What immediately comes to mind when you hear someone exclaim “Oh!?”
Do you wait for some kind of follow-up; a signal that the person who expressed it will expound upon something he or she just discovered? Or do you let yourself drip into a world without limits – a theatrical encounter with the possibilities and symbols of water: calm and nurturing, playful and sustaining, unpredictable and merciless?
Most will be the former – unknowing, unseeing… but for you, a fan of Cirque du Soleil, you then are the latter and your thoughts will have become submerged in Cirque du Soleil’s aquatic production of «O», at the Bellagio. For you the mere utterance of the show’s title conjurers up a barrage of chaotic images, spectacular performances, and heart-wrenching melodies. You’ve leapt into a world without limits, dove into a tribute to the magic of the theater – from the simplest street performance to the most lavish of operas – and plunged into the wonder, terror, and joy of «O» where anything is possible!
On October 19, 1998, the red curtain whisked away for the “first” time and 1800 patrons watched in awe as the stresses of every-day life ebbed away and were replaced with the dreamlike world of «O». In celebration of the show’s 15th Anniversary, come with us now as we dive into Cirque du Soleil’s watery world…
AN INTR’O’DUCTION
- “When we started to work on “O”, we were really encouraged to dream large-scale. Steve Wynn wanted a show on a stage the size of a football field, on which guests at the Bellagio could windsurf, too! Of course, eventually, we had to work within the realm of the possible, and make decisions. But the show is still a big experience.” – Gilles Ste-Croix (Spectaculara)
Our story of «O» has somewhat a familiar beginning. At first glance, “O” is nothing more than another Cirque du Soleil production inside a fancy theater built to specifications for a hotel project on the Las Vegas strip. When you take a second glance, “O” becomes much, much more. Every aspect surrounding the creation is finely tuned; detailed to exactness. It seems almost inconceivable that within a $1.6 billion dollar hotel resides a production never before attempted – never before imagined even… until Cirque gave it a try.
In 1993, Cirque du Soleil planted what they called a “flower in the desert” with Mystère, which began with the failure of discussions with Caesar’s Palace two years prior, Steve Wynn’s journey to Toronto to catch a live Cirque performance, and the staging of “Nouvelle Expérience” on the grounds of the Mirage for a year. With Mystère firmly entrenched in the hearts and minds of Las Vegas patrons, it would be only a matter of time before the sands once again became fertile and another flower could be planted in the desert. Cirque du Soleil found its lush, productive sands during the development of the Bellagio, approaching Steve Wynn about doing a production at his newest hotel, but not in the manor in which you would think.
Believe it or not, in the early stages of the Bellagio’s development, it wasn’t exactly clear exactly how Cirque du Soleil would contribute to its entertainment offerings. There were two schools of thought, and two questions surrounding them: would there be a theater show similar to what was already featured down the road at Treasure Island, or would there be a show on the resort’s lake that was to be built? Both ideas were heavily considered (“Wynn’s original idea was to have boats floating in a pool as big as a football field,” remembers Michel Crete, Cirque’s principal scenic designer. “We had to scale the idea back when we realized that our goal wasn’t to dominate the seas, but to play in the water.”), but in the end Steve Wynn decided on having his like and elegant fountains, and Cirque, well, they went on to create the most remarkable theater show seen up to that time.
It proved to be harder than they ever imagined.
THE «O» THEATRE, AT BELLAGIO
- “The pool in “O” represents a source, a pond-like sanctuary protected by a garden, an intimate place where the sunlight shines through the forest leaves, creating translucent, stained-glass colors. It speaks to me of the coexistence of nature and man, of the elements and the technology used to bring them together.” – Michel Crete (Spectaculara)
«O», a phonetic play on the French word for water – “eau”, is a baroque world filled with disturbing images, impressive acrobatics and amazing technical intent. The theater built for the show, Cirque’s first (and at present only) aquatic show, is also a revolutionary conceptual space. Designed and created by Cirque du Soleil, Sceno Plus and Atlandia Design over a 2 1/2 year period (February 1996 to July 1998), the 1800 seat theater reflects the style of a 14th century European opera house with tiered, balcony seating. Reportedly costing $70 million US, it sports a number of innovative theatrical constructs making the 1800-seat space the first of its kind. What makes the theater so special? It is 12 stories high, 42 meters wide, houses a 5.5 million liter (1.5 million gallons) pool for its stage, a 12 meter wide mirror, 27 meter high curtain of 18.5 meter Plexiglas and an 18 meter high diving dower all in a 155,300 square-feet of space!
You’ll find the Bellagio Theater tucked away in a seemingly normal looking hallway on the casino floor, but nothing can prepare you for what you’ll see inside – a marvel of innovation masked by exquisite beauty and detail.
Take for example the Cupola, or rounded ceiling vault. At some point your eyes will dart the 12-stories skyward and you’ll find a breathtaking ceiling washed in turquoise, indigo and blue. But take another glance… underneath that beauty lies an innovate framework of galvanized metal mesh with a trellis (or frame of latticework) that allows for an infinite array of lighting effects to be used. Cirque uses this space to place scores of different colored lights to not only light the theater but also the stage below. The translucent look is achieved with two layers of galvanized metal mesh lit from behind with GAM 725 (turquoise), GAM 890 (deep indigo) and Lee 161 (steel blue) gels. The Cupola also comes with a space used for overhead performances, which is utilized during the beginning of the show. A custom flying winch by Fisher Technical makes the performance possible.
