Last August, the Canadian entertainment company launched its first resident show in Asia in years — a lavish production titled “X: The Land of Fantasy” — in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.
Thursday, September 17, 2020
The Show Must Go On: How Cirque de Soleil Survived China’s Lockdown
Last August, the Canadian entertainment company launched its first resident show in Asia in years — a lavish production titled “X: The Land of Fantasy” — in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.
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I didn't even know that Cirque Du Soleil survived the lockdown in China. It’s hard to even fathom that the Chinese troupe -- their newest troupe -- was the group to survive. To be one of the only two Cirque productions to be operating world wide is truly insane. However, the reasoning behind the fact that this production was one of the many to survive is somewhat frustrating. I’m really shocked that Cirque of all companies needs to rely on donor funding and “Chinese backers” to keep it afloat. When considering how well off Cirque seemed pre-pandemic, this information feels like a slap in the face. It’s also interesting to consider how Cirque looks at their projects like long term investments. “X” -- Cirque’s Chinese show was considered a project meant to be around for at least 5-10 years. The fact that they converted a machinery factory downtown into a state of the art auditorium shows how willing Cirque is to invest in the longevity.
I hadn’t heard much about Cirque’s financial state since I had heard that they filed for bankruptcy, so it was interesting to get a brief update and surprising to hear that any of their shows were still running. The inside look into the process itself was fascinating because thus far I had not gotten any perspective of the entertainment industry from outside the US, also just the lockdown from a circus performers perspective was definitely something I didn’t consider before now. All of us have been affected by having to be at home but for some of us it has been a sort of break (at least from what we are typically doing) but the physical demands of being a cirque performer doesn’t really leave room for them to get “rusty” pandemic or not. I think the turnaround time and issues they faced with completely re-organizing the show and substitutions in order to re-open in June was astounding and a testament to how dynamic the entertainment industry can be even during the most restrictive times.
I, like Lauren, haven’t really read a lot about what the international entertainment industry is doing besides the Opera house that had plants in their audience but I did know that Cirque was starting up performances in China and Mexico as well as other places so it was very interesting reading about how they go there. Like Lauren, I also didn’t realize how out of shape someone can get from doing their job not just physically but mentally. I never thought about how to keep show-ready or work ready for when things go back to more normal. I think this is and will be a problem for many industries that have gone remote and will when a vaccine arrives or sooner go back to being in person. It is wild reading about how quickly “X” had to train people in order to get them reading and I feel horrible for the stranded performers who worked so hard but didn’t get to make their debut. This story is really cool and hopefully, the opening of “X” and Cirque’s show in Mexico (I believe that is the other one that opened) will help give standards and support to other commercial entertainment being opened safely.
I think that it is truly inspiring how the cast of such a large show maintained their training over the quarantine when the future of their show was uncertain. The dedication that He Guowei and others that worked on the cast side of “X: The Land Of Fantasy” to keep up their physical appearance is commendable. The commitment of the crew on this production is also extremely admiral. Major praise to Xia Xiaoyu who kept in contact with the district government daily to see when their performances could start up again. It is also super heartening seeing those in the entertainment industry, where things are ever changing, proving the adaptability of everyone working on this project and how much they were all completely flexible for the sake of their art. I applaud all who are still employed in China and performing even though it seems to be a sinking ship in terms of no longer being profitable.
This was really crazy to read about: “X: The Land of Fantasy” is currently one of the very few (of 40+) Cirque de Soleil shows currently running. I remember hearing about China’s lockdown in January and February, and how much faster it was put into place versus here in the US. The performers had to keep up with their training from their apartments- the improvisation was absolutely astounding! I think the part that awed me the most was how much of the show they had to change and adapt because of performers stuck abroad. In the span of a matter of weeks, they had to hire and train new people but because the original acts were so specialized, this meant new acts. And, of course, new lighting, media, sound, blocking, props, etc. I know the amount of work and detail that goes into the creation of a high school show, and “X” is magnitudes more complicated than that. I can barely wrap my head around how much work and effort they needed to put into that to pull it off- and they did! I’m glad I had the opportunity to read about this.
I found this article very inspiring for the return of theatre and that it is possible for live theatre to come back if conditions get better. I wonder what it was like to be stuck with your coworkers for months while not knowing if you’d ever go back to work. Since it is a traveling performance, there had to be careful planning to make sure everything could resume. I found the part where they said that there were some audience interactions that we cut from the show due to the circumstances and keeping everyone safe. I wonder if that will affect the broadway shows. Like the lion kind I know they walk down the aisle. Although the government in China put strict restrictions to stop the virus, I think it was necessary and worked well.
t was very interesting to see how Cirque de Soleil survived the lockdown in China, since I heard they were filing for bankruptcy, I had no idea that they still were producing shows abroad. It is crazy to see how fast China bounced back up after their quarantine and lockdown measures and the amount of live in person events that they have allowed since. The article highlighted the experience of how the performer felt before during and after the lockdown and brought to light the job uncertainty that he faced and how the pandemic affected his livelihood. The changes brought to the shows content was an immense challenge for the artistic team and showed how they embodied the saying ‘the show must go on’. Many of the highly specialized performers for some of the acts were stuck in other countries and were not able to return and the show’s creators had to improvise with the course of the show. This shows another instance of perseverance in the entertainment industry to put on a show and survive financially.
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