elephant seem to disappear.
But Angels ascent stalled with Believe. I got my ass handed to
me, he says of the bad reviews. At the end of one performance
in 2009, he hurled obscenities at blogger Perez Hilton, who was
in attendance. Word had reached Angel backstage that Hilton was
telling his followers that hed rather be getting a root
canal-not a unique reaction. Believe received an overhaul. We
changed the balance to make it much more about Criss and his
illusions and less about Cirque characters, Nadal says. Reviews
turned positive in 2010 and remained that way through this year.
(The show wrapped in mid-April.)
Angel oversees details as minor as the price of fixing a
straitjacket used onstage, hitting the roof when he learns it
will cost $250, twice the price of a new one. In 2013, Angel
returned to TV for a series of hourlong shows on Spike guest-
starring the likes of rapper-actors Ludacris and Ice T,
professional wrestler Randy Couture, and former NBA star
Shaquille ONeal. More than 100 episodes of Angels programming
have been licensed for airing overseas. Beyond Las Vegas, he
produces and directs The Supernaturalists, a traveling revue he
opened last summer that showcases nine lesser-known performers.
This Halloween hell be back on A&E with an hourlong special. In
the U.S., the TV shows drive people to the Las Vegas shows and
sell the merchandise, he says.
Angel manages the TV ventures, stage shows, and merchandising-
Angel Inc., or as its officially known, Angel Productions
Worldwide-on three to four hours of sleep a night. He gets help
from his brother, Costa; Dimitra, 81, a Greek immigrant, lives
with him part-time. He credits his business acumen to his late
father, John, who operated coffee shops on Long Island, N.Y.,
where Angel grew up. For example, rather than license his
signature magic kits to a toy company, he outsources
manufacturing to China and sells them, along with T-shirts and
DVDs, from his own warehouse. Since 2005 hes sold more than $35
million in magic kits alone. He oversees details as minor as the
price of fixing a straitjacket used onstage, hitting the roof
when he learns it will cost $250, twice the price of a new one.
The performer speaks lovingly and often about his 2-year-old
son, Johnny Crisstopher, who has leukemia, now in remission. The
boy lives in Australia with his mother, Shaunyl Benson, from
whom Angel is estranged. Despite an earnest family devotion,
Angel often generates TMZ-worthy gossip in his personal life.
Over the years hes dated actresses Cameron Diaz and Minnie
Driver and pop singer Britney Spears, as well as ex-Playboy
bunny and reality-TV star Holly Madison.
Angels ventures dont necessarily win him fans among rivals and
aficionados. Penn Jillette, the tall, talkative member of the
Penn & Teller duo, once told a radio interviewer: Criss Angel
does tricks on TV, which means hes not in the category of David
Copperfield. Hes in the category of Samantha Stephens on
Bewitched. Mike Caveney, a magic historian in Southern
California who co-authored the book Magic: 1400s-1950s, says,
Criss Angel has done more to harm and damage magic than any
other person I can think of. The stuff he does on television and
the Internet-walk up the side of a building, walk across the
swimming pool-is just silly, and it generates cynicism about the
art.
One recent morning, Angel leads a tour of the 60,000-square-foot
factory where his team of engineers and welders are building the
multimillion-dollar infrastructure for Mindfreak Live! Although
it continues his franchise, its a brand-new approach to
everything I do, he says, showing off a massive buzz-saw
contraption. Some might argue that the classic sawing in two of
a comely assistant is a tired stunt, but Angel says his version
will be more realistic-looking and shocking. The show is
scheduled to run for the final three years of his 10-year
contract with MGM Resorts International, the Luxors owner, and
Cirque. This summer hes scheduled to do a dozen performances in
Dubai, under a contract that he says covers all his expenses and
pays him $2 million. There will always be critics, he says,
but Im proving that my performances appeal to the widest
possible audiences, not just in Vegas but around the country and
the world. I want to own the magic space.
{ SOURCE: Bloomberg Businessweek | http://goo.gl/jXuS7b }
45 DEGREES: T.O by Lipton campaign wins a Silver
Award for Best Production Design
{May.12.2016}
-------------------------------------------------------
For this campaign, director Saam Farahmand at Rogue and
production designer David Lee have come together to create a
revolutionary advertisement for Liptons new TO Tea machine for
Tribal Worldwide London in collaboration with adam&eveDDB. The
advert combines cutting-edge filming techniques with beautiful
in-air and underwater performances by Cirque du Soleil. Through
a complex process of tank building, liquid formations, set
design and execution what unfolded was an impressive
underwater production that has never been done before. An
underwater performance representing specific flavours each one
behaving as the tea leaves, capturing the spirit and essence of
brewing process. Congratulations to the entire team!
CHECK OUT A VIDEO OF THE ADVERTISEMENT HERE:
< https://goo.gl/2O0hyd >
# # #
So, what is the T.O. By Lipton?
Unilever (Lipton) introduced a colorful and innovative home tea
brewer in France last week to compete with Nespressos
Special.T.
The $200 T.O. by Lipton was designed in collaboration with
Bodum, integrates a Brita water filter and is manufactured by
Krups. It uses newly designed single-serve capsules of premium
tea that are sold online in packs of 10 for $4.50 (3.90).
There are tea kettles on the market licensed to carry the Lipton
brand, such as the Ariete cordless, but the T.O. is a brewing
system conceived by 5.5 designstudio that adjusts temperature
settings and variable steep times essential in brewing specialty
teas and tisanes. The tea leaves and tisane inclusions are
visible in a unique brewing chamber where the tea is agitated
before it is discharged. The capsule then acts as a tea strainer
capturing the leaves as the water exits. This brewer can make a
cup of tea in 30 seconds.
The lines of the T.O. tea maker resemble a statuesque pediment
with a backdrop for the infusion chamber that forms the nerve
center of the device, according to a post by 5.5 designstudio.
Similar to a traditional glass teapot in which the tea leaves
release their flavor, the machine embodies the swirling bubbles
and aromas, according to the designers.
The brewer design team writes that the brewers are manufactured
in four metallic colors to acknowledge to the four main types
of tea white, red, green, and black. This diverse range of
colors gives T.O. a decorative quality ideal for kitchens as
well as lounges.
Lipton has offered tea capsules that are compatible with
Nespresso equipment since last Spring. The newly designed T.O.
capsules are larger are only sold online. The teas are available
in seven flavors including vanilla caramel, green Marrakesh
mint, Earl Grey, and blood orange mandarin. The Special.T brewer
($79) costs less than half as much the T.O. It has been marketed
in France since 2010. Like the T.O. it uses a specially designed
tea capsule, priced similarly to the new Lipton capsules.
In the U.S. Lipton markets its tea in Keurig licensed capsules
that are widely available at retail outlets. The company did not
say whether it would market the new brewer in North America.
The French newspaper Le Monde, reported that in France, sales
of tea, dominated largely by Lipton and Twinings distribution
has stagnated.More and more people prefer upmarket teas. This
trend benefits the specialized brands, like Mariage Frères, the
Palace of teas, Dammann Frères and Kusmi Tea.
Lipton first introduced a single-serve machine for food service
in 2014 at the London Caffé Culture Show where it was reviewed
by Euromonitor analyst Hope Lee.
Premiumisation in tea has taken off in Western Europe despite
the resilience of private label, writes Lee. This is very much
a manufacturer driven-trend, with brand owners seeking to drive
volume and value sales through the introduction of new flavors,
tea types and packaging formats
. Single-serve tea capsules and
pyramid tea bags with leaf tea appear to be niches with bright
prospects, according to Lee.
Jacinthe Brillet, executive director of T.O. by Lipton, told La
Figaro the company anticipates capsule and brewer sales of $130
million (115 million) annually by 2020. That seems ambitious
given that sales in France of all Lipton products are $125
million (110 million), according to the report: To achieve
this objective Unilever could also sell its system to
restaurants.
Unilevers refreshment division, which includes Lipton, reported
revenue of $6.2 billion (5.5 billion) for the first half of the
year according to Bloomberg.
{ SOURCE: 45 DEGREES, World Tea News | http://goo.gl/ezuRDP }
Cirque du Soleils New Bet On Its Future?
{May.17.2016}
-------------------------------------------------------
Lactualité, a Canadian French-language news and general
interest magazine published in Montreal, has released an
interesting article today, detailing Cirque du Soleils new
bet on its future. The article itself was published in French
only; however, a cursory sweep through Google Translate has
offered up a few interesting nuggets
o) Cirque2017 is shaping up to be an extreme sports show.
Cirque 2017, which will be presented under the big top of
the Old Port of Montreal, will use a lot of extreme sports
including BMX, Jean-François Bouchard explains
enthusiastically.
o) According to Daniel Lamarre, CEO, Cirque will experience a
huge growth over the next five years, increasing the number
of shows from 18 to at least 25.
o) As we eluded to in Fascination a few months back, Cirque is
considering cloning some of its shows for other markets. O,
Michael Jackson One, The Beatles Love, and KA could be
produced in other markets.
o) Cirque du Soleil is looking to expand in China, New York,
London, Dubai, Mexico, and Hawaii.
o) Within five years, Cirque hopes to have at least two
permanent shows in China, with the addition of touring shows.
Many hopes are with TORUK, which will begin touring China in
2017. TORUKs success will lay the groundwork for the first
permanent show, scheduled in Hangzhou at the end of 2018. And
who knows, perhaps a clone of O.
o) Paramour will remain in the Big Apple as long as the
tickets have a market. If ticket sales take a hit, the show
could go on the road and tour as other Broadway productions
do.
o) Cirque is also scheduled to open a resident show in New
Jersey by early 2018. This show will focus on the theme of
fashion and will be installed in a new theater, built-in
shopping and entertainment center currently under
construction.
o) Daniel Lamarre still optimistic he could port LOVE to London.
Also considering PARAMOUR. Not to mention the dinner theater
show he wants to install there in three years.
o) With revenues of $25 million, 45 Degrees is still a small
part of the Group du Soleil, but, president Yasmine Khalis
plan, is to make the move to $100 million within five years.
Mitch Garber, President of the Board of Cirque du Soleil,
confirms the Groups ambitions. 45 Degrees is definitely one
of the important growth paths of Cirque du Soleil.
o) The customer must have a budget of at least $350,000 to
appeal to 45 Degrees. And it is they who bear the financial
risk, not Cirque du Soleil. Of the 1,500 unsolicited requests
it receives a year, it accepts only 10% of them.
o) The dinner show JOYA created many, many requests from other
developers, and so it seems Dubai will host a version in
2018, then Hawaii. Very preliminary discussions are also
underway for JOYA-like dinner shows for London, Brazil, and
elsewhere.
o) The team is also working to develop parks for Club Med
(Fosun properties) and permanent shows with the European
cruise line MSC.
You can read the English-translated (via Google Translate)
version of the article below. Or, if youre interested in the
original French version, check out the SOURCE notation at the
end.
# # #
When Jean-François Bouchard, largely responsible for the
creation of Cirque du Soleil, finally arrives in the office of
his boss, the head office of Montreal is the whirlwind. He
laughs, cries, apologizes for being late. In a move rarely seen
in the office, he at length hugged the president and CEO, Daniel
Lamarre. With pats on the back and everything.
Chosen by Guy Laliberté himself to succeed him as creative guide
of Cirque du Soleil, Jean-François Bouchard, seagulls patterned
shirt and gold belt, clearly carbide with crazy ideas. At one
year of the first show named yet Cirque 2017, which will be
presented under the big top of the Old Port of Montreal, the
great curly 55 years has given the green light to the main
numbers acrobatics, music and the design stage. The show will
use a lot of extreme sports including BMX, he explains
enthusiastically.
The withdrawal of Guy Laliberté day business of Cirque du Soleil
is the most visible aspect of the sale of the company a
transaction of $ 1.5 billion in the summer of 2015. The US group
TPG Capital now has 60% of the shares, the Chinese group Fosun
20% and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec 10%. The
founder, still owns 10% of shares, just add a touch, but it is
there on time very, very partial, said Mitch Garber, who
chairs the board. Before, everything was going through Guy, he
said. Nothing important was happening without Guy. And suddenly,
there is more of Guy
Unlike Laliberté, investors, including large portfolios do not
count other entertainment enterprises, do not mix creation. They
have brought against growth ambitions and greater discipline.
We now have an incredible range of development! Said Daniel
Lamarre, CEO since 2006. Cirque experience a huge growth over
the next five years, he said. The number of performances from 18
to at least 25. Revenues and profits increase by 15% annually.
The number of jobs also. When I talk about growth, not just
hope, stressed the leader of 62 years. These are real, concrete
projects. I see them!
No way however from scattering. The unrelated to the show
activities, such as catering in Ibiza and the nightclubs in Las
Vegas, were abandoned immediately after the transaction. The new
projects are now assessed based on a clear direction: rationally
target the most promising markets and identify the best ways to
conquer them. I do not know how the financial discipline
investors could help us, said Daniel Lamarre.
If the effect on the financial results do not yet being felt, it
has already acted on morale.
The sale, two years after significant cuts 400 positions
eliminated, especially in Montreal had made them nervous
employees. Over the months, they found that the positions were
saved, that the mission and creativity were not sacrificed.
There was a normal period of transition, but now seems frankly
moral good, according to Louis Patrick Leroux, professor at
Concordia University and director of the circus in search of
Montreal Group.
In March that spins too quickly for his taste, Jean-François
Bouchard multiplies trips between Montreal and New York to
refine Luzia (the Mexican-inspired spectacle the first of which
took place in April in Old Port of Montreal) and Paramour (in
May at Broadway). But the first item on the agenda of his
meeting with Daniel Lamarre is Cirque 2017.
The productions launched in the Old Port of Montreal can live
long if they do fly. Varekai (2002), Kooza (2007) and Totem
(2010), for example, still roam the world. Other less popular,
were withdrawn after a few years of touring.
Montreal is the most difficult market for us, says Daniel
Lamarre few weeks of the first of Luzia. Quebecers are also
critical of the Cirque du Soleil than to the Montreal Canadiens.
We hope to have a better season than them! Laughs the CEO.
So far, the Cirque had a show in one city at a time. Now, it is
often with two, three or even four simultaneous productions in
an entertainment company maximizes its profits. We were the
only ones not to, and there it is viewed, said Daniel Lamarre.
And O , Michael Jackson One , The Beatles Love and KA, every
success in Las Vegas, could be produced in other markets.
Las Vegas has long been the engine of growth, but if he wants to
grow 15% per year, Cirque du Soleil will drill in China, New
York and London. In these priority markets add Dubai, Mexico,
Hawaii
After a few months on the board, Christian Dubé, Vice-
President of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, is
confident: The prospects that we have been presented at the
beginning [of the transaction] are quite there, positive,
encouraging and above all, achievable.
The Middle Kingdom, which already has 10,000 troops circus, is
in the sights of the group for years. Cirque du Soleil had not
yet found the way to break through it, but now has a very
combative strategy, says Louis Patrick Leroux, circus Montreal
Research Group.
The arrival of Fosun as shareholder has changed the situation,
says Daniel Lamarre. Chinese conglomerate, with a market value
equivalent to 16 billion Canadian dollars, entries everywhere he
uses to Cirque du Soleil. When Daniel Lamarre visits China,
people of Fosun translate her body language and the reality of
business. Thus, the CEO realized recently how the political
factor comes into play. Luckily, the Chinese government wants
the new housing estates have a cultural component.
The Caisse de depot et placement account also enjoy the presence
of its real estate arm Ivanhoe Cambridge in China to help
Cirque. We put our dollars, but it supports more than just a
capital insists Christian Dubé.
Within five years, the Cirque hopes to have at least two
permanent shows on Chinese soil, in addition to many long tours.
Many hopes are based on toruk , inspired by the film Avatar, who
will begin his China tour in 2017: its success lays the
ground work for the first permanent show, scheduled in Hangzhou
at the end of 2018. And who knows, in a project recovery of
aquatic creation O.
In the shorter term, Cirque puts the package to conquer Broadway
with Paramour , a mixture of acrobatics and music hall.
Construction of a theater, systems integration, co-design with a
local team
Paramour will remain on display in the Big Apple
as long as the tickets have a market. If hit, teams could also
walk the show around the world, as do other Broadway
productions.
The New York market has not always been easy for the Cirque du
Soleil. The failure in 2009 of Banana Shpeel , a vaudeville-
style show, with jokes and humor, had great sound. It was a
little show, insists Daniel Lamarre, who much prefer to talk
about success touring and rock opera Zarkana , for which one
million tickets were sold in two summers at Radio City Music
Hall in 2011 and 2012. I have a selective memory, he
acknowledged with a smile.
Furthermore Paramour, Cirque du Soleil will open a permanent
show in New Jersey, the other side of New York at the turn of
2018. This production will focus on the theme of fashion and
will be installed in a new theater, built-in center shopping and
entertainment five billion currently under construction.
A little puzzle, by cons, draw the plans in London, another
priority market. For years, Daniel Lamarre dream install it
Love, the Beatles tribute. An obstacle gets in his way: the lack
of a place to scratch. The West End theaters, the central
sector, are historical, thus difficult or impossible to change.
And available land are rare. Whatever, the CEO regularly travels
the UK capital, control analyzes. In addition to Love, the
Cirque hopes to export it Paramour. Not to mention the dinner
theater that wants to install in three years.
To increase its chances to execute its ambitious business plan,
Cirque du Soleil has reshuffled its management team in early
2016. Jonathan Tétrault, previously responsible for the Montreal
office of McKinsey consultants box, replaced Charles Décarie as
Chief operating Officer. Stéphane Lefebvre took over the
management of finances, after leading those of CAE simulator
manufacturer. These hirings and other changes in administrative
teams will install this level of rigor and business experience
[desired by investors], said Mitch Garber.
In addition, said Daniel Lamarre, these new recruits are
speaking Quebecers from here, which has significantly calmed
the legitimate concerns of employees. Im doing speeches, but
there is nothing like the action. Here the message is clear that
Quebecers remain with management and the head office remains in
Montreal.
{ SOURCE: http://goo.gl/0JDIr5 | Lactualité }
VIDEO \\\ Whats New With OVO 2.0? Projections!
{May.18.2016}
-------------------------------------------------------
OVO is back and brighter than ever thanks to new light
projection technology from 4U2C
In the video above, Oliver
Goulet, 4U2C Producer, discusses the new technology his company
employed for OVOs final acrobatic number and more.
CHECK OUT THE VIDEO HERE:
< https://www.facebook.com/OVO/videos/10154295994169614/ >
WAIT, WHO IS 4U2C?
Founded in 2013, 4U2C specializes in the design of visual
elements. Combining scenography, lighting, video and 3D
effects/mapping, the company has earned a prominent place on the
local and international scene. Since its debut, 4U2C has
developed more than 100 projects for sporting events and
festivals such as the pre-game festivities for the Montreal
Canadians, Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors, OSHEAGA,
Heavy Montreal, Igloofest as well as permanent architectural
installations and the visual content for the opening ceremonies
of the 2014 Central America and Caribbean Games. 4U2C continues
to enjoy the support of its shareholders, Solotech and Cirque du
Soleil.
Their tools are lights, stagecraft and video production, but
their product is emotion. Thats what they deliver, no matter
the medium or the venue. 4U2C creates powerful connections
between audiences and performers, brands and fans. When youre
immersed in one of the unique audiovisual experiences that
theyve helped create, its an unforgettable moment!
4U2C is a one-stop shop for the creative and production needs of
any multimedia event. They are built around the notion of
integrated creation: the desire to provide a creative
environment where lighting, architectural design, media content
and technology are seamlessly combined. Our approach is that of
a creative production designer who oversees every aspect of the
visual design of a live event production. We believe multimedia
means a production that brings together the various disciplines
of visual design in a cohesive whole, and at 4U2C we encompass
creative director, production designer and technical director.
WHAT DOES 4U2C DO?
o) Stage & Event Design - Count on us to create innovative
visual worlds for live and special events, both large and
small. Scenic design, stage design, special effects and
technical expertise combine to offer you a truly memorable
experience.
o) Lighting Design - Whether were designing stunning lighting
for a building facade, or supercharging a live event with
hundreds of moving lights and audience-worn LED bracelets,
you can always trust us to show you in your best light.
o) Visual Content and Production - Our in-house studio offers
everything you need to create engaging imagery, including
concept research and storyboarding, HD filming and editing,
2D and 3D animation, motion design, special effects, green-
screen shooting, compositing and post-production.
o) Coordination and Project Managemet - Brilliant artistic
productions dont just happen on their own. It takes
leadership. In addition to world-class creative direction,
youll have a content producer and an executive producer who
coordinate production and ensure that our multidisciplinary
team delivers a flawless experience.
MEET THE ARTISANS
o) Yves Aucoin, President - Thirty years of experience have
earned Yves an international reputation as an original and
talented artistic director. While creating stunning shows for
renowned clients like Celine Dion, the Cirque du Soleil LOVE
the Beatles or Johnny Hallyday. Yves, as the creative
director, brings undeniable creativity and award-winning
expertise to the table.
o) Stéphane Mongeau, Executive Vice President - As executive
producer and VP of production, Stéphane spent the last decade
supervising the creation of over a dozen box-office hits for
the renowned Cirque du Soleil. Before the Cirque, he brought
his virtuosity in lighting design and production management
to hundreds of stage productions by acclaimed directors such
as Robert Lepage, Diane Paulus or Denis Marleau.
o) Olivier Goulet, Content Producer - Olivier began working as a
freelancer with Théâtre Ubu, PIGI Canada and La Cité de
LÉnergie de Shawiningan. In 2005, he co-founded Geodezik and
made his entry into the international rockn roll scene by
working with artists such as Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry,
The Black Keys, and Rihanna among others, who turned to him
to enrich their shows with video scenographic content.
To learn more about 4U2C, visit their website at:
< http://4u2c.com/ >
=======================================================================
ITINÉRAIRE -- TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION
=======================================================================
o) BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau
{Amaluna, Koozå, Kurios, Luzia & Totem}
o) ARENA - In Stadium-like venues
{Varekai, TORUK & OVO}
o) RESIDENT - Performed en Le Théâtre
{Mystère, "O", La Nouba, Zumanity, KÀ, LOVE,
MJ ONE & JOYÀ}
NOTE:
.) While we make every effort to provide complete and accurate
touring dates and locations available, the information in
this section is subject to change without notice. As such,
the Fascination! Newsletter does not accept responsibility
for the accuracy of these listings.
For current, up-to-the-moment information on Cirque's whereabouts,
please visit Cirque's website: < http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/ >,
or for a more comprehensive tour listing, visit our Itinéraire
section online at: < http://www.cirquefascination.com/?page_id=6898 >.
------------------------------------
BIGTOP - Under the Grand Chapiteau
------------------------------------
Amaluna:
Frankfurt, DE -- May 11, 2016 to Jun 12, 2016
Knokke-Heist, BE -- Jul 14, 2016 to Aug 7, 2016
Manchester, UK -- Sep 7, 2016 to Oct 2, 2016
Dusseldorf, DE -- Nov 17, 2016 to Dec 18, 2016
London, UK -- Jan 12, 2017 to Feb 4, 2017
Vienna, AT -- Mar 9, 2017 to Apr 2, 2017
Koozå:
Buenos Aires, AR -- Apr 21, 2016 to Jun 12, 2016
Santiago, CL -- Jul 19, 2016, 2016 to Jul 31, 2016
Sydney, AU -- Aug 25, 2016 to Nov 13, 2016
Brisbane, AU -- Nov 24, 2016 to Jan 8, 2017
Melbourne, AU -- Jan 20, 2017 to Mar 26, 2017
Perth, AU -- TBA
Kurios:
Boston, MA -- May 26, 2016 to Jul 10, 2016
Washington, DC -- Jul 21, 2016 to Sep 18, 2016
New York City, NY -- Sep 29, 2016 to Nov 27, 2016
Miami, FL -- TBA
Luzia:
Montreal, QC -- Apr 21, 2016 to Jul 17, 2016
Toronto, ON -- Jul 27, 2016 to Oct 16, 2016
San Francisco, CA -- Nov 17, 2016 to Jan 29, 2017
San Jose, CA -- Feb 9, 2017 to Mar 19, 2017
Seattle, WA -- Mar 30, 2017 to May 21, 2017
Denver, CO -- Jun 1, 2017 to Jul 9, 2017
Chicago, IL -- Jul 21, 2017 to Sep 3, 2017
Phoenix, AZ -- Sep 22, 2017 to Oct 22, 2017
Totem:
Tokyo, JP - Feb 03, 2016 to Jun 26, 2016
Osaka, JP - Jul 14, 2016 to Oct 12, 2016
Nagoya, JP - Nov 10, 2016 to Jan 15, 2017
Fukuoka, JP - Feb 3, 2017 to Mar 19, 2017
Sendai, JP - Apr 6, 2017 to May 21, 2017
------------------------------------
ARENA - In Stadium-Like Venues
------------------------------------
Varekai:
Sochi, RU - Jun 2, 2016 to Jun 5, 2016
Zaragoza, ES - Jun 29, 2016 to Jul 3, 2016
Santander, ES - Jul 6, 2016 to Jul 10, 2016
Granada, ES - Jul 13, 2016 to Jul 17, 2016
Murcia, ES - Jul 20, 2016 to Jul 24, 2016
Beirut, LB - Sep 7, 2016 to Sep 11, 2016
Dubai, UAE - Sep 16, 2016 to Sep 24, 2016
Istanbul, TR - Oct 5, 2016 to Oct 9, 2016
Milan, IT - Oct 20 2016 to Oct 23, 2016
Florence, IT - Oct 27, 2016 to Oct 30, 2016
Bologna, IT - Nov 03, 2016 to Nov 06, 2016
Turin, IT - Nov 10, 2016 to Nov 13, 2016
Nantes, FR - Nov 16, 2016 to Nov 20, 2016
Toulouse, FR - Nov 23, 2016 to Nov 27, 2016
Strasbourg, FR - Nov 30, 2016 to Dec 4, 2016
Paris, FR - Dec 7, 2016 to Dec 11, 2016
Lille, FR - Dec 14, 2016 to Dec 18, 2016
Lisbon, PT - Jan 5, 2017 to Jan 15, 2017
Gijon, ES - Jan 25, 2017 to Jan 29, 2017
Lyon, FR - Apr 13, 2017 to Apr 16, 2017
Budapest, HU - May 12, 2017 to May 14, 2017
TORUK - The First Flight:
Providence, RI - Jun 1, 2016 to Jun 5, 2016
Baltimore, MD - Jun 9, 2016 to Jun 12, 2016
Duluth, GA - Jun 15, 2016 to Jun 19, 2016
Pittsburgh, PA - Jun 22, 2016 to Jun 26, 2016
Ottawa, ON - Jun 29, 2016 to Jul 3, 2016
Denver, CO - Jul 21, 2016 to Jul 24, 2016
Lincoln, NE - Jul 27, 2016 to Jul 31, 2016
Chicago, IL - Aug 3, 2016 to Aug 7, 2016
Indianapolis, IN - Aug 10, 2016 to Aug 14, 2016
Birmingham, AL - Aug 19, 2016 to Aug 21, 2016
Nashville, TN - Aug 24, 2016 to Aug 28, 2016
Evansville, IN - Sep 1, 2016 to Sep 4, 2016
Brooklyn, NY - Sep 7, 2016 to Sep 11, 2016
Newark, NJ - Sep 15, 2016 to Sep 18, 2016
Milwaukee, WI - Sep 22, 2016 to Sep 25, 2016
Minneapolis, MN - Sep 28, 2016 to Oct 2, 2016
Winnipeg, MB - Oct 5, 2016 to Oct 9, 2016
Philadelphia, PA - Mar 8, 2017 to Mar 12, 2017
OVO:
Bangor, ME - Jun 2, 2016 to Jun 5, 2016
Bridgeport, CT - Jun 8, 2016 to Jun 12, 2016
Hartford, CT - Jun 15, 2016 to Jun 19, 2016
Atlantic City, NJ - Jun 22, 2016 to Jun 26, 2016
Windsor, ON - Jun 29, 2016 to Jul 3, 2016
Memphis, TN - Jul 8, 2016 to Jul 10, 2016
Greenville, SC - Jul 13, 2016 to Jul 17, 2016
Chattanooga, TN - Jul 20, 2016 to Jul 24, 2016
Huntsville, AL - Jul 27, 2016 to Jul 31, 2016
St. Louis, MO - Aug 3, 2016 to Aug 7, 2016
Manchester, NH - Aug 25, 2016 to Aug 28, 2016
Hershey, PA - Aug 31, 2016 to Sep 4, 2016
Hampton, VA - Sep 7, 2016 to Sep 11, 2016
Roanoke, VA - Sep 14, 2016 to Sep 18, 2016
Orlando, FL - Sep 21, 2016 to Sep 25, 2016
Estero, FL - Sep 28, 2016 to Oct 2, 2016
Jacksonville, FL - Oct 5, 2016 to Oct 8, 2016
Erie, PA - Nov 17, 2016 to Nov 20, 2016
Detroit, MI - TBA
---------------------------------
RESIDENT - en Le Théâtre
---------------------------------
Mystère:
Location: Treasure Island, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Saturday through Wednesday, Dark: Thursday/Friday
Two shows Nightly - 7:00pm & 9:30pm
2016 Dark Dates:
o July 6
o September 10 14
o November 9
Special / Limited Performances:
o June 18, 2016 (Only 7pm performance)
o June 19, 2016 (Only 7pm performance)
o December 29, 2016 (Two Shows)
"O":
Location: Bellagio, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Wednesday through Sunday, Dark: Monday/Tuesday
Two shows Nightly - 7:30pm and 9:30pm (as of Aug 12, 2015)
2016 Dark Dates:
o June 12-24
o July 2-5
o August 1-9
La Nouba:
Location: Walt Disney World, Orlando (USA)
Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday
Two shows Nightly - 6:00pm and 9:00pm
Zumanity:
Location: New York-New York, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark Sunday/Monday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
(Only 7:00pm on the following days in 2015: January 20,
May 8, May 15, May 19, May 20, and December 31)
KÀ:
Location: MGM Grand, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Saturday through Wednesday, Dark Thursday/Friday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
(Only 7 pm performances on May 9, 16 and June 21)
2016 Dark Dates:
o July 13
o September 15 - 23
o November 23
LOVE:
Location: Mirage, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Thursday through Monday, Dark: Tuesday/Wednesday
Two Shows Nightly - 7:00pm and 9:30pm
(Only 7:00p.m. on May 15-16, June 19-21, December 31)
(Only 4:30p.m. & 7:00p.m. performances on July 4)
MICHAEL JACKSON ONE:
Location: Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas (USA)
Performs: Two Shows Nightly - Dark: Wednesday/Thursday
Schedule: 7:00pm & 9:30pm on Friday, Saturday, Monday & Tuesday
4:30pm & 7:00pm on Sunday
JOYÀ:
Location: Riviera Maya, Mexico
Performs: Tuesday through Saturday, Dark: Sunday/Monday
One/Two Shows Nightly:
9:00pm (Weekdays)
7:00pm & 10:15pm (Fri, Sat & Holidays)
=======================================================================
OUTREACH - UPDATES FROM CIRQUE's SOCIAL WIDGETS
=======================================================================
o) FOTOS -- Images From Cirque & Other Photographs
o) VIDEOS -- Official Peeks & Noted Fan Finds
---------------------------------------------------
FOTOS: Images From Cirque & Other Photo Links
---------------------------------------------------
KOOZA -- https://goo.gl/fEup46 -- At the Fair!
KOOZA -- https://goo.gl/itzIJJ -- At South Riverside
KURIOS -- https://goo.gl/gBjqN8 -- Artists Promoting the Show
LUZIA -- https://goo.gl/7D9HFC -- Backstage Selfies!
LUZIA -- https://goo.gl/IzMQH2 -- Futbol Artist Salute #1!
LUZIA -- https://goo.gl/mmJAPb -- Futbol Artist Salute #2!
MYSTERE -- https://goo.gl/TCv5PR -- At Cupcake Wars!
MYSTERE -- https://goo.gl/LV9Yrj -- A View from Above...
OVO -- https://goo.gl/OuEkmi -- Thank You Cleveland!
OVO -- https://goo.gl/K858v5 -- Now in Philly!
OVO -- https://goo.gl/rmKqzE -- Arena Tour Cast!
OVO -- https://goo.gl/RW7j53 -- Throwback Photoshoot
OVO -- https://goo.gl/AgyScm -- No Mirrors? No Problem!
SODA -- https://goo.gl/oX9iZ9 -- First Sketches #1
SODA -- https://goo.gl/KJFIYX -- First Sketches #2
LOVE -- https://goo.gl/9JKn8G -- Something New: Blue Meanies!
TORUK -- https://goo.gl/qz4ENW -- At Cincinnati Reds Game
TOTEM -- https://goo.gl/HFL5xL -- Meet Totem's Cute Characters!
TOTEM -- https://goo.gl/Z7vS3p -- Osaka Press Conference #1
TOTEM -- https://goo.gl/04e0oP -- Osaka Press Conference #2
TOTEM -- https://goo.gl/kKTp6v -- Osaka Press Conference #3
VAREKAI -- https://goo.gl/Ydl2i6 -- In Chelyabinsk
VAREKAI -- https://goo.gl/3HDvf1 -- Cyr Wheel
---------------------------------------------------
VIDEOS: Official Peeks & Noted Fan Finds
---------------------------------------------------
AMALUNA -- https://goo.gl/COfj58 -- Premiere in Frankfurt
AMALUNA -- https://goo.gl/tLL820 -- BTS Look at KH Mag Shoot
AMALUNA -- https://goo.gl/FIqn5J -- Discover Our Costumes
JOYA -- https://goo.gl/eV4yBI -- Meet the Team!
KA -- https://goo.gl/UevoQe -- Surprising Encounters...
KOOZA -- https://goo.gl/sWCEMp -- Test Opening for ShowMatch2016
KURIOS -- https://goo.gl/BvweAJ -- Thank You Atlanta!
KURIOS -- https://goo.gl/j1v6jz -- Congratulations to Paramour!
KURIOS -- https://goo.gl/lauiLT -- Thank You Boston!
LA NOUBA -- https://goo.gl/Ism3En -- Making Paper Planes...
LA NOUBA -- https://goo.gl/42ifDl -- The New Kids on the Block
LA NOUBA -- https://goo.gl/i0oZhn -- Meet Artist David Poirier
LA NOUBA -- https://goo.gl/6cwtYz -- A Good Dentist is hard to Find!
LUZIA -- https://goo.gl/UBQlBU -- 3 Days Until World Premiere
LUZIA -- https://goo.gl/v5T6UZ -- 2 Days Until World Premiere
LUZIA -- https://goo.gl/LxNeru -- 1 Day Until World Premiere!
LUZIA -- https://goo.gl/p0J3Al -- Ready to Dazzle!
LUZIA -- https://goo.gl/ljOOz1 -- CirqueSessions: Live at Bigtop
LUZIA -- https://goo.gl/PYK92r -- CirqueSessions: Live at Bigtop
LUZIA -- https://goo.gl/HevdH1 -- Congratulations!
LUZIA -- https://goo.gl/MhvVxc -- Highlights of Premiere
LUZIA -- https://goo.gl/9Xvnxq -- The Challenges of Cyr Wheel
LUZIA -- https://goo.gl/K3RvKi -- The Challanges of Hoop Diving
LUZIA -- https://goo.gl/n4eBWm -- The Challenges of Aerial Strap
LUZIA -- https://goo.gl/EewMOE -- The Challenges of Vertical Bar
LUZIA -- https://goo.gl/f07AMj -- Meet Abou, Football Artist
LUIZA -- https://goo.gl/dT1fRx -- Learn About Majo's Routine
LUZIA -- https://goo.gl/eWsmj8 -- Preview of Adagio Act
MJ ONE -- https://goo.gl/6dN0um -- Gravity Has No Hold
MJ ONE -- https://goo.gl/QkSSoM -- "Dirty Diana"
MJ ONE -- https://goo.gl/xIdCZ6 -- "Earth Song"
OVO -- https://goo.gl/CVmvYX -- Happy MOVOther's Day!
OVO -- https://goo.gl/lwvo3d -- Throwback Photoshoot
OVO -- https://goo.gl/1AyZh3 -- Timelapse Load-in in Cleveland
PARAMOUR -- https://goo.gl/QuUU3n -- Hair Designer Josh Marquette
PARAMOUR -- https://goo.gl/IKoiVw -- Acrobat Blair Sanchez
PARAMOUR -- https://goo.gl/xZqcx3 -- Backstage via Reuters
PARAMOUR -- https://goo.gl/cTxzGB -- Mother's Day with Andi
PARAMOUR -- https://goo.gl/gbzEiK -- Trampolinist Amiel Soicher-Clarke
PARAMOUR -- https://goo.gl/Z2Hvim -- Discussing The Making of Paramour
PARAMOUR -- https://goo.gl/AFVseV -- Makeup Designer Nathalie Gagne
PARAMOUR -- https://goo.gl/UKMpmw -- Getting our Hollywood Glam On
PARAMOUR -- https://goo.gl/P981UH -- Lights, Camera, Action!
PARAMOUR -- https://goo.gl/bwAKM5 -- Meet the Atherton Twins
PARAMOUR -- https://goo.gl/yK46yh -- On Our Feet!
PARAMOUR -- https://goo.gl/jOF1Ya -- Get to Know the Cast
PARAMOUR -- https://goo.gl/M5HzLn -- Live from the Red Carpet!
PARAMOUR -- https://goo.gl/xACbV5 -- World Premiere!
SODA -- https://goo.gl/PauGLk -- Michel Talks What's Next?
SODA -- https://goo.gl/jPWIPX -- The Locker Room
SODA -- https://goo.gl/Sf7plh -- A Musical Session
SODA -- https://goo.gl/3tKoVQ -- The Winner is AIR
SODA -- https://goo.gl/cqBCTo -- Live with the Costume Creators
TORUK -- https://goo.gl/cGLQeL -- Meet Artist Caitlin Madden
TORUK -- https://goo.gl/YjLGYl -- At the Clippers Baseball Game
TORUK -- https://goo.gl/BOvQwj -- Kite Specialist Sebastien Clarke
TORUK -- https://goo.gl/hxC3hL -- Tipani Chief, Lisanna Paloma Ohm
TORUK -- https://goo.gl/xHkbTq -- Contortionist, Baaska Enkhbaatar
TORUK -- https://goo.gl/XHB45y -- The Shamen's Vocal Warmup
TORUK -- https://goo.gl/ZMxP8p -- Didyaknow? Hidden trampolines!
TORUK -- https://goo.gl/pzq7dJ -- Artist Lydia Harper
VAREKAI -- https://goo.gl/MpI0A1 -- Incredible St. Petersburg!
ZARKANA -- https://goo.gl/eOYjBo -- Final Bows
ZUMANITY -- https://goo.gl/RF1o0W -- Meet Artist Wayne Skivington
=======================================================================
FASCINATION! FEATURES
=======================================================================
o) REVIEW /// "LUZIA: A Waking Dream"
By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
o) "PARAMOUR - The Reviews Are In..."
A Special Collection of Articles from the Press
o) "Q&A w/Criss Angel: Mindfreak Live is 'Ready to Go!'"
Written By: Robin Leach, The Las Vegas Sun
------------------------------------------------------------
REVIEW /// "LUZIA: A Waking Dream"
By: Ricky Russo - Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Those of you whove met me know I am a champion for experiencing a new
Cirque show amongst the hometown crowd. Theres absolutely no
substitute for being in the stands of the Grand Chapiteau with a
couple-thousand Québécois, clapping and stomping to the shows beat,
having a marvelous time celebrating the birth of a new spectacle. The
energy of the artists and the crowd alike is so high their enthusiasm
becomes more than a little infectious. Its a magical, enlightening
sentiment you cant get anywhere else! Its a truth I first discovered
when I stepped on the cobblestoned streets of the Old Port in 2002 for
Varekais premiere, and Ive done everything in my power to make sure
I repeated that experience from then on for Corteo (2005), Koozå
(2007), OVO (2009), TOTEM (2010), Amaluna (2012), and KURIOS: Cabinet
of Curiosities (2014) each becoming a unique, but highly memorable
encounter.
For LUZIA, it seemed as if my string of good fortune would be
interrupted. Two life-changing events occurred within 30-days of each
other all in the month of April that precluded contemplating a
performance during the run in Montreal: the birth of our first child,
and the purchase of our first house. Talk about an upheaval! There was
absolutely no way to reach Montreal by summertime, was there? As it
turned out... friend and fellow fan José Pérez (The Chapiteau), who
had just come off of an amazing experience at TORUKs premiere at the
Bell Centre in Montreal in late December, really wanted to experience
a premiere under the big top. And not wanting to miss out on the fun
we put our collective heads together and chose a date... It would take
some maneuvering on my part to make it happen, but, I managed! And
although we would see the show a month after its world premiere, our
excitement for being there wasnt diminished in the slightest.
Despite a few hiccups arriving in Montreal (my flight was delayed out
of La Guardia, putting me in Montreal about three hours later than
originally planned; forcing us to face rush hour traffic from the
airport, almost causing us to miss the show on the first night!), we
had a fantastic time in Montreal. Now, allow me to take you through
the waking dream that is LUZIA by using various Cirque Press Room
materials and a bit of my own observations...
PRELUDE
-------
From the very moment Cirque du Soleil began teasing this new creation
it was obvious we were in for something unique, even more than the
steampunk infused aesthetic of KURIOS-CABINET DES CURIOSITÉS. The
media ramp-up to KURIOSs debut was a bit unconventional, releasing
its own unique brand of mysterious yet inviting teasers, but LUZIA
seemed even more peculiar. What were these visuals featuring a
silhouette of a lady/cactus running through a kaleidoscope of colorful
images and strange creatures, all set to a house-techno beat? How
bizarre! Was Cirque on acid or was someone at marketing embracing
their ADHD tendencies? As such many fans were perplexed, unsure what
to make of the new concept me included which provoked generally
mixed-to-negative reactions, at least initially. The purpose of or
at least artistic reasons for - the hummingbirds and fish-headed
people eluded us and the fandom immediately began comparing LUZIA to
the companys vast array of classic productions (which were better, as
argued), even before we knew anything more than the show was based on
the artistic expression and richness of modern Mexico.
