Over the years, CirqueCon has journeyed across oceans and transcended
borders, reaching fans of Cirque du Soleil in Canada, North America,
and Japan to great success. And while it had only been a few short
months since we’d wrapped up our very successful multi-cultural event
in Monterrey, Mexico (CirqueCon 2009; thanks to all!), before long we
were ready to jump back into the fray and announce our next exciting
CirqueCon adventure – CirqueCon 2010: New York City.
But as we gathered for the seventh time since our inception, not only
did we find ourselves once again witnessing the evolution of some of
Cirque du Soleil’s newest productions – BANANA SHPEEL, a new traveling
venue concept staged at the historical Beacon Theater in Manhattan and
OVO under the Grand Chapiteau at Randal’s Island Park, both in New
York City, and TOTEM, a new traveling spectacle opening under the
Grand Chapiteau on the Quay’s of the Old Port of Montréal – we also
found ourselves part of a nouvelle expérience at CirqueCon.
There’d be more to our 2010 event than just exploring “The Big Apple”;
for the first time we expanded our traditional weekend to encompass
two separate locations spanning a distance over five-hundred
kilometers: one, a new and exciting metropolis for Passionates to
explore, a city that never sleeps; the other, a cobblestone-lined
historical village, with the familiarity of a heartwarming homecoming.
To accommodate both cities we added two extra fun-filled days to our
schedule!
So as we now come close to unleashing CirqueCon 2011 in Hollywood for
Cirque du Soleil’s IRIS, and scaling back our traditional weekend so
Passionates may incorporate CirqueWeek in Las Vegas should they choose
(not to mention reveling in the festivities surrounding MICHAEL
JACKSON THE IMMORTAL WORLD TOUR performing at Mandalay Bay during that
time), I’m excited to relive CirqueCon 2010: New York City & Montréal
with you. Think you’re ready for a CirqueCon experience? Then join us
for IRIS in Hollywood!
Bridging oceans and transcending borders while taking in three Cirque
du Soleil productions (two of which were brand new at the time) was an
exciting step for us. One we hoped everyone enjoyed to the fullest.
THREE SHOWS. TWO CITIES. ONE EVENT.
DAY ONE: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28TH ///
———————————–
A hallmark of CirqueCon is our Meet & Greet; it’s a chance to
socialize as a group in a much more relaxed, slow-paced setting. In
years past we’ve partied with the cast and crew of La Nouba after an
incredible group show (at CirqueCon 2007: Orlando), raised such a
ruckus that the hotel staff tried to shut us down twice (at CirqueCon
2008: Tokyo), and took a cruise down the Paseo Santa Lucía to the
Macroplaza (our cultural answer to CirqueCon’s traditional Meet &
Greet activity for CirqueCon 2009: Monterrey). We kicked off our New
York City excursion early in the morning (from 8:30am to 9:30am),
holding our Meet & Greet in the lobby of our Headquarters Hotel,
within a specially designated space at The “On The Ave” Hotel. I was
there handing out our Convention Packet (consisting of our annual
Programme Book, specially created buttons, and our identity badges),
fulfilled our official T-Shirt orders and even had posters for
Passionates to make their mark upon. It was a nice get-together on our
first morning together, filled with friends, fun, food and
festivities!
With our group viewing of OVO scheduled for later in the evening (at
7:00pm), the rest of the day was open to all Passionates, and we let
them loose upon Manhattan accordingly. Where they would go and what
they would do was up to each guest, but for one Passionate and I, we
were in to fulfilling dreams. As it was Josh McCall’s first-ever visit
to New York City, he not only wanted to see the Statue of Liberty from
a close vantage point, he also wanted to climb to the top of her
crown. Since the National Park Service recently re-opened the crown to
the general public (shut down after the September 11th terrorist
attacks on the World Trade Center towers), I booked us an excursion
time (many months in advance) and away we went!
If there’s one thing you have to see when visiting the Big Apple, it
is lady Liberty. Many know that the Statue of Liberty was a gift to
the United States by France in 1886 to commemorate the centennial of
the United States’ Declaration of Independence from Great Britain and
the friendship our two nations established during the American
Revolution. She stands triumphantly in New York Harbor, lighting the
way to the land of prosperity, and if you miss the opportunity to see
her (whether in good weather or bad), you’ll be really disappointed. A
journey to Liberty from Manhattan starts down at the Circle Line
docks, as ours did, but ours did not end until we climbed all 354
steps to the crown (that’s 192 to reach the top of the pedestal and
another 162 to reach the crown). And with spiral steps only 19 inches
wide, shallow and tapered at one end, with barely a 6-foot clearance,
doing so was clearly an arduous affair, but so very, very worth it.
Did you know the rays on liberty’s crown are meant to evoke the seven
seas and the seven continents of the world?
The entire experience – getting through security at the docks, riding
the boat over to Liberty Island, getting our tickets and armband for
crown access, going through a second security check to gain access to
the pedestal, and climbing to the top and back (oh my god, the
stairs!) took about four to five hours total; the majority of our free
time in the afternoon. Once done, we met Rich Alford (friend and
fellow Cirque fan; and Josh’s relative) at Hard Rock Café in Times
Square for a bite to eat before making our way to Randal’s Island for
OVO.
Getting there proved to be an adventure and a half.
Special New York Transit X80 event busses were scheduled to leave for
Randall’s Island from Lexington Avenue and East 125th Street, easily
accessible via the Lexington Avenue 4/5/6 Subway and from Metro North
125th Street Station. With busses running from at least 70 minutes
before show time to 30 minutes following the performance, getting to
and from the venue should have been a breeze. For the majority of our
Passionates this was the case – Keith and Lucy led a contingent from
the Hotel to the subway station where they all caught the busses at
the same time; for Rich, Josh and I, because of our location at that
time day, we were forced to choose a different route. And though we
too tried the busses at Lexington and East 125th street, none of the
appropriately labeled ones ever made stops near us, so we did the next
best thing – hailed a cab! And strangely enough, we made it to
Randall’s Island only a few moments before the busses carrying our
brethren – whodathunk?
By then we were all primed for the show.
OVO (pronounced oh-voh) takes its name from the Portuguese word for
Egg, an animal reproductive body consisting of an ovum together with
its nutritive and protective envelope. “When a mysterious egg appears
in the insect’s midst,” the story goes, “they are awestruck and
intensely curious about this iconic object;” a timeless symbolic
representation of birth. The enigma and its importance to the
insectoid microcosm embodies the underlying thread of the show, which
is also communicated graphically as OVO hides an insect in its name:
The two letter “Os” represent the eyes while the letter “V” forms the
nose. “OVO is overflowing with contrasts. The hidden, secret world at
our feet is revealed as tender and torrid, noisy and quiet, peaceful
and chaotic. And as the sun rises on a bright new day the vibrant
cycle of insect life begins anew.”
And we enjoyed it!
Immediately following the performance Cirque du Soleil invited us to
stay in our seats to meet a few of the creepy crawlies of OVO and get
a chance to ask some of the cast and crew a few of our most burning
and pressing questions. We were joined at the thrust of the stage by
Lee John Brearley (Creaturea Manipulation artist), Michelle Matlock
(who plays the “ladybug” character), and the company publicist.
It was a fantastic ending to a great day!
DAY TWO: THURSDAY, APRIL 29TH ///
———————————-
The second day started just as early, but on a more personal note.
Since our activities with Banana Shpeel wouldn’t be until later in the
afternoon, our early-morning registration window wasn’t opened until
an hour before our activities; therefore, I had more free-time to
explore the streets of Manhattan. That morning Rich, Josh and I had an
appointment at 30 Rock, 30 Rockefeller Plaza that is – the home of NBC
Studios in New York and the starting point for the NBC Studios tour.
Since 1993, NBC has offered this historic tour that takes you through
the halls and into the studios of NBC’s New York operations. An NBC
Page will be your guide to the world of the Peacock Network. Some NBC
Pages have gone on to become famous entertainment personalities,
including Willard Scott, Ted Koppel, Regis Philbin, Steve Allen, Marcy
Carsey, Kate Jackson, Michael Eisner, and Dave Garroway.
