www.cirquefascination.com: The early success of Disney on Broadway led other entertainment companies to believe that conquering the Great White Way was possibly not that hard. But, as Warner Bros’ first foray into the lead producing game, LESTAT, proved, it’s not as easy as opening and tossing some money at marketing. And now, after a single Broadway show, PARAMOUR, Cirque du Soleil has essentially shuttered its theatrical division, Cirque du Soleil Theatrical.
7 comments:
Cirque seems to be forcing something that can't exist. Broadway has been the entertainment hub in New York City. Las Vegas seems to be a successful home to Cirque only because minus touring and some permanent shows there isn't another huge entertainment draw. Cirque seems to be fighting an impossible battle because New York is already claimed by the theatre. Cirque also doesn’t seem to be making smart choices when they try to work in New York. Paramour seemed extremely rushed and lacked a strong backing, shown best with the lead Bradley Dean dropped out due to creative differences. The last straw in this uphill climb that destroyed Cirque’s chance was Zieger being fired. Cirque seemed stupid in their decision to try to take over New York and have a strong ground there. Cirque seemed to not learn from its first lesson, which leads to perpetual failure in New York. I wonder how the theatrical wing of Cirque affected the finances of the other wings of Cirque because the company seemed to make a major investment in the theatre over and over again. I think a better medium for Cirque to try to conquer is film because it seemed to be successful with the Wiz live. There are also a lot of movies that use Cirque performers for stunt doubles and make up/costume artists. Cirque seems to have made a silly decision and needs to rethink its investment.
I agree with Alexander that this article highlighted the obvious and almost imminent fact that Cirque seems to be losing steam as the productions that they have put on in the past few years. I was able to see Paramour when it came to Los Angeles a few years ago, and while I did like the show, I can see why people would say it was rushed. It seemed very much like something I had seen already seen before when I was younger seeing a Cirque show. I like Alexander's thought of giving Cirque the chance to delve more into film and/or television, however I think that the thing that makes Cirque such an enjoyable experience is being there in the same room with the performers. It is not the same to see the Cirque float at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV as it is to go to a big arena and see them live. However, some parts of Cirque might very well translate over to film, and that would be an interesting transition to see.
Large, amazing, acrobatic productions like Cirque are never pictured nor anticipated in a city like New York; Cirque would have probably saved significant funding if they attempted to strengthen their foothold in Las Vegas. Entertainment out there is very different than entertainment in New York. Vegas and Hollywood are known for large scale, flying object performances to match the largeness of the landscape, while New York is small, compact enough to be expecting tidy little theatrical performances. After attempting to run Zakrana, a spectacle Cirque usually puts on, and it not being as successful as they had hoped, they should have taken some time to create a blend of theater and circus for their second attempt. Instead, they tried to get the rights to The Wiz and various other well known brands, and continued to get run over by stronger companies with an established foothold in the city. Cirque would have been significantly better off strengthening their empire in Las Vegas and large, flashy venues.
Large, amazing, acrobatic productions like Cirque are never pictured nor anticipated in a city like New York; Cirque would have probably saved significant funding if they attempted to strengthen their foothold in Las Vegas. Entertainment out there is very different than entertainment in New York. Vegas and Hollywood are known for large scale, flying object performances to match the largeness of the landscape, while New York is small, compact enough to be expecting tidy little theatrical performances. After attempting to run Zakrana, a spectacle Cirque usually puts on, and it not being as successful as they had hoped, they should have taken some time to create a blend of theater and circus for their second attempt. Instead, they tried to get the rights to The Wiz and various other well known brands, and continued to get run over by stronger companies with an established foothold in the city. Cirque would have been significantly better off strengthening their empire in Las Vegas and large, flashy venues.
Cirque is wild, I actually am very excited every time I hear something new about Cirque Du Soleil and their endeavors. I personally would watch Cirque theatrically because of my trust in their ability to reinvent anything and fit it into their style. As Anabel said, Cirque is a very personal experience between the audience and the performers, and I think that adding these dramatic elements can greatly further the companies impact on the theatre world. Although I disagree with Cirque on film because it removes the immersion aspect of live entertainment, I'm willing to give it a chance. The growth of Cirque is something that I'm greatly looking forward to, and its amazing to know that it can be immersed in an art that I love so much.
This is a really loaded topic and it’s also important to note that this came from a Cirque fan blog so we may need to take some things with a grain of salt. I struggle with the fact that Guy Laliberté wanted to try and compete with Broadway or even create a book musical. It’s well-known that as his official time at Cirque came to a close, he became less and less involved with the creation of the shows and focused more on other endeavors. What does make sense is his desire to put a Cirque show in New York. My guess is that they were trying to do something similar to what they have done in Orlando or in Asia. Those shows are not book musicals or theatre, but rather entertainment attractions that tourists flock to. The whole discussion of “The Wiz” is almost comical at this point. The author portrays the show as Cirque’s entity which is not how I have read about it at all. I had heard Cirque had a producing hand in it, but it was up to NBC with what happened to it. My guess is that the next time we see a revival of “The Wiz” on Broadway will be by independent producers because the live TV musical is just not ready for that transfer yet.
I always wondered what happen to The Wiz on Broadway by Cirque. I was truly looking forward to it. Cirque de soli has been mentoring company for me for years. I have always wanted to work there and have come close. I know a few people who work there, and I am always impressed by the shows they put out. I thought the Wiz with cirque was a guarantee success. I think the one thing cirque has little to no experience is writing a script that with words move people as much as it dose in the way cirque uses movement and visuals. I think in order for cirque to gain a floor hold on NYC it will have to partner with someone who has written for the Broadway stage before. This may make Cirque feel like being back seat driver, but there strong point is there visuals and acrobatic mesmerizing productions
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