While the ceiling itself is a wonder to behold, how many of you have sat with mouths agape as the curtain is drawn back into the depths of the theater for the show’s explosive beginning? If so, you’re not alone. The curtain impresses many who have seen the show. So, how does it work? That amazing feat is done by another winch by Fisher that draws back at a speed of 15-feet per second! At that velocity one would imagine the curtain would flutter noticeably. But believe it or not, Cirque keeps the curtain from fluttering with a series of weights that hold it in place timed to release with the curtain’s upward motion. This keeps the curtain taught throughout the entire drawback sequence.
The curtain itself is nylon, approximately 50 feet high by 100 feet wide, and light in weight. To the casual observer’s eye, however, it looks like luxurious velvet because “it’s lit exquisitely.” Two ropes from the winch attach to the curtain (which is really two pieces) at the center. When the signal is given the winch starts pulling, the hooks at the top of the stage release, and the curtain (and audience) is swept away. The curtain is pulled up smoothly onto a large roller. The custom-built winch that pulls the curtain resides high in the grid rigging over the stage. Weighing around 500 pounds and about 5 1/2 feet in height, its 8-foot winding drum (with high sides to take up the curtain) acts as a big sewing spool, powered by a 20-horsepower SEW EuroDrive induction motor mounted vertically. Once activated by a technician holding a joystick touch screen, it takes just 6 seconds for the curtain to be whisked away completely. This curtain is pulled up to reveal yet another curtain that floats on top of the pool and is pulled aside to reveal the water. The winch used is a Fisher 20-horsepower F200 model that draws back at a speed of 14-feet per second. It moves away to reveal another innovation of the theater, the pool itself. (Consequently, the curtain at the end of the show is guided back into place by a system of wires and traveling guides.)
The stage consists of a 150-foot by 100-foot pool reaching a depth of 25 feet. While the pool itself is an interesting marvel, haven’t you ever wondered how the pool becomes a stage? Below that liquid surface lies a series of hydraulic lifts built specifically by Handling Specialty of Grimsby, Ontario.
There are seven of these lifts, consisting of four primaries and three auxiliaries, each with a 1-million pound capacity holding up the 53×90 foot main stage surface. Each platform these lifts support measures 1,000sq feet and can quietly travel (thanks to special sonic probes) from a depth of 17-feet 3-inches below water level to 18-inches above, moving separately or together at a rate between 5 and 25 feet per minute. Each lift is powered by three hydraulic rams, each with a 100,000 pound weight capacity, and use in its hydraulics a biodegradable vegetable oil. The rubber floor of the lifts is custom-designed and fitted with a resilient rubber-like material (fiberglass combined with sports matting with PVC) in a series of 4-foot by 8-foot panels. Each panel contains 5,000 plus holes to allow water to pass as the stage is raised or lowered. But the speed of their disappearance and sudden reappearance can fool you into thinking that the lifts and the stage are quite light. In fact, the combined weight of the system is a hefty 460,000 pounds!
10 months of research went into the creation of the surface.
But the lifts are only part of the innovation. Many of the problems with the show’s development came because of the water itself. Ask yourself a couple of questions: How would the noise of the splashes be contained? How could the temperatures between the water and the air be comfortable for both the performers and the patrons? How could the smell of chorine be contained? How could a stage of water be lit without reflection? How would the performers hear the music to make their cues? How to keep costumes from disintegrating from the pool’s chemicals? And how would they breathe?
The solutions are novel in their own right.
The undesirable noise of waves splashing against the sides of the pool is absorbed by a series of different sized pebbles scattered around the ring (or gutter) of the pool. These rocks, used in conjunction with special matting from 3M called Nomad, help absorb the waves, and thereby the noise. Another problem is masking activity. An aquatic masking system that makes the pool form and bubble is created by more than one mile (6000 feet) of perforated hose, mounted on the bottom of the pool. The perforations allow bubbles to form, which serve to mask any underwater activity. A team of 14 divers works every show. Not only do they help out the acrobats to make their mark, but they’re also there in case of an emergency. You’ll only see them once – and that’s a scripted point in the show!
The 87-degree Fahrenheit water is counter-balanced with a special HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning) system developed by Cirque and Sceno Plus in conjunction with Dupras & Ledoux of Montreal pumps 55-degree Fahrenheit air directly under each seat. This mixture of air keeps the humidity down while resulting in a more comfortable seating area temperature of 72 degrees. Using Bromide in the water averts the chlorine smell.
“We went through a lengthy testing process for all of the costumes in “O”. The first time we tested our costumes in the Olympic pool here in Montreal, they exploded! We understood right away why bathing suits are sewn together differently. We built a little pool five feet deep in the Montreal studio, and every cutter had a little bucket in which they soaked their material, to see how it would react. When the synchronized swