Saturday, October 13, 2007
Cirque du Soleil goes to Manhattan
Variety: "Prior to next month's 'Wintuk,' Cirque du Soleil hadn't had much luck coming to Manhattan. The Canadian-based circus troupe, which has preemed its new shows in Montreal and Las Vegas, had received offers, but had trouble finding an ideal fit. 'The theaters are old; their format is so much smaller-scale that we barely fit in them,' explains Cirque co-founder Gilles Ste-Croix."
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14 comments:
finally, it seems fitting that the show would finally make it to one of the theatre mecca / capitals of the world.... its been long awaited i'd say and it is one of those things that now that it is introduced will be a definite long time venture. cirque is one of those foreign art forms that will continue to conquer city by city nation and world wide, new york is a definite strong hold in the business and will offer a whole new cliental, wonderful.
Actually, it is easier to make money from the kid audience. Since the kid can never go to a show alone, at least one parent has to accompany a kid. Then two tickets are sold. If a family has two kids, four tickets are sold out immediately. Cirque's show in New York now may offer not only the kid more entertainment but also grandparents. The success of box office may be expecting.
I think it's going to be interesting to hear how the show goes with a different theater format. Working with width rather than height seems like a challenge that Cirque wants. It gives them the opportunity to shed the comfort zone of being up high, and tackle unknown areas.
It is so difficult for recent productions to find a venue that is innovative enough to hold their show. Thank god Cirque found closest alternative that is in the city. Hopefully the show will do so much better than Grinch, although running a show 12 times a week is a bit ridiculous. Now there is another reason why tourists want to go to New York for.
it would be great if this could be successful, because New York would be a much more appropriate and appreciative audience for their work that las vegas.
It's good to think of families going to alternative forms of theatre. The integration of puppetry, circus, and theatre (and skateboarding?) presents a unique opportunity to reach a wide range of audiences. It's also interesting to see how the various art forms would merge together.
Cirque has clearly found a way to capture the minds of adults and children and will hopefully continue to do so.
As much as I adore this company, I think Cirque needs to slow it down just a tad. Their continuing output of productions might start to catch up with them. Although they are a company with enough money to buy a country, I fear that the amount of shows they are trying to circulate it getting the world accustomed to its style. Their Vegas shows are amazing, both dramatically and artistically. Their early touring shows are brilliant and innovative and exciting. But Cirque has so many things out that no one can keep track of them. Kooza and Corteo are blending into the crowds of knock-offs. I'm sure no matter what, many will continue to travel to see a cirque show in any case, and I know that NYC will welcome this performance with open arms. I just hope the company will continue to follow its unique and special mission, and not get side tracked with the idea that more is better.
the first think that struck me as funny was when i read the comment about the theatre being too low and wide rather than too tall, thats not usually the comment on new york architecture. other than that i think its great that Cirque is doing a kids show in new york. i remember that when my mom and i went to las vegas a few years ago we couldnt go see a certain cirque show because it was in a hotel that doesnt even let kids in the lobby. bringing theatre to kids is a great thing as long as its not just 'dumbing it down', but being real, smart theatre that is just accessable for young minds. and cirque with its loose plots and spectacle is perfect for that i think.
That is really exciting. I know I've always been wanting to see a Cirque show, but never had a chance - and to have it so close to home for me maybe I'll be able to see it this winter. I think no matter the challenges they are dealing with it will make for an amazing show. I really hope to get a chance to see it and then maybe talk about it when I get back next semester!
It is good to hear Cirque putting a show in NYC other than "zumanity" I wonder why the company chose to focus on a holiday-themed show. Perhaps to test the waters as a limited-engagement type thing? Im sure it was definitely a challenge for the set designer to make this space feel like the cirque tents that we are used to.
second row. center. ridiculously cheap ticket price. i cant wait till this winter.
perhaps cirque is trying to quickly develop some new shows in an attempt to phase out its older touring ones?
cirque is no stranger to NYC, it's just usually not in MSG, but rather they drag their circus tent to randall's island and set up the space as they see fit.
As much as I love Cirque....if they are attempting to truly tell a narrative again... I really hope they do a better job than they did with Ka, because the show may be an astounding effects show with so much pyro and automation but when you tried to integrate the story into it, things just didn't work very well.
like many others i am suprised that it took this long. i do see the restrictions though that many of the broadway houses would impose. Those of us that have seen a Cirque show know that they take a lot of space in all dimensions, many of the old broadway houses just aren't made for this. i assume this will boost their already outstanding reputation even higher.
I like that cirque is changing things up and not just churning out the same thing over and over again. The seasonal thing in NYC seems like a good market for cirque they can use it as a testing ground for new work. Since it’s a run with a known end they can go way far out there and not have to worry about it.
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