Welcome to the latest edition of Fascination, the Unofficial Cirque du Soleil Newsletter. There’ve been a lot of announcements, so, let’s get to it!
Berlin will be the site of the first Cirque du Soleil European resident show, as Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group and Live Nation Entertainment announced. In the winter of 2020, the brand new and exclusive production will premiere at Theater am Potsdamer Platz, where it aims to thrill audiences from the German capital and the metropolitan area along with German and international tourists long term. About 400,000 people per year will be able to witness unique performances, specifically conceived for the Theater am Potsdamer Platz.
This original creation of Cirque du Soleil for the city of Berlin is produced in the German capital, where all the creative forces will come together to design an innovative show. This creation is inspired by Berlin itself and its cultural history while keeping the essence of Cirque du Soleil front and center. The entirely new show at Theater am Potsdamer Platz, Berlin’s largest and most advanced theater, is a co-production between Cirque du Soleil, which is responsible for the artistic content, and Live Nation, the world´s leading live entertainment company. Live Nation is also the new operator of Theater am Potsdamer Platz. Tickets will go on sale end of November 2019.
Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group President and CEO, Daniel Lamarre, says “For Cirque du Soleil, this is a beautiful way of celebrating a 25-year relationship with the city. This new and exciting production is most certainly the best way to highlight the privileged bond we have with Berlin.” Marek Lieberberg, CEO of Live Nation in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, has been instrumental in bringing this project to life. “We are excited about this world premiere as we all share the same fantastic vision of inspiring audiences with outstanding events. That’s exactly what the new original Cirque du Soleil show at Theater am Potsdamer Platz will achieve. My special gratitude to our partners from Cirque du Soleil for the trust they have placed in us.”
A Cirque du Soleil artist was injured after crashing an electric motorcycle in the opening “R.U.N” at Luxor. The performer, whose name is being withheld by Cirque officials, was piloting the bike in the Level Up scene near the end of the show. Sources familiar with the incident reported he suffered a broken collarbone, though his status has not been confirmed. A Cirque spokeswoman, citing the company’s policy not to release health information about its artists, said late Thursday that the show stopped so an emergency intervention team could take the injured performer backstage. He was said to be “taken in good care” by the show’s medical staff. Level Up features a pair of 12-foot-tall ramps, and the artists — called “motorcycle pilots” by the Cirque team — ascend more than 30 feet in the air. The show resumed after the accident, and is to continue as scheduled. There were also several reported technical snags in the opening of the production, including one that also stopped the performances entirely.
On October 16th, Cirque du Soleil and The Madison Square Garden Company MSG announced the casting and creative team for the all-new, family production, ‘Twas the Night Before… ‘Twas the Night Before… is an exhilarating spin on the beloved Christmas classic as only Cirque du Soleil could imagine. This festive show about the wonders of sharing and friendship promises to spark lasting memories in the hearts of families this holiday season. Cirque du Soleil’s first-ever Christmas show, ‘Twas the Night Before… is a flurry of love, Christmas cheer, rip-roaring fun and hugely lovable characters that will become a new tradition for families to cherish. Join Isabella, a curious girl who’s become jaded by the hoopla surrounding Christmas, as she is whisked away to an upside-down, inside-out world where she meets characters inspired by the original timeless poem. Discover what happened before Santa dropped in!
The international casting lineup features Tuedon Ariri (Canada) performing the Aerial Hammock; Katharine Arnold (United Kingdom) performing Aerial Cart; Rosie Axon (United Kingdom) and Adam Jukes (England) performing Inline Skating; Louis Chen, Peter Lin, Tim Wang and Alexandar Yu (Taipei) performing Diablo; Michele Clark (United States) performing Hula Hoop; Nicole Faubert (Canada) and Guillaume Paquin (Canada) in Aerial Duo Straps; Quentin Greco (Canada), Jacob Gregorie (Canada), Chauncey Kroner (United States), Timothe Vincent (Canada), Jinge Wang (China),Evan Tomlinson Weintraub (Canada), performing Hoop Diving and Acrobatic Table; Jose Ignacio Flores Lopez (Spain) performing Block Balancing; Alexis Vigneault (Canada) performing Aerical Acrobatic Lamp; and Jenna Beltran, Lyndsay Marie Farias, Kalila Hermant, Samuel Moore, Paul Ross, Diana Schoenfield, Paul Ross and Bianca Vallar, (United States) as ensemble dancers.
The creative team consists of Daniel Fortin as Vice President Creation, Manuel Bissonnette as Creative Director, James Hadley as Stage Director & Writer, Genevieve Lizotte as Set Designer & Art Director, Edesia Moreno as Acrobatic Choreographer & Performance Designer, Vinh Nguyen Kinjaz as Choreographer, Jean-Phi Goncalves as Musical Composer, James Lavoie as Costume Designer, Nicolas Brion as Light Designer, and Ben Scheff as Sound Designer. The show is produced by Jayna Neagle under the helm of Cirque du Soleil Producer Marie-Josee Adam and Chief Executive Producer Yasmine Khalil.
“We are so excited to announce our cast and creative team for ‘Twas the Night Before… and can’t wait to showcase their talents upon the stage in New York this holiday season,” said Yasmine Khalil, Cirque du Soleil Chief Executive Producer. “Featuring original acrobatics, spectacular choreography, dazzling costumes, and familiar music sure to strike an emotional chord, ‘Twas is a completely new experience that brings families together to celebrate the holiday spirit.”
The production makes its World Premiere at The Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State Street, from November 29 through December 8, 2019 for 17 performances then will run at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden from December 12 through December 29, 2019, for 28 performances. Tickets are on-sale now.
And last, but certainly not least, we have a couple of important
milestones to highlight:
– On October 13th, OVO celebrated its 1,000th arena performance!
– On October 20th, KURIOS celebrated its 2,000th performance!
– On October 30th, LUZIA by Cirque du Soleil beat out “Disney On Ice: Frozen”, “Disney On Ice: Chase Your Dreams”, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Symphonic Concert”, and “Magic On Ice: Illusion” to win the Lunas del Auditorio award in the Family Show category. Lunas del Auditorio is a recognition granted by the National Auditorium to the best live shows in Mexico. Congratulations! (Cirque du Soleil won the category in 2003, 2004, 2006 for Saltimbanco, 2008 for Quidam, 2012 for Ovo, 2013 for MJ Immortal, 2015, 2016, and 2018.)
More? Keep reading!
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