Though our guide isn’t destined to become an NBC star (nor did we see
any such personalities on our tour), we had a good time touring the
facilities.
The first stop on the tour is the NBC History Theatre, where you learn
about NBC’s early days in radio. Your NBC Page will tell you about
some of the network’s early sound effect techniques and NBC’s
transition into television. Then Katie Couric and Matt Lauer (on
video) take you down memory lane to show you where NBC has been and
where the network is today. From there the Tour gives a backstage peek
at some of the most famous studios in television, including: Studio 3C
– Home of NBC Nightly News, Studio 3B – Home of Dateline, Studio 3K –
Home of NBC Sports, and Studio 8H – Home of Saturday Night Live. And
in addition to these, a stop at Broadcast Operations, the Make-Up
Room, the set for Dr. Oz., and our very own chance to produce a news
and weather program in the High Definition Mini-Control Studio.
A visit to “The Top of the Rock” (a separate ticket) brought a
fantastic end to our visit to NBC Studios.
Rich, Josh and I met a small contingent of Passionates (Rodolfo
Elizondo, Steve Long, and Heather & Jim) for lunch at Juniors, a
famous and award-winning restaurant most noted for its cheesecakes,
and then I parted with the group to see the King Tut Exhibit at the
Discovery Center, where 130 artifacts from Tut’s reign were on display
(some seen in America for the very first time!) in over 10 separate
galleries. As a fan of Egypt and with a passing familiarity with
Egyptology in general, spending even an hour here would be too hard to
pass up.
We all re-assembled at ON THE AVE around 2:30pm for the open
registration period, scheduled for those who might have arrived late
and who still needed to pick up their convention credentials (a badge
would be needed to attend the activities at Banana Shpeel, for
instance), and to give Passionates a place to gather before-hand. ON
THE AVE was chosen as our headquarters hotel this year because of its
proximity to the Beacon Theater – it was just 300 yards south!
The experience was billed as being an invite from Mr. Schmelkey, of
schmelkey Productions, inviting the entire CirqueCon Group to come to
his theater and witness last-minute rehearsals for his show BANANA
SHPEEL before that night’s performance. In doing so we’d also get a
chance to speak with a member of the creative team. Watching a last-
minute rehearsal we did, but did you know we did it with Mr. Serge
Roy, Director of Creation for the show?
WOW!
He was as excited to speak about his new show as we were to sit and
listen, but unfortunately we had to bid Monsieur Roy adieu an hour
later – it was time for our Group Meal at Amsterdam Ale House. Billed
as a charming neighborhood restaurant on the Upper West Side of
Manhattan, the Amsterdam Ale House is committed to serving the finest
ales and lagers available. Not to mention a fine selection of foods
one comes to expect from a great ale house. And at 76th Street and
Amsterdam Avenue – it was just a couple of blocks from ON THE AVE, our
Headquarters Hotel and from the Beacon Theater where we later
assembled for BANANA SHPEEL following dinner; it was a great location!
And the food was good too…
For appetizers (which was served family style) each patron had their
choice of Buffalo Wings (accompanied with carrots & celery and a side
of blue cheese), Ale House Quesadillas (made with spinach, onion and
cheddar cheese baked in a flour tortilla and served with all the
fixings), or a house salad.
For entries we had a choice between Pan Seared Tilapia (topped with a
light white wine tomato and caper sauce, served with rice and sautéed
spinach), Pasta Primavera (a choice of pasta tossed with the season’s
fresh vegetables in a light garlic sauce), Pasta Bolognaise (a rich
red wine, herbed tomato and beef sauce over a choice of pasta),
Chicken Fajitas, or Chipotle Beef Chili in a Bread Bowl (topped with
melted cheddar cheese and sour cream, and served with a side of mixed
greens salad). And to finish off this fine meal we had our choice of
two desserts: a Chocolate Fondant or a refreshing Mango sorbet.
Yuuumy!
At 8:00pm we settled in our seats for Cirque du Soleil’s new twist on
Vaudeville, BANANA SHPEEL.
Banana Shpeel, the latest show from producer extraordinaire Marty
Schmelky, features a colorful array of slapstick comedy, eclectic
dance and unique acrobatic acts. This larger-than-life personality
presents the diverse talent he has gathered from around the world, as
zany characters spread chaos throughout the theatre.
In his long and illustrious career, Schmelky has created such
unforgettable hits as The Phantom of the Banana; Annie Get Your
Banana; Fiddler on the Banana; The Best Little Banana in Texas; Bring
in da Noise, Bring in da Banana; and Gentlemen Prefer Bananas. With
Banana Shpeel, Schmelky is moving in a new direction from his previous
shows. “I’m mixing together lots of different ingredients in a big
blender that will combine dance, comedy and circus arts in the fancy
schmancy Beacon Theatre on the Upper West Side.”
Banana Shpeel featured an international cast of 38 performers
including the main character of Schmelky, played by Broadway veteran
Danny Rutigliano, best known for his role as Timon in The Lion King.
Assisting Schmelky are two slapstick sidekicks performed by Daniel
Passer and Wayne Wilson and his wacky assistant Margaret played by
Shereen Hickman. As Schmelky works to complete his latest show, he is
disrupted by a comedic trio: Claudio Carneiro, Patrick de Valette and
Gordon White. The show offers incredible acrobatic performances,
including Russian hand balancer Dmitry Bulkin; Vietnamese hat juggler
Tuan Le; Spanish foot juggler Vanessa Alvarez; Canadian Hand to Hand
duo Preston Jamieson and Kesley Wiens; and Russian contortionists
Tsybenova Ayagma, Tsydendambaeva Imin and Zhambalova Lilia. Banana
Shpeel featured diverse dance elements, including brother-sister tap
dance duo Joseph and Josette Wiggan and a talented ensemble comprised
of Robyn Baltzer, Kassie Brown, Adrienne Jean Fisher, DeWitt Fleming
Jr., Karida Griffith, Luke Hawkins, Kathleen Hennessey, Adrienne Reid,
Anthony J. Russo, Melissa Schott, Josh Scribner, Alexis Sims and
Steven T. Williams.
Banana Shpeel turned out to be a roller-coaster mix of styles that
blended comedy with tap, hip hop, eccentric dance and slapstick, all
linked by a hilarious narrative that ignites a succession of wacky
adventures. It wasn’t circus, or a musical or a variety show, or even
vaudeville. It was Banana Shpeel, and it wasn’t half bad!
* * *
Our time in New York City ended with Banana Shpeel that night, but our
CirqueCon adventure continued in Montréal, where we held another Meet
& Greet, Group Meal, and Group Show. Much like for our CirqueCon 2005
event, we hosted our Montreal meet-and-greet from our hotel rooms at
the Headquarters Hotel – Springhill Suites Vieux Port! And Passionates
who joined us in Montréal for CirqueCon 2005 may remember the
Restaurant du Vieux Port, a wonderful historical restaurant situated
in the heart of the Old Port of Montréal and just a few moments walk
to/from the Grand Chapiteau perched on the Quays at the waterfront. We
loved them so much we went back!
And, of course, we saw Totem… but that’s a story already told.
(See Fascination! Newsletter Issue #72 for our take on TOTEM).
As for BANANA SHPEEL, it unfortunately did not last its entire New
York City run. The show originally had a run from February 25th
through May 30th, with previews going from February 25th through March
22nd; however, production delays (following not-so-nice reviews in
Chicago) pushed previews to April 29th through May 16th (we saw one of
the first public preview shows). Normal shows would have then begun
from May 17th through August 29th; however, scathing reviews and
dwindling attendance forced the show to close at the Beacon on June
27th, two months after CirqueCon was in the house. BANANA SHPEEL
didn’t fare any better in its next stop – Toronto – folding there and
for good on October 10th, 2010.
Interested in attending CirqueCon 2011: Hollywood for IRIS?
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