In the weeks that followed, as we learned more about the productions
theme, technologies, acrobatics, music, and performers, many fans
again, me included became ever more excited about the shows
prospects. And when it was announced that a studio album would be
available even before the show officially held its debut, well, it
brought the fans to fever pitch. But there was a caveat: the album
would take Carpentiers original music written for a live acoustic
setting and pass it through the filter of the electro-pop of Nortec
Collectives Bostich + Fussible (real names: Ramón Amezcua and Pepe
Mogt), infused with brassy Mexican and Latin American sounds. It would
be another inspired by album.
Its an unprecedented move, but not unexpected. Although it would
normally take months for an album to be recorded, mixed, and released
after the debut of a new show (touring or otherwise) naturally
because the show is still in creation and its musicians are really
busy, its neigh impossible to take them out of that environment early
for recording session it all came down to business. Montreal,
Toronto, and San Francisco are big markets for Cirque du Soleil... and
one of the biggest souvenir sellers wherever they go is - you guessed
it - the music album. So, with a mandate to bring product to the
people as soon as possible, the only way to get that accomplished was
to outsource its creation.
And in that process, they asked themselves: Why dont we find some
producers that we like who are in Mexico, people who really live their
culture? Slain and Simon agreed that Nortec Collective carried the
real sound of their country, very current and also forward-thinking.
They have this spirit and sound in the groove, and in the
instruments. [Their music] is modern, its surprising, its unusual,
and all of the colors from the sound of Mexico are there. And, though
we didnt know it at the time, two of the songs featured in the
aforementioned videos were produced by Nortec Collective for the
teasers - Asi es la vida and los mosquitos. And according to Alain
Vinet, they did such a good job with those two he asked them to
produce the whole album with them. The music on the album is quite
different from what youll hear in the show, but as Simon Carpentier
pointed out in an interview with Billboard Magazine its the same
composition, all the melodies are there. And he is right, but Im
getting ahead of myself here.
INSPIRACION
-----------
Cirque du Soleil already opened JOYA at the Grand Mayan Resort in the
Riviera Maya (with a distinctive Mexican-themed production), and is
currently developing a Themed Resort (with attractions) complex in
Puerto Vallarta both in Mexico. Why did Cirque need yet another show
based on/in Mexico? Perhaps two things: first, JOYA is a 45 DEGREES
produced show (a separate entity, but still under the umbrella of the
Group du Soleil), but perhaps more importantly, it was a show thats
been well received. Its success gave the company the idea to go for a
bigger show, one that could go on tour. The reasoning makes even more
sense when you understand that the Mexican government agreed to invest
in and fund LUZIA to the tune of $47 million dollars in a move to
promote the countrys culture, history, and music. (Alas, its a move
many artists in the country are against by the way a petition sent
to the Mexican Government decried this use of money, when it could
have been better spent locally on schools and other resources.) So is
that all the show is... a plea to get visitors to Mexico, an
advertisement paid for by the countrys government? ¡Por supuesto no!
(Of course not!)
If you can imagine a Cirque du Soleil show that is creatively and
freely inspired by the richness of Mexican culture in all its
exhilarating spirit, then you've conjured LUZIA-A WAKING DREAM OF
MEXICO. Through its set design, costumes, acrobatic performance, and
music, LUZIA (loo-zee-ah), fusing the sound of luz (light in
Spanish) and lluvia (rain) two elements at the core of the shows
creation becomes a poetic and acrobatic ode to the rich, vibrant
culture of a country whose wealth stems from an extraordinary mix of
influences and creative collisions a land that inspires awe with its
breathtaking landscapes and architectural wonders, buoyed by the
indomitable spirit and mythology of its people - some of which may not
seem connected at first glance.
The key is that there is not one, but many Mexicos. Mexico is an
ever-evolving country as complex as it is diversified. It is the
result of an extraordinary mix of influences from abroad over the
course of many centuries. Its easy to find images loaded with
stories, colors, raw power, spirituality, wisdom, vitality, and
beauty. Mexicos culture is monumental. Its peoples have built cities
of stone and great temples like mountains, seeking to replicate here
on earth the architecture of the planets and stars. But its also the
sensuality of a land where music is for dancing, where a simple song
can plunge us into emotion and propels us, in tears, into the arms of
a friend or loved one. There are other melodies that transport us into
parallel worlds, where all of a sudden we are overwhelmed by the
sonorous textures of modernity.
Instead of representing Mexico in a realistic fashion, Daniele Finzi
Pasca and Julie Hamelin, co-writers of LUZIA, and Brigitte Poupart,
Associate Director decided to create an evocation of this monumental
country by imagining a dream woven from memories, experiences and
encounters, laden with inspirations deeply rooted in the Mexican
identity. But even this invented Mexico is complex and multifaceted,
hence the idea of a journey in both the literal and figurative sense
through a series of fragments, all highly meaningful and evocative.
Its a voyage into a world of hallucination, where allusions to
contemporary art and age-old traditions lull us for an instant; simple
encounters with the fantastical ordinary, with magical realism and
with poetic reality, with the faces of men and women who surprised as
they strolled through markets and across squares, traveled by bus and
strolled along vast beaches from one end of this colorful country to
the other.
These details and more guided and led them on a surreal voyage of the
imagination. Each scene then is the sublimation of a tiny aspect, an
emotive fragment of this country where rain hits every town and
village differently, where light is an emotional experience, where
cultures overlap and nature is made up of deserts, rain forests,
beaches, and mountains. The show is also based on themes such as
speed, monumentality, rain in all its manifestations, surreal animal
life, and a poetic vision of reality. There will be red and pink,
cobalt blue, water falling as rain, tracing stars charted on the roof
of the big top, crocodiles playing the marimba, cardboard waves,
bathers covered in mirrors, men swallowed by fish, a parade of
percussion chasing away evil spirits; but most of all there will be
tenderness, charm, surprise, and, above all, beauty. Through the
language of acrobatics - Cirques language of expression and while
seeking to keep their approach light and funny, we invite you to step
into this waking dream to an imaginary Mexico, timeless and universal,
where light quenches the spirit and rain ignites the soul.
MISE-EN-SCENE
-------------
Set Designer Eugenio Caballero had three overriding objectives when he
envisioned the LUZIA set. First, he wanted to convey the idea of
monumentality and of grandeur commonly associated with Mexico. Second,
he wanted to make sure that each spectator would have a great view of
all of the acts, regardless of where they are sitting under the Big
Top. And third, he set out to create an environment where location and
timeline changes would be quick and seamless.
To make the idea of a journey through various geographic locations
possible youre taken from an old movie set to the ocean to the
semi-desert to an undersea world to a cenote to the jungle to a city
alleyway to a dance salon, passing smoothly from an urban setting to
the natural world, past to present, tradition to modernity Set
Designer Eugenio Caballero needed to create a neutral stage inside the
big top, something that could easily be changed as the performance
required. He came up with a variation on the black box theater concept
(a simple, somewhat unadorned performance space), which he dubbed the
Blue Box an environment where location and timeline changes would
be quick and seamless but not totally devoid of color. The purpose of
the blue in the backdrop curtain and on the stage floor is to enhance
the various elements that appear on stage.
It is striking how minimalist it is, but what LUZIA lacks in bits,
baubles, and other accoutrements, it more than makes up for in
cultural context. Recall that the shows name is a fusing the sound of
luz (light) and lluvia (rain), and that both are at the heart of
this shows creation. The light manifests itself as the great disk
towering above the LUZIA stage (the only item adorning the set), which
also pays tribute to some of the most colossal manmade structures in
the world. The Teotihuacán archaeological site located 50 kilometers
northeast of Mexico City, for example, features some of the most
architecturally significant Mesoamerican pyramids in the pre-Columbian
Americas. The Aztecs believed Teotihuacán was the place where gods
were born. And some believe Mexico is a portmanteau word that combines
the Náhuatl (Aztec) terms for "moon" (Metztli) and "navel," (Xictli)
referring to "the place at the center of the moon." Thus, the great
disk represents in turn the sun, the moon, and the Aztec calendar,
conveying the idea of monumentality and of the grandeur commonly
associated with Mexico.
The metallic color and texture of the disk is a tribute to the search
of pure lines that characterizes Mexican contemporary art as well as
the work of architect Luis Barragán and sculptor Mathias Goeritz. The
disk is 6.9 meters (22.6 feet) in diameter, weighs about 2,000
kilograms (4,400+ pounds), and is supported by a giant bracket, called
the "Cobra," that functions like a crane. Using the Cobra, the disk
can undergo various transformations during the show - it can move
forwards and backwards at a distance of 5.5 meters (18 feet), can
rotate horizontally 360 degrees in both directions. And by using a
giant light box, it can turn into the sun, or the moon, or assume any
color as the mood requires.
While it is natural to associate Mexico with a mosaic of bright
colors, in order to avoid the pitfalls of turning the stage into a
potpourri of hues and pigments, the creators chose to illuminate each
scene with its own distinct shade or combination of colors, like the
subtle strokes of an artist's paint brush. In the Adagio tableau, for
instance, a flying woman dons a beautiful pink dress in an otherwise
monochromatic environment, while the artists in the Cyr Wheel/Trapeze
tableau are clad in yellow hues.
The nods to Mexican hues are deliberately subtle. Overall, the show
proves to be highly colorful, but iconic colors such as cobalt blue
and Mexican pink are not found in their usual contexts. (When Costume
Designer Giovanna Buzzi sat down with the co-authors of LUZIA to
imagine the costumes, they decided to steer clear of the folkloric
aspects of Mexico and Mexican culture and to avoid potential clichés,
especially when it comes to the color palette as well the result is
a menagerie of textiles and forms that are pleasing to the eye and
relevant.)
As for the rain, well, in Mexico rain has been a topic of conversation
since pre-Hispanic times. It is as present in popular culture as it
was among the Mayans and Aztecs who named gods in its honor. There are
as many types of rain as there are clouds that produce it from the
refreshing showers of Coyoacán, an iconic neighborhood at the heart of
Mexico City, to the torrential rains that sweep across Baja
California, to the plentiful autumn rains, as violent as they are
sudden. In the diversified geography of Mexico, rain is part of the
collective consciousness and has a narrative force all its own. Hence
the creative team decided to bring the element of water into the
overall set design - a first for a Cirque du Soleil Big Top show
through the image of a Cenote, a naturally occurring sinkhole or
cistern the Mayan believed was a sacred gateway to the afterlife.
Apart from providing the water element as a form of artistic
expression, the show's rain curtain is a nod to architect Pedro
Ramirez Vazquezs circular fountain in Mexico City in honor of Tlaloc,
the Aztec god of rain. Integrating the element of water inside the Big
Top represented a huge technical challenge on several fronts. All
electrical and mechanical systems had to be waterproofed, and the
water needed to go
somewhere! Naturally, they figured it out: with
its two revolving rings and central platter, the stage floor has
94,657 holes through which the water drains into a 3,500-liter basin
hidden underneath. It is then recycled, disinfected, and kept at a
constant 28°C (82°F) for the comfort of the artists. A totally new
system was developed for this process, which is so efficient they
dont need to fill the water tanks that often!
While light and water are main elements to LUZIAs genetic makeup, so
too is music. Music came to Mexico by sea and today it's a collage of
miscellaneous styles, genres and cultures. Rhythms of the Spanish-
speaking Caribbean and Latin America blend with tribal sounds that dig
the roots all the way to the Mayas and the Aztecs. For LUZIA, Composer
Simon Carpentier wrote a hot, lively score steeped in this rich
mixture - an amalgam of ancient and modern sounds infused with the
brassy notes of tubas and trumpets and the suave melodies of the
Spanish guitar, all driven forward by the relentless percussion and
drums. The music jumps playfully from style to style, from one rhythm
to the next, from emotion to emotion, striding across landscapes as
joyfully as across musical boundaries.
The first big challenge was to make sure that we can translate this
amazing culture, admitted Simon Carpentier. At the beginning of this
process we decided to hire only Mexican musicians for the show, to
make sure that we have these performers to give that feeling of
authenticity. Its a huge culture youre talking about the Aztecs,
the Mayans, the cumbia, all the Latin American music, the influence
from Cuba, from everywhere. I wanted to go further, not just scratch
the surface and stay there.
Beyond clichés and stereotypes, there's the buoyant rhythm of cumbia,
a music genre close to salsa dominated by guitars, accordions and
percussions, as well as the lively rhythms of bandas, the traditional
music of traveling brass bands. Simon also drew inspiration from the
rich, tonic rhythms of norteño, a popular genre in Northern Mexico
thats related to polka and corridos ballads (The accordion and the
bajo sexto, a six-bass guitar, are norteño's most characteristic
instruments), as well as from huapango, a flamenco-based music style
from the La Huasteca region along the Gulf of Mexico coast. In the
realm of Latin American music, the voice is also a powerful instrument
a vector of emotion, flavors and rhythms bolstered by a lively,
expressive language. These vocal parts blend tradition with modernity,
with hints of opera, to spread the strong Latin American vibe.
The spectator is taken from an old movie set to the ocean to the semi-
desert to an undersea world to a cenote to the jungle to a city
alleyway to a dance salon, passing smoothly from an urban setting to
the natural world, past to present, tradition to modernity. We needed
to find a way to achieve the sound, the romance, the fun, the special
humor that Mexican people have, Carpentier continued. You feel the
spirit of Mexico throughout the show, but its not like you just hear
a mariachi; thats not what Cirque does. Its all about peaks and
valleys, and surprises. We experience that through visuals, but
through music as well.
EXPERIENCE (THE SHOW)
---------------------
After taking a moment to browse through the shows bazaar (at which
you can find Luchador masks, soccer balls, maracas, and even straw
hats amongst the programme books, magnets, posters, CDs, DVDs t-
shirts, and mugs), we excitedly took our seats.
In addition to the huge disk, which is probably the first thing youll
notice upon entering the Grand Chapiteau, youll also find the stage
covered in a field of 5,000 flowers in bloom, arranged in neat rows
around its central apex, being tended to by two diminutive robots (the
bots more than resemble those from C:LABs ROGA video a video
presented by Steven Openheart as part of the LED talks on a type of
yoga he developed specifically to diminish the stress and sense of
exclusion robots can feel when exercising) achoo! and a pair of
hummingbirds who do their darndest to pollinate every flower in the
field, a flower whos scent, orange color, and appearance are part of
the deepest memories of the Mexican people.
You see the Aztecs gathered and cultivated the plant (Tagetes
erecta) for medicinal, ceremonial, and decorative purposes; its
flower, the cempasúchil also called the flor de muertos (flower of
the dead) is now the main element in Day of the Dead altars,
although their use in religious and pagan rituals dates back to pre-
Hispanic times. In Mexico, Día de Muertos celebrates the joy of life
by dressing personalized altars (called ofrendas) to deceased family
members and friends. This elaborate, highly significant ritual is
designed to bring the mourner into a focused state of mind in which
they make a deep connection with their loved one and celebrate not
only that persons life, but also the part of their soul that lives on
in their heart. Therefore, the cempasúchil field is not there for
purely esthetic reasons; it reflects a desire to share a profoundly
meaningful ritual rooted in emotion. Even if the image and setting it
evokes is quite tranquil.
"Nnneeaoowww!"
But soon this serene, quiet locale is disturbed by the outside world.
At the tell-tale sound of a prop plane flying overhead, a man suddenly
jumps into view...with a small parachute pack on his back. A tourist
out looking for adventure, he unwisely consults his map in free-fall,
which naturally flapping in the breeze, gets blown out of his hands.
But that's the least of his worries... when it comes time to deploy
his chute it won't open! Panic ensues as he begins to tumble head over
heels, wrestling with the pack when it too flies out of his grasp ay
dios mio! Out of time, and out of luck, our friend reaches for the
pack as it twists away, grabbing on to a handle thats poking out the
top... he tugs, but it turns out to be a small umbrella! Undaunted, he
opens the umbrella and uses it to gently coast to the ground. And
after taking a moment to collect himself, he comes within a hairs
breath of being hit over the head by an item that has fallen from the
sky THUD! Wait, its his pack and hes quite happy to see it!
Inside is his water canteen, which he slips out to quench his thirst.
But wouldnt you know its bone dry? Before he can complain too loudly
about his situation though, he spots a rather interesting looking
relic nearby... a monument that looks like a large bronze key. As
curiosity wins out over thirst, he saunters over and turns its
handle... unwittingly winding up and unlocking the imaginary world of
LUZIA.
OPENING
A young girl and horse make a mad dash through the garden of
cempaùchil, as this beautiful environment springs to life like a wind-
up curio. Speed, you may recall, is one of the shows themes, and its
only natural to associate Mexico with this idea. One needs only to
call to mind the uncanny ability of the Tarahumara, a reclusive Native
American people hailing from the mountains of northwestern Mexico.
Living in widely dispersed settlements, the fleet-footed Tarahumara
developed a tradition of long-distance running, covering more than 300
kilometers nonstop across treacherous terrain over a period of two
days with minimal footwear. The running girl is the embodiment of
these peoples spirit.
Since animals play a prominent role in Mexican lore and mythology, it
is no big deal to come across a man with the head of an armadillo,
swordfish or iguana, or a crocodile playing the Marimba, or a woman
with a hummingbirds head and wings. Some of the emblematic animals
that inhabit the world of LUZIA appear in the form of life-size
puppets, such as the aforementioned horse who gallops locomotive
behind the running girl. With their extraordinary powers of evocation,
these creatures have become mythological figures of Mexican culture.
Horses were introduced to Mexico by the Spaniards and adopted by
native populations. Revolutionary leader Emiliano Zapatas favorite
horse, As de Oro (Ace of Diamonds), and the beautiful chestnut
stallion named Siete Leguas (Seven Leagues) that belonged to Pancho
Villa, are part of the Mexican collective consciousness and have
inspired many heroic songs, known as corridos. With their long history
as rancheros (ranchers) and vaqueros (cowboys), Mexicans are now
recognized as among the best equestrians in the world.
The pair provides a rather low-key, but culturally relevant and
beautiful opening to the show. As the Running Girl spreads her wings,
she also personifies one of the ties that bind Canada to Mexico the
annual flight of the monarch butterfly. (Each wing is 6 meters long,
is made of silk, and requires 40 meters of material.)
HOOP DIVING
Next, bright hummingbirds (complete with head, beak, and wings!) leap
through hoops a mere 75 centimeters in diameter in a tribute to
fleetness, agility, and yes, speed. In a sequence that calls back to
Dralion's energetic Hoop Diving act, here in LUZIA they kick it up a
notch by exploring the combination of this traditional circus
discipline from China with two giant treadmills to generate speed and
expand the disciplines acrobatic vocabulary. These hummingbirds are
no joke; leaping through the hoops forwards, backwards and sideways,
as the treadmills move forward and backward at will, will keep you on
the edge of your seat. The two treadmills can operate in the same
direction or in opposite directions. Sometimes artists use the
treadmill as a launching pad to perform daring leaps through the
hoops; when placed on the rolling treadmills the hoops suddenly become
moving targets for the divers. (The two treadmills weigh 3,630
kilograms apiece and are powered independently by 28 automobile-type
batteries.)
Besides the pleasing aesthetics, you might wonder: why hummingbirds?
In the Aztec psyche, the destination of ones soul was not left to
chance, but hinged on ones death. Those who died in battle or on the
sacrificial stone got to travel for four years alongside the Sun as
the bright star made its way across the heavens, after which time they
would return as hummingbirds.
Those who were called by Tlaloc - the god of rain, water, and
fertility (well see him a bit later) - got to revel in the joys of
Tlacopan, the exquisite tropical garden, which you see here
represented with the cempaùchil. Accompanying the performance is the
song Así Es La Vida (This is the Life) in a much slower tempo, but
equally as enjoyable, illuminating Maya Kesselman, Dominic Cruz, Devin
Henderson, Martha Henderson, Michael Hottier, Aurelien Oudot, and
Stephane Beauregards, enjoyment of the afterlife. (And do they relish
it!)
ADAGIO QUATUOR
In what appears to be a dance hall (complete with tables and chairs, a
piano, band, hanging lights, and more), the Adagio scene quickly
unfolds whereby a young girl (who dons a beautiful pink dress)
precariously flies through an otherwise monochromatic environment. The
word adagio is generally defined to mean slow, or slowly. But more
common in the Cirque world adagio refers more to its Italian
meaning: movement. Put the two together and you have an act that
presents a slow, beautiful movement of bodies. Shows like Saltimbanco,
Varekai, and Corteo have had great Adagio-like performances over their
lifespan, but nothing can prepare you for the sheer exhilaration and
excitement watching Grezegorz Piotr Ros, Krzysztuf Holowenko, and
Anton Glazkov swing, bend, toss, and catch their fourth (either Naomi
Zimmermann or Kelly McDonald - the young girl in the pink dress) over
and over and over again. I was biting my nails the entire time!
They say the land trembles as an enormous social and cultural movement
teeming just below the surface exists in Mexico. Trembling with
enthusiasm for new ideas, hope and strength; Trembling with the
passion of the younger generations; Trembling with the life of those
who dream, those who color the days, and those who barely touch the
ground. The song Tiembla la Tierra (The Earth Trembles)
accompanies, and youll find no better embodiment of this movement
than with the Adagio Quatour performance. With its hauntingly
beautiful live rendition, coupled with the amazing athleticism of its
performers, this is one of my most favorite acts in LUZIA, its simply
fantastic!
CYR WHEEL & TRAPEZE
Visitors and residents alike say there is no place on earth like the
surreal, picturesque landscapes of Mexican deserts - a land of
extremes thats been the stage of countless journeys of initiation and
experimentation for countless generations. As such the desert is a
route of escape, transcendence, and exploration living proof that
there are many forms of thirst. Thus, like a mirage, two young women
(Rachel Salzman and Angelica Bongiovonni) materialize on stage and
dance with majestic rings among the living, breathing cacti and
quiotes, the trunk-like stalks of the maguey plant that adorn the
stage. They are later joined in the air by a trapeze artist (either
Enya White or Emily Tucker) who takes flight above in the soothing
rain the first time weve experienced the magnificent rain curtain
(keep an eye out for the Running Girl, who comes out to summon the
rain) and the image the scene evokes is nothing short of
spectacular. Brava! The element of water enabled the creators to take
the Cyr Wheel out of its usual context. Two artists perform on the
apparatus on water and in the rain, which is, at first glance,
unthinkable. In order to solve the adhesion issue, a bicycle tire was
mounted on the wheel rim. The song Flores en el Desierto (Flowers
in the Desert) accompanies the performance and I find it to be a much
better rendition live than on the CD.
CLOWN GOOOOOOOOOOAL!
Our journeyman returns to us then, riding through the countryside on a
bicicleta, huffing, puffing, and in need of a drink of water. But when
he stops to take a swig from his canteen, he finds its just as empty
as before. But that doesnt dissuade him from exploring his
surroundings; rather, when he finds a huge ball nearby he decides to
have some fun with it (and the audience) by setting up a make-shift
game. He tosses the ball into the audience and away it goes.
Meanwhile, on stage, the trees are now gone (removed as the stage
rotated around to give the impression our clown was riding through the
countryside), and specialized equipment has been brought out to dry
the surface. But dont pay any attention to that... play the game!
HAND BALANCING ON CANES
"Ugo, listo? La señorita lista? "Lista."
"Todos listos? ¡Listos!" (Ready!)
The primal lure of the sea resonates in Mexico, a country mostly
surrounded by water. So it is no wonder the sea and costal life are so
deeply embedded in the collective consciousness of its people. The sea
is also laden with metaphor and allusion anytime we head to the sea,
are we not, in a sense, going back to where we came from? In a
humorous nod to the golden age of Mexican cinema, Ugo Laffolay
performs a playful hand-balancing routine among pasteboard waves that
evokes the inexpensive and flimsy film sets of the 1940s and 1950s.
And hes a riot!
In this film, Ugo is a salvavidas, and not only does he play his
starring role in one of these cheeseball movies with glee (swishing
his moustache back and forth to flirt with the ladies, and in flexing
his pecks in time to the music), he balances on his ever precarious
tower of canes (a one-arm handstand in straddle, one-arm handstand
straight, side flag in straddle, side flag tuck, and Mexican handstand
varieties anyone?) with relative ease. That is until he is forced by
his director to do a full arm and then leg split between the canes,
bowing them out to exaggerated proportions, that you see him huff and
puff. But he pulls it off with such grace and charm. (*swish-swish,
eyebrow-eyebrow*)
At first this scene appears rather jarring and out of context: the
staging comes across as cheap and uninspiring, the costumes are all
over the place (Ugo wears a red jumpsuit while the beachgoers wear
mirrored one-piece swimsuits), the music (Pez Volador) is, well,
strange. And to top it all off our journeyman clown wends his way
through the scene like a lost puppy, making fun of everything he sees
(much to the chagrin of the director - ¡cortar!) But a word of advice:
just sit back, relax, and enjoy. You may not like what you see at
first (I didnt, but not because of the performer or his skill that
was never in question), but once you realize the scene is supposed to
be tacky and tawdry, I promise youll fall in love with it. The music
too... I mean, how could you not? Its fun and flirtatious, and a
little bit off its rocker. But thats what makes it great! (Keep an
eye out for the zany beachgoers as they re-create a synchronized water
wheel, standing up!)
¡Cámara! ¡Acción!"
FUTBOL FREESTYLE
Pok-ta-pok was a ritual ballgame played for 3,000 years by the pre-
Columbian peoples of Ancient Mesoamerica, becoming a symbol of
Mesoamerican cosmogony. In fact, the bouncing ball is thought to have
represented the sun, while the stone scoring rings may have
represented sunrise and sunset, or the equinoxes. The game, which
symbolically pitted the lords of the underworld against their earthy
adversaries, engaged players in the maintenance of the cosmic order of
the universe and the ritual regeneration of life. In LUZIA, the age-
old ritual sport of pok-ta-pok meets the contemporary ritual sport of
football as a man and a woman (Abou Traore and Laura Biondo) try to
outdo each other by deftly manipulating a soccer ball with their feet
and head. Later, as the rain comes pouring down, they are joined by
more and more players, and a beat-boxer who adds a... new dimension to
the celebratory outing. Pambolero, the song accompanying this act,
may be the most similar to the CDs version than any other song on it,
in my opinion.
CLOWN CAN I GET A REFIL?
Our journeyman once again returns, this time attempting to fill his
empty canteen in the current of the rains runoff. But the moment he
gets close to the surge, it ceases and dries up. Perplexed, he moves
over to where its still flowing, but the same occurs. Mystified and
bewildered now, he takes up the game and attempts to foil with the
rain curtain, with predictable, but hilarious results.
CIERRA LOS OJOS
When our resident clown finally outwits the water and manages to fill
up his canteen, he is met by a beautiful, mysterious woman in a white
dress adorned in budding florae. Shes Majo Cornejo, our singer
extraordinaire, and shes serenading us with a rousing melody. (Tu
llegaras hasta donde nadie se atreverá y mas alla te acercaras a lo
que ya tu dejaste atrás, corres mas recio, mas necio, sin lios hasta
llegar. No se explicar por donde volveremos cargando secretos de
lluvia y luz.) As the rain begins to fall now in earnest, whimsical
patterns begin to emerge and then converge into more recognizable
symbols of the land; the flowers on her dress magically burst into
bloom, turning her dress from white to red.
In order to make this vision a reality, the people at C:LAB (the
creative laboratory of Cirque du Soleil) came up with a clever
solution: the dress was fitted with 98 white, individually programmed
flowers, each one equipped with a small motor. When the flowers open
their petals, they reveal their red interior, thus triggering the
metamorphosis. The dress weighs a whopping 17 kilograms (37 pounds)
and requires it to be quickly lowered onto Majo before she steps on
stage. Also, the images and patterns that appear in the rainfall here
are generated electronically by a graphical water display screen,
interacting with the artists to support the story and mood of the
show. There are Otomi patterns, rain drops, flowers as well as various
animal figures that are nods to the strange, warm and whimsical
creatures of Mexican painter Francisco Toledo.
Now, as Majo reaches a crescendo she is joined by the Running Girl,
the galloping horse, and the rest of the cast as a red circular
lantern-like structure descends upon the stage, powerfully bringing an
end to the first half of the show. (Ya lo descubriste si el cielo
llora, no sirve ponerse más triste, nunca nunca Jamáaaaas.
jamáaaaaaaaaaaaaaas!)
INTERMISSION THE PAPEL PICADO
Reminiscent of Dralions Lanterne, the intricately patterned red
curtain for LUZIA is called a papel picado, a decorative craft that
involves cutting elaborate designs in sturdy paper or silk. Theyre
generally displayed for secular or religious occasions and commonly
represent birds, floral designs, and skeletons (especially in
celebrations surrounding the Day of the Dead.) Mounted on a cylinder,
the papel picado measures 11 meters (36 feet) high by 30 meters (98
feet) wide, but is flexible enough to be quickly lowered and raised as
required. Set Designer Eugenio Caballero worked with Javier Martínez
Pedro, an artist from a small town in Guerrero, to create the images
you see within. The keen-eyed observer will notice that the images
represent various narrative elements and characters in the show a
horse, a field of flowers, a flock of hummingbirds, a plaza, a cenote,
a cave, an underwater world, raindrops, a storm, the sun, a city, and
desert cacti. They were all drawn by hand and then created by punching
more than 13,000 holes into the curtains surface.
POLE DANCE
The second half of LUZIA opens with the Pole Dance, an amalgamation
between traditional Chinese Poles and Pole Dancing. Pole Dancing is a
form of performing art, historically associated with strip clubs and
night clubs, which combines dance and acrobatics centered on a
vertical burlesque pole; however, since the mid 2000s it has also
been promoted as a non-sexual form of performance art. Since proper
pole dancing involves athletic moves such as climbs, spins, and body
inversions using the limbs to grip, upper body and core strength,
flexibility, and endurance are required to attain proficiency, and
rigorous training is necessary. Its even being promoted as a healthy
form of exercise!
Although I feel as a performance piece the pole dance needs a little
more gestation (not gesticulating), paring it up with a Chinese Pole
routine made the combination a little more bearable. Not that I
dislike girls on dancing poles, but, without a genuine routine theres
little need for the display. And if youre not sure which song this
particular act is presented by since its probably one of the most
different than those represented on the soundtrack - all you have to
do is listen to the band... theyll tell you! During the song theyll
say los mos qui tos in one of the weirdest what were they thinking?
moments from the show. (In retrospect, though, I kind of miss not
hearing it on the soundtrack! How is that for irony?)
360° SWING
The Pole Dance immediately segues into the 360-degree swing... which
is set up to be some kind of carnival-like side-show piece, complete
with a barker and betting whether or not a luchador can take the swing
all the way around. Its probably one of the more out-of-place acts in
the show, although it integrates with the pole apparatus perfectly
its just
bizarre! It begins and ends rather unceremoniously, almost
fading away as the music for the next act begins. But no matter what I
may think about this particular presentation artistically, the crowd
sure loved it
they really whooped and hollered!
AERIAL STRAPS
Rain-calling rituals are legion in Mexican lore. One of these rituals
is the Yucatec Ch'a' Cháak ceremony in which four boys representing
the four cardinal points croak like frogs in a spirited appeal to
Cháak, the Mayan god of rain. In the Aztec religion, Tlaloc was the
supreme god of the rain. Many rainmaking rituals were also performed
in Tlalocs honor in the Yucatán cenotes, naturally occurring
sinkholes or cisterns the Mayan believes were sacred gateways to the
afterlife.
A cenote is formed by the dissolution of rock and the resulting
subsurface limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath.
Cenotes may be fully collapsed creating an open water pool, or
partially collapsed with some portion of a rock overhanging above the
water. The stereotypical cenotes often resemble small circular ponds,
measuring some tens of meters in diameter with sheer drops at the
edges. While the best-known cenotes are large open water pools
measuring tens of meters in diameter, such as those at Chichén Itzá in
Mexico, the greatest number are smaller sheltered sites like the
cenote of LUZIA, where Benjamin Courtenay, representing the demigod of
rain, descends into the pristine waters where he performs a graceful
and powerful aerial straps act, skimming the surface as he whooshes
by.
He is accompanied by Bahlam the Jaguar. Jaguar gods are prominent in
Mayan and pre-Hispanic mythology, from the Jaguar God of Terrestrial
Fire and War to the countless demigods, protectors and transformers.
In Mesoamerica, the Olmec developed a were-jaguar (half man, half
jaguar) motif of sculptures and figurines showing stylized jaguars or
humans with jaguar characteristics. The Maya saw the powerful felines
as their companions in the spiritual world, and a number of Mayan
rulers bore names that incorporated Bahlam, the Mayan word for jaguar.
This is another of my most favorite acts from the show. The mise-en-
scene here is fantastic in its simplicity. The stage itself becomes
the cenote, with its central apex a pool of water. Hanging from the
catwalk above is about a dozen ropes, depicting vines, and, of course,
the rain to complete the image. Within is a young man testing his
strength as he bares his soul (and muscular arms and chest) to the
gods above. Although fans of Cirque du Soleil have witnessed a number
of aerial straps routines, I promise you youve not seen anything like
this in Cirque Benjamin takes the discipline to new heights in
strength and stamina through rapid twists, pikes, presses, spins,
hooks, turns, and drops that find him folded up one second, and
dangling by his shoulder the next, and then back again before you can
blink, over and over and over again.
CLOWN GO FOR A DIP?
Our resident clown returns donned in a bathing suit ready to take a
dip in the pool of water, but just as hes ready to dive into the
cenote, it magically disappears, leaving him high and dry. Now needing
support to put his clothes back on, our tourist grabs onto one of the
vines
which then falls free when tugged. Undaunted he tries another,
but it too falls free after being tugged. And after trying a third,
they all fall around him as if to say GET OUT OF HERE! He obliges. As
he takes his leave, the hummingbirds storm the stage in a flurry of
feathers and feet in a frenzied attempt to dry themselves (and the
stage) off. Watching them slip and slide around is hilarious!
Although, Id recommend curtailing the stage jumps... injuries! (Keep
an eye out for the playful couple; its a beak-tweaking good time!)
JUGGLING
As soon as our resident fool is gone, the musicians spin up a
jingle... quite literally... as the spotlight turns to a man in a
horrible pair of pants (and a shirt to match) in the middle of the
audience. This is Rudolf Janecek and hes quickly juggling three
silver clubs... matching the pace of the jingle the band is playing on
the marimba. (The marimba, for the uninitiated, is a percussion
instrument consisting of a set of wooden bars struck with mallets to
produce musical tones. As such it is a type of idiophone, but with a
more resonant and lower-pitched tessitura, or range, than a
xylophone.) Then he tosses one forward, jumps on stage to catch it,
and begins a highly energetic and fast-paced solo juggling routine to
a song that, sadly, isnt on the soundtrack. I say sadly because,
although its just the musicians on marimbas, they do get a little
help from the brass section, the deep and loud brrrraaaaaaaaaaaam!
from the tuba is simply fabulous and I must have it.
Rudolf Janecek is the only juggler, who combines high speed juggling
with acrobatic skills in an outrageous, breathtaking way. Performing
up to 8 clubs he also jumps somersaults while throwing 3 clubs in the
air. Being part of the new circus generation Rudy presents the classic
juggling skills in modern style. The crowd loved him! When Rudolf
catches his last club, a cascade of straw hats tumble from the heavens
(a.k.a. are tossed on stage) in celebration for not only a job well
done, but a performance well received! (It is, however, a weird moment
that harkens back to the chickens in Corteo, which... are better left
to the past. Especially since the performers then have to run around
and collect the hats while the next act sets up.)
CONTORTION
Meet Alexey Goloborodko, a contortionist, and at just 21 years of age,
perhaps the most flexible human on the planet. Born in Tula, Russia,
he is more than he seems. As well as contortion and flexibility,
Alexey has trained in classical and modern dance, and Chinese martial
arts, which helps to add fluency, grace, and elegance to his
performances. And it shows. He is presented to the audience as a
serpent upon his perch in this case a bridge (surrounded on all
sides by lit candles) tangled in a ball of limbs. As the lights
raise and the audience gasps he untangles himself to begin one of
the best contortionist routines this side of KOOZA.
Alexey is nothing short of amazing. He is as talented as he is lithe;
eliciting a number of gasps from the audience as he contorts his
diminutive body into various shapes and holds. My only critique of the
presentation comes not with Alexeys performance, but with the
accompanying setting and scene: rather than continue with the various
inspirational and dream-like locations of Mexico, the creators chose
to mix it up, by wrapping the presentation in flavors from the Indian
sub-continent. I find this unfortunate. While singer/character Manesh
Vinayakram (who seemingly makes his one and only appearance here) is
talented, his presence seems wasted and banal. The mariachi costume he
wears doesnt flatter him in the slightest either. Still, the overall
aesthetic is pleasing, and theres no doubting Alexeys bendable
talent!
CLOWN DIVE, DIVE!
Our journeyman has ridden across the land on a bicycle, played in a
pick-up game of football, swam in the azure-colored waters off the
coast, wrestled with persnickety waterfalls and vines, now in this
last bit he enjoys a little time under the waves, snorkeling and
scuba-diving into the depths of Mexicos seas. But hes not alone!
First, in a tribute to jaws, a group of sharks chase him and his
companion ever deeper. And later, he mixes in with a group of prickly
cactuses who just want to be in his trip photos!
RUSSIAN SWINGS
In Mexico, fiestas are joyous, intense rituals during which revelers
party on, sometimes for days on end. Mexicans light up the sky with
fireworks over plazas and public squares every chance they get. During
the nine days of Las Posadas, for instance, hitting piñatas filled
with fruit and nut, filling up on tamales and drinking traditional
ponches or atoles are all good reasons to celebrate with friends,
family
or with complete strangers. But much more than mere blasts of
energy, fiestas represent a deep emotional release and a source of
renewal that testify to the complex psyche of the Mexican people.
To the rhythm of festive music, a fiesta is in full swing as Russian
Swing artists leap in the air, their costumes taking on stunning
patterns in a majestic, sweeping transformation. The bright patterns
are a loving ode to the embroidered textile fabrics created by the
Otomi people.
Russian Swing is a discipline originating in Eastern Europe consisting
of a large oblong-shaped swing that is propelled using the natural
movement of the mechanism and the weight of two or three spotters who
push it. The flyer standing at the end of the swing launches into the
air and executes acrobatic leaps or vaults as high as 20 meters or
more over the stage, returning either to the ground or to the
shoulders of carriers. It appears to be a simple playground-like swing
- hence its name but with Cirque is anything that simple? Having
made its first appearance in Saltimbanco (1992) as a single act (where
artists jumped from the swing onto mat, later in O (1998), it was
elevated to an art form as the company brought two of the swings
together within the element of water. In Varekai (2002), Cirque upped
the ante by not only having two swings on dry land with flyers
jumping into cloth nets strewn across the stages forest, but by
also having flyers jump between the swings themselves. LUZIA returns
the Russian Swing to Cirque du Soleil in a similar form as Varekais
with flyers routinely vaulting between the swings in ever more
difficult routines but with less gusto.
Its only natural to want a rousing, energetic act to close out your
show. It brings the audience to their feet, clapping and gasping and
generally having a grand old time. The Russian Swings here werent as
strong as I would have hoped, unfortunately. Yes, it is thrilling to
see acrobats vault from swing-to-swing, or even fly high into the air
to flip and spin their bodies in an ever-dizzying array of twists, but
the energy just wasnt there. Perhaps it was the choreography. Perhaps
it was the music. The music starts, stops, speeds up, gets slower, and
then simply ends. Its a muddled mess of tempos and themes that does
not work hard enough to compliment the action on stage. I find this
more than a little disappointing because Russian Swings could be
should be a rip-roaring and inspiring conclusion to your show! But
here it simply exists. Its a good act dont get me wrong, but it
needs a little more oomph. Alas, even the creators had trouble with
this one I hear: the piece of music we heard during our performances
was at least the third one theyve tried thus far!
FIESTA FINALE
The fiesta continues as everyone gathers around a table, filled with
all sorts of delicious foods and drinks. Its simplicity itself: a
coming together in celebration of life. What more do you need? And
what better way is there to showcase this concept than gathering
around a dinner table? None! Laugher and good times are abundant here
as our journeyman joins in the fun. But his attempts at a joyous
celebration are cut short when everyone around him freezes in place.
As confusion washes across his face, he spots the key from earlier
and sighs - the proverbial gig is up. He reluctantly saunters back
over to the key and turns it, releasing a torrential rain shower.
Only this time the rain parts to allow him safe dry passage.
He looks up, smirks, and walks on...
FIESTA FINALE
-------------
Im sure it goes without saying I had a blast in Montreal, but forgive
me for doing so anyway. The weather was warm and inviting a direct
contrast to the cold and rain of my last visit. The company was
enjoyable meeting Jose for the first time was fun; introducing him
to crepes and poutine was even more so! Hanging out with Alain Vinet,
Director of Cirque Musique, in his studio just shooting the breeze was
a highlight of the trip. As was interviewing Devin Henderson (Hoops),
Kelly McDonald (Adagio), and Rachel Salzman (Cyr Wheel) backstage,
which you'll see in an upcoming episode of CirqueCast - stay tuned!
Although flying through La Guardia almost gave me an aneurism it all
worked out in the end... and gave me another interesting travel story
to tell. As for LUZIA? I liked it a lot!
Like many, when I first heard about LUZIA I couldnt help but wonder:
why Mexico... again! But now having experienced all the joys and
wonders the show has to offer, I no longer feel flummoxed at the
concept. I didnt immediately fall in love with it like I did with
KURIOS, but now that Ive had some time to reflect upon my experience
with LUZIA I couldnt have asked for anything more. Really! I just
want to relive the experience all over again! Yes, there are a number
of nit-picky criticisms I have about the show, along the what were
they thinking!? variety, but you know what? Theyre minor. And if
Cirque du Soleil can find a way to dry the stage more efficiently,
change up the music with Russian Swings (honestly, it needs help), and
tweak a few other things here and there... there is absolutely no
reason LUZIA cannot ascend into Cirque du Soleils pantheon of classic
shows. Its really that good!
LUZIA will be in Montreal until July 17th! From there it will travel
on to Toronto (Jul 27th Oct 16th) and San Francisco (Nov 17th Jan
29th) in 2016, and San Jose (Feb 9th Mar 19th), Seattle (Mar 30th
May 21st), Denver (Jun 1st Jul 9th), Chicago (Jul 21st Sep 3rd),
and Phoenix (Sep 22nd Oct 22nd) throughout 2017 with more stops to
come!
GO SEE THIS SHOW!
¡VÁMANOS!
------------------------------------------------------------
"PARAMOUR The Reviews Are In
"
A Special Collection of Articles from the Press
-----------------------------------------------------------
On May 25th, Cirque du Soleil Theatrical celebrated the opening of
PARAMOUR, the companys first production made specifically for
Broadway
and the reviews have been quite mixed. Broadway World
sampled a number of these in their Review Roundup article, which we
share below. Some of these critics were unabashedly harsh!
* * *
Charles Isherwood, New York Times (http://goo.gl/AJJnDR): Welcome to
Paramour, or as I like to call it, A.D.H.D.! The Musical. The
production, which opened on Wednesday at the Lyric Theater, represents
the latest attempt by the French Canadian entertainment behemoth
Cirque du Soleil to make a big splash in New York. This time the
company, having failed to wow the local masses sufficiently with its
traditional nouveau-circus spectacles, has decided to splice the time-
tested yowza diversions acrobats and gymnasts and jugglers, oh my!
into a traditional musical, with a plot, characters, show tunes and
even a little tap-dancing.
Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter (http://goo.gl/4cXP6k):
their
latest effort attempts to combine Cirques trademark acrobatic acts
with an original Broadway musical. Unfortunately, the resulting
hybrid, Paramour, is more Frankensteins monster than love child
The
$25 million production is a traditionally-styled Broadway musical,
albeit a very mediocre one, infused with the sort of acrobatic
routines normally seen under a big top
And so it goes throughout
melodramatic proceedings in which the humor is largely
unintentional
Granted, audiences going to a Cirque du Soleil show
expect extravagant acrobatics. But the creators of Paramour
tellingly, no writer is credited seem to have gone out of their way
to produce as banal and generic a musical as possible. Featuring
atrocious dialogue and forgettable songs, it feels more like a parody
than the real thing
The show does have some imaginative, thrilling
sequences
Kushnier delivers a thoroughly professional performance in
his thankless role, and Lewis and Vona are both appealing
.
Jeremy Gerard, Deadline (http://goo.gl/XDvjI6):
this is the show with
which the Montreal-based global franchise plants its standard on
Broadway, promising and, in spades, delivering a mashup of 42nd
Street backstage romance, non-stop Ziegfeld folly and Cirques brand
of acrobatic arts
Its as eye-popping as Christmas at Radio City Music
Hall, if not quite as intimate or touching
.Weve come for the visuals
and while its doubtful that Paramour audiences will come away
disappointed in that department, they may wonder why that annoying
story kept stopping the action dead in its computer-assisted
tracks
did I mention the horrible music? Well, with Cirque thats a
given.
Robert Kahn, NBC New York (http://goo.gl/tjuMrl):
The $25 million
Paramour goes heavy on the companys signature stunt sequences to
our relief, because there isnt much to be extracted from the often
eye-glazing book and score
Paramour earns props for the ways it
employs aerialists and acrobats as doppelgängers for the leads. Thanks
to clever costuming conceits, we almost believe were watching the
trio in some blur of elastic trickery
Kushnier
makes the most of his
cliché-ridden role, exuding confidence and hubris as needed. Lewis
has
a beautiful voice and gamely follows the worn path laid out ahead.
Robert Greskovic, The Wall Street Journal (http://goo.gl/JWDiQI): This
week, after numerous, internationally popular productions, the
enterprise now called Cirque du Soleil Theatrical opened Paramour,
the first musical created by Cirque Du Soleil for Broadway
only the
circus acts soar, sometimes literally, as the shows musical and film
elements play, at best, dutiful and uninspired parts
The music
is
undistinguished and overamplified
Jeremy Kushnier, looking and
sounding mostly mousey, plays AJ, a bearded, wax-mustached,
egotistical film director. Ruby Lewis-wide of face, short of neck and
plain of voice-portrays Indigo
The Golden Age of Hollywood invoked in
the program and in the art-deco look of Jean Rabasses sometimes
impressive settings dims noticeably when projection designers Olivier
Simola and Christophe Waksmann add video images to the stage
pictures
.Daphné Maugers choreography for the various ensembles and
for the leads serves as little more than filler throughout
.
Jesse Green, Vulture (http://goo.gl/DY0bRx): Paramours idea of the
Broadway musical is particularly disturbing, evincing as it does only
the skimpiest knowledge of the form. If we broadly describe a musical
as an entertainment that offers a story about characters through song,
we have already raised the bar too high. What Paramour offers is more
of a series of clichés about humanoids accompanied by sounds. The main
cliché is the one that glorifies Old Timey Hollywood as a land of
tragic romance and glittering sophistication. (Welcome to the Golden
Age / Tux and tales [sic] its all the rage, the opening number
helpfully explains.)
Jesse Oxfeld, Entertainment Weekly (http://goo.gl/49tKVY): About 45
minutes into Paramour, the Cirque du Soleil musical that opens at
Broadways Lyric Theatre tonight, the twin aerialists Andrew and Kevin
Atherton are suspended over a stage set of whats supposed to be a
movie set of Ancient Egypt. Theyre a striking pair: platinum blond,
lantern-jawed, impossibly toned, and mirror images, each hanging from
a strap and effortlessly contorting himself, dozens of feet above the
stage. Its the sort of breathtaking, beautiful athleticism you expect
from Cirque du Soleil, and its thrilling. The audience is rapt. At
the end of their number, the Atherton twins get the evenings biggest
applause.
J. Kelly Nestruck, Globe and Mail (http://goo.gl/KiLq7K): Cirque du
Soleils Paramour is crashing and burning on Broadway and theres no
point in calling the paramedics. No team of show doctors could cure
this bafflingly bad show set in the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Matt Windman, amNY (http://goo.gl/BSDUII): All things considered,
Paramour is a lame, harmless alternative for international tourists
who want to see a Broadway show but would prefer something with the
Cirque du Soleil imprimatur than a long-running hit like Chicago,
The Lion King or The Phantom of the Opera. Frankly, I think they
can do better.
Robert Feldberg, Bergen Record (http://goo.gl/x9iSvj): About an hour
in, its as though somebody said lets push this Broadway musical
stuff aside, and theres an abrupt shift of emphasis to the circus
acts, beginning with a stunning routine by twins Andrew and Kevin
Atherton, who perform an aerial pas de deux while hanging onto straps.
Michael Dale, BroadwayWorld (http://goo.gl/bRQjSb): Theres no
shortage of thrills and amazement to be enjoyed by their latest
assemblage of remarkable artists who tumble in the air, swing on
straps, balance onto each other and perform gasp-worth feats of
strength and muscle control. However, PARAMOUR is a venture presented
by the companys theatrical enterprise in an attempt to create a new
and original book-and-score Broadway musical that incorporates their
regular ensemble of performers into the story.
Alexis Soloski, Guardian (https://goo.gl/Gm7ujL): Fitfully thrilling
and consistently baffling, Paramour Cirque du Soleils first attempt
at a Broadway book musical is the story of a young singer torn
between the megalomaniacal director, who wants to make her his star,
and the tender songwriter, who wants to make her his muse. Or perhaps
its a parable of forbidden love as enacted by shirtless twins in an
erotic aerial pas de deux. Or maybe its a wacky caper comedy with a
culminating chase scene performed atop a giant trampoline. Honestly,
its hard to tell.
Mark Kennedy: Associated Press (http://goo.gl/St3Lm8): The first
signal you get that Paramour is no ordinary Broadway show is the
size of the playbill. Its a monster, easily dwarfing the regular
booklets you get handed at every other theater. That makes sense.
Paramour wants to be different, outsized and brash. Its the first
Cirque du Soleil show created specifically for Broadway, harnessing
its muscular gravity-avoiding acrobats to musical theater. The result,
which opened Wednesday at the Lyric Theatre, is sometimes overstuffed
and awkward but always finds its footing when it highlights its
soaring, rubber-bodied stars.
{ SOURCE: Broadway World | http://goo.gl/tKdz3D }
------------------------------------------------------------
"Q&A w/Criss Angel: Mindfreak Live is 'Ready to Go!'"
Written By: Robin Leach, The Las Vegas Sun
-----------------------------------------------------------
After several years of defying death on his hit A&E series
Mindfreak, master illusionist Criss Angel is now about to perform
even more dangerous and mystifying stunts for the stage-show version
hes ready to launch at the Luxor. Concerns over safety prompted Fire
Department officials and Cirque du Soleil execs to request him to
delay last nights previews until they are certain that his cast and
crew are prepared and insurance coverage can be fully in place. Robin
Leach has already seen the run-through at his 60,000-square-foot
factory and watched various scenes during his backstage tour with
Criss last weekend. He can tell you that this is his best work ever,
the top magic show of all time! All that and more in this Q&A with
Criss Angel
# # #
Criss has been working nearly around the clock with just three hours
of sleep a night to pull off this magic miracle. What should have
taken a few years to perfect Criss achieved in three weeks, since
April 20 when the last remnants of Believe were hauled out and new
lights for Mindfreak Live were loaded in. After seven years of
Believe, that became a dinosaur compared to what Mindfreak Live!
will present, he told Bloomberg. Bloomberg reported that Believe
generated $70 million a year, with the biggest sales of any magic show
in Las Vegas.
But Criss wanted to show that the illusions he pulled off onscreen
could be done live onstage, too. To reinforce the point, he told me:
This time we have 50 illusions in 90 minutes of show time. Its way
beyond what we did on the television series. This is already Criss
Angel of tomorrow. I sat backstage in his Luxor dressing room office
suite over the weekend to talk with him, and he gave me an expansive
tour of the new stage. We started by talking about the delay that
shifts his previews from last night to a new date expected to be known
by the end of this week.
Q. Skeptics will say its just to buy you extra time because there has
to be trouble?
Trouble is actually a good thing for a magician, but here its the
most sophisticated, not only as a magic show ever to be performed in
the history of the art, but its probably the most sophisticated,
technological show in Las Vegas. We have 3D immersion. We have nine
screens that project images. We have over 1,000 lighting instruments.
We have the craziest illusions, costumes, brand new pyrotechnics in
the show, state-of-the-art lasers. Were doing something with lasers
that s never been done before. Were doing something that is
revolutionary. I believe its going to shake up and change the game in
the world of magic. Its a whole new approach. When Cirque or most
shows open, they have two or three years to put it together. I had
three months to put it together physically. One illusion took four
months to put together. Its the time that it takes to get certain
permits. We built items in the theater that need to be permitted. We
have new pyrotechnics, which need to go through fire marshals. There
are things that are out of my control, the bureaucracy of putting a
show together. You dont know all of the elements, and youre figuring
things out, then, Oh, no, we need a permit, we need engineering, we
need that signed off because everybody has to cover their ass.
Q. When will you start previews? Do you have a new date?
It will be announced I think this week. Two dates are being tossed
around. This week, we will have a definitive date. They wanted you to
hold off on everything until then.
Q. What is different about this new show than Believe in terms of
your approach toward the show and magic itself?
This is a brand new show. This is not a refresh. Everything is
completely new. Everything is completely different. The approach just
conceptually with how Im presenting the illusions. The cast in how I
utilize them. Forget about the illusions themselves or the fact that
we have lasers, 3D immersion and nine surfaces that were utilizing to
have images play on, or the pyrotechnics, or the brand new music
soundtrack. The whole approach to showing magic is unique and
different. Believe was a great show that fulfilled its mission for
people to see Criss Angel perform incredible illusions and have an
intimacy with me. But Criss Angel was one-dimensional. It didnt give
me an opportunity to flourish and show people what Im really capable
of as an actor, artist and creator. This show gives me the opportunity
to show the evolution of Criss Angel. People will see different forms
in different eras of Criss Angel that perform in this show with a very
different look, presentation and what the feeling and experience will
be. This is as if it is somebody completely different with a different
name coming to the Luxor and launching a different show. Its a brand
new show, even though I had Believe and Mindfreak. Theyre two
different shows other than that I created and directed them.
Q. But in a sense, this is the Mindfreak T show and not the Cirque
invention?
Its even beyond the TV show. Its the TV show, its Criss Angel from
the 90s, its CrissAngel from now, its Criss Angel tomorrow, its
all different elements of Criss Angel throughout the course of my
career. Its the evolution of me, from when I was born to when I got
into magic. To all the highlights and all the trends that I got into
or approaches that I was doing magic, its all of those things wrapped
up into 90 minutes. Coupled with the most spectacular, revolutionary
illusions, lasers, lighting, 3D immersion, graphics, video. Its all
of that integrated into a seamless show. Theres more magic in this
show than any magic show that Im aware of in the history of the art.
There are over 50 illusions in this show. Over 50 in 90 minutes. Im
probably going to be a little long, and Ive done that by design
because I wanted to listen to the audience and see what people connect
to and what people might not like as much. I have a kill ratio built
into it like I do with my TV series.
Q. In these illusions, were you able to do something on this stage now
that you couldnt do in Believe?
I get to do the levitation that Ive been working on for 18 years.
Ive been dreaming about doing this live. I get to do that, I get to
do my new, crazy revolutionary cutting in half.
Q. Explain the difference between the cutting in half that youre
going to do here and the cutting in half that you did with the
princess in Believe?
The old cutting in half, which was great, was basically my third
rendition of that illusion in trying to get the design and try to
become as flawless as it possibly can be. It sat on a 9,000-pound
structure, a tremendous, mega piece. But it had its limitations. The
new design, which is now the sixth incarnation, has about $2 million
rolled up into the one illusion. Now its sexy, its sleek, its
simple, but its much more impactful because of the statement and how
I surround that illusion. The storyline, the tableau, is much more
engaging. This is not about me coming out and presenting puzzles of
how I do things like every other magician has done and continues to
do. This is about getting the audience immersed and in an experience
that takes them somewhere that goes beyond magic. Theres something
more to the magic than just a trick. Its the magic of emotion; its
about the images that are created and the roller-coaster ride that
they go on because they never know whats going to happen next. Its
scary, its sexy, its seductive, its creepy, its funny, its
heartwarming. Theres something in this show for everyone.
Q. The magic gets inside their emotions?
Absolutely. Ill take a gamble and say that probably at least 50 to 60
percent of the audience will shed a tear from the excitement and
emotions. Im able to provoke that by bringing my personal life into
this show. This is really exposing and allowing myself as a human
being to be vulnerable. To allow the audience, who knows me, to get to
know more about me that they never knew, and for those people who
might not know who Criss Angel is, to understand who I am and to feel
a connection with me and to understand why Im doing what Im doing
onstage. Its part of the evolution of my career.
Q. Despite the delay, youve already run the show?
We have run the show. We keep on working diligently at tweaking it. To
give you the magnitude of it right now, this building, this theater,
is operating 23 hours a day. Around the clock, people are working on
this show. Seven days a week, 23 hours a day, this show is the
priority.
Q. What time are you here in the morning?
I get up between 5 and 6:30 a.m. I do my workout because this show is
incredibly demanding, more demanding than anything Ive ever done in
my life. I do a 90-minute workout, then start my day depending on what
it is - if I need to go to my studios to work on material. Eventually,
I make my way over here no later than 10 a.m. I do training for my new
levitation, and by 1 p.m. we have the full cast here. Were running
and staging the show without stopping except for a meal break.
Q. Until when? Midnight?
I dont leave here until probably 2:30 to 3 a.m. Then I do the whole
thing all over again the next day. Im sleeping right now between two
and four hours a night.
Q. I dont know if thats enough sleep for you?
My adrenaline is going crazy because when Im here and working, I
never want it to end. I have my family, my mom and my brother here.
Other people, friends and people who I trust, just watch the process,
and I see how excited they are and how excited about what Im going to
be presenting. Even they are saying this is completely a whole new
Criss Angel. This is something that not only have we not seen from me,
but weve never seen anything like this from any other magician. If
people come to see my show, then other magic shows in town, they will
realize how outdated they are. I dont say that to be conceited. I say
that because of my confidence because I work my ass off harder than
anybody and because of Cirque and the theater and all of the
incredible people I have working for me. We are able to bring
something to the stage thats very special. I dont think anybody is
going to come close to topping this for many, many years because they
would have to have the resources, theater, team, ability to have
things at their disposal like I have. Thats not an easy thing to do,
and it took me a lifetime to get to this point.
Q. How many people do you have working on this show? How long did it
take you from while you were still performing Believe to get to
this stage with the new show?
Right now, directly and indirectly, I would say over 200. The thing
about Believe, it was incredibly challenging because I would come
here in the morning, work until show time, then do two Believe
shows, so we werent able to fully engage the new show because we
couldnt remove certain things or change things because that night we
had to do Believe again. We really had to get through our final
performance of Believe, which was a spectacular night, then load out
Believe, which took three days, then load in Mindfreak Live!,
which started immediately. Final things are still being built as we
speak. I wont have some things for another two weeks. Its getting
really, really close. I have people from Hungary working on video
content for me. I have people from California living in my house,
living in the studios, working around the clock. Considering what
were creating and the time frame, it seems nuts. But it comes so
easy.
People watch my creativity, and they go, How did you just come up
with that? Ill give you an example: A lot of the work I do in my
studio, but some of the work I cant because I dont have the height
to do certain things. I didnt want to do the sawing in half the way I
used to do. I wanted to do something different because its a new
apparatus, its a new piece of music. Its the whole thing. I was
sitting here, and, because of a technical reason, I wanted to fly this
thing 20 to 30 feet from the air down with a girl on it. We needed
some type of sheet to cover this thing up. So, yesterday, I came up
with a sheet that evolves into a bed, into a dream, into this girl
having this dream in this beautiful environment, but quickly it
transforms into a nightmare. When the sheets and the canopy get pulled
off, the bed becomes this torture device. Then her nightmare comes to
fruition once she literally gets ripped into two pieces, very much
like I did the park bench but for stage. So the skeptics who watch the
park bench and think, Oh, well thats trick photography. Well, to
answer that B.S., people now can come see the show and see what I do
on television is no different than what I can do live onstage.
Q. How many are in the cast of the new show?
We have incredible world-class athletes and entertainers. More than
Believe. Right now, 16 or 17. Ive got people from Russia, from the
Ukraine, from all over the place, to be able to bring this crazy
vision and really feature these artists who are so incredibly gifted.
Their magic is the physicality. I can bring it to life in the most
unbelievable ways that it almost looks like an illusion. But its not.
Q. Youve been linked with Chloe Crawford, who left Fantasy at the
Luxor to be in the show. How much magic is she performing?
Chloe is a feature in the show, and I think that people are going to
see her in a very different light. Chloe is in the best shape of her
life, she trains like a maniac, she moves unbelievably, and shes
going to perform magic in the show. Shes basically my right hand when
it comes to performing illusions like the metamorphosis, which is a
key illusion that Ive been doing since I was 14. Well be doing the
switch in world-record time. Shes doing a lot of illusions with me,
and shes also going to do some on her own.
Q. Are there any Cirque elements?
Yes, some, but done in a very different way. One of the things I
wanted was to take the magic and make that the apparatus that they
would use to do their physical movement. They utilize my apparatus in
order to showcase their talent. We dont have to bring a trapeze in
here to showcase that we have a trapeze act. We utilize the magic as
an example to have them utilize that apparatus, which also showcases
what they do, so it really integrates well with the illusions. I have
a guy who is unbelievable: Its martial arts meets breakdancing meets
acrobatics. This guy does incredible freestyling stuff. It will blow
peoples minds. We have an incredible breakdancer, we have really
incredibly talented people: gymnasts, dancers, specialty acts all
lending their talent to the illusion, to the presentation, in a way
that fits seamlessly.
Q. Who is directing - you or Cirque?
Cirque has given me complete creative license. That means creating,
that means directing, that means going through the cast, going through
the costuming, the pyrotechnics. Every creative element thats on that
stage, its Criss Angel. Its my DNA there. I am an executive producer
of the show, which as you know I wasnt on Believe.
Q. Lets go back to lets use the word gamble. The first gamble was
Cirque producing rabbits dancing on the stage in Believe. It
didnt work. Everybody says it didnt work. Even you said it didnt
work.
It would have worked if I wasnt in the show. It was a good show. But
people came with expectations of seeing Mindfreak, but they got
instead Criss Angel playing somebody else from a Broadway show. For
some reason, Believe didnt want to bank on all of the television
that I had under my belt. They wanted to try to do something
different, so I went along with the ride. I agree it wasnt the right
decision. But the challenge was to refocus it, and by 2010 we had
countless reviews saying that it was the best show in Las Vegas.
Newsweek calculated we produced $150 million in one year. We beat
every other magic show in town and did it by leaps and bounds. So this
wasnt a decision to change the show because we had to change the
show. This was a decision because the world of entertainment in Las
Vegas has completely transformed. You see how many shows are closing,
you see how many shows are struggling. There are shows in Las Vegas
that are giving free tickets away, and the only thing you have to pay
is the box office fee. I am somebody who loves to create. I created a
touring Mindfreak Live! We sold out every single show we did
throughout the country. We were doing one-nighters.
It was an unbelievable opportunity for me to be able to go out and do
that and create what I wanted to create on my own without answering to
anyone. Then I created The Supernaturalists, another huge smash that
broke attendance records - 232 million impressions the first weekend.
Cirque executives came with Nik Rytterstrom, who runs the Luxor and
saw the show when I wasnt even there. They were blown away. I have
the finest LED walls, the finest lighting boards in the world. They
saw what I was able to bring to the stage and how the audience
reacted. I cant speak for them. I think that I have 2 years and 5
months left on my contract. I think everybody sees how difficult it is
to have a winning show in Las Vegas that can attract people to their
hotel as a destination. Especially when youre at one end of the
Strip. When you have something so successful, you want to try to keep
that. So they made me an offer that I could not refuse. They said you
have the creative license, do what youre going to do. Well support
you; well be behind you. Ive never in my time with Cirque de Soleil
had a better relationship. Cirque has been absolutely amazing,
supportive and allowed me to really bring my vision to life in a way
that I could not do on my own because of this incredible theater,
because of their incredible knowledge.
Q. And their talent pool?
Yeah, its incredible. So, for me as an artist who wants to remain
numero uno, the most relevant magician in the world, I want to see
what I am capable of because I know Im capable of doing more things
that are way beyond anything that Ive ever done. Besides the money,
which doesnt really matter to me, it was more about the opportunity
as an artist to show people what I am truly capable of and raise the
bar for myself, push my own envelope, see whats the best that could
come out of me creatively, artistically. In turn, I think it will push
a whole art form and show that magic doesnt have to be what we think
it is and what we have seen it be - it can be so much more. I think
this show will be the nexus for future magicians to see what is
possible and how you dont think like what weve seen in Las Vegas
before.
Q. Give me an example of an illusion that shows us that this is
completely different than what youve done before, what magic has
done before?
There are many, many examples of the illusions that were presenting.
I think that the most important aspect of this show, more than the
illusions, is the emotional connection that people will have during
the show because the power that that has, when you move somebody on a
visceral level, and they shed one tear because of something theyre
watching, thats a profound effect. It will make people, whether they
shed a tear or not, it will put them in a space that magic has never
done. The reason that I can do it is this is real life.
Q. You escaped the answer because you obviously want to keep it secret
until opening night. So let me ask it differently. There are seven
magic tricks, seven principals of magic. Have you discovered more?
I found that magic is not about a trick, about an enigma. Magic can be
so much more without even performing a trick. One of my signature
pieces, and what I get requested more than anything, is to levitate.
People will be stunned by the levitation in this show. Im going to
levitate in ways that no magician, no human being, has ever levitated
on a live stage, ever, period. No blue lame curtains blowing. This
will be just completely in the open in normal lighting, no theatrical
lighting, no curtains, nothing. Its right there as if you saw me on
the street and see me in a real environment. Not setup, not slick, but
seeing me do things that have never been done, being able to fly up,
fly sideways, flip, barrel rolls, and do it literally, some of the
levitations just 5 feet away from the audience.
Q. Five feet away? So youre almost in the audience?
Yep. Im as close as you can get to the audience and allow it to be
done due to insurance restrictions. Thats just one part of it.
Q. Peter Pan comes to life?
This is way beyond Peter Pan. Not only do I levitate, not only do I
fly, this is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Im flipping around,
Im doing barrel rolls. Theres a brand new manipulation act with
birds that takes place in a 200-year-old cathedral. The dome is
cracked, so you can see sunlight coming in while a little snow falls
and birds fly into the cathedral. Its a whole routine with birds
flying over the audience in different forms before coming back to
life. We send five pigeons to fly over the audiences heads, which
transforms into a feather turning into a snowstorm, then 110 birds
flying through the snowstorm. Theres fire floating in my hands,
floating around my body that transforms into another bird.
Manipulation has been around forever with magic. Its a beautiful form
of art, but were seeing it in a very poetic way. Utilizing technology
in a way that we havent seen, and it really takes the audience from
seeing what weve seen before as tricks. Its almost like becoming
emotionally engaged to what youre seeing because it makes you feel
like you can go out and conquer the world.
Q. Is it safe to say that there is no other magician who can do this?
No question about it. Theres no one who can do this show. No one
because theres only one Criss Angel. Im really happy to be in my
skin, and Ive had a lifetime and a dedication to my craft like no
other. I live, eat and sleep this in a way that people who know me who
are magicians, they think that Im possessed. With all of the trials
and tribulations from Believe, and all of the different things over
18 years it took me to become an overnight success, all of that led to
this moment. This is my time. I believe its my time because I believe
that this is going to be the culmination of my entire career put forth
on this stage in a way that would never be possible unless somebody
went through my life experience and had the facility, the means, the
team, Cirque du Soleil, the theater, the brain, the creativity, to be
able to do this. I dont say this because, and I know its going to
come off very conceited, but I say this because I work, work and
continue to work my ass off. What you put in is what you get out. The
harder something is to accomplish, the sweeter the reward. This is a
long time in the making for me.
Q. This is your whole life - your existence?
Yeah, this is it, this is it, this is it. Im willing to put it all
out there on the line. I could have just sat there and done Believe
and collected the incredible money that I was making. I could have
just kept my feet in the pool by day, had a margarita, hung out with
friends and come here at 6:30 p.m. and get ready for the show, do the
show, go home. But thats not me. Cirque knew that wasnt me. Cirque
knew that I was capable of more. Cirque saw what I did, and I think
they see the future in the Criss Angel brand not only here at the
Luxor, but also abroad. Were already talking about getting involved
with many other shows, not just Mindfreak Live! at the Luxor.
{ SOURCE: https://goo.gl/LVdooX & https://goo.gl/INQhrf }
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COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER
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Fascination! Newsletter
Volume 16, Number 6 (Issue #149) - June 2016
"Fascination! Newsletter" is a concept by Ricky Russo. Copyright (C)
2001-2016 Ricky Russo, published by Vortex/RGR Productions, a
subsidiary of Communicore Enterprises. No portion of this newsletter
can be reproduced, published in any form or forum, quoted or
translated without the consent of the "Fascination! Newsletter." By
sending us correspondence, you give us permission (unless otherwise
noted) to use the submission as we see fit, without remuneration. All
submissions become the property of the "Fascination! Newsletter."
"Fascination! Newsletter" is not affiliated in any way with Cirque du
Soleil. Cirque du Soleil and all its creations are Copyright (C) and
are registered trademarks (TM) of Cirque du Soleil, Inc., and
Créations Méandres, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No copyright
infringement intended.
{ Jun.10.2016 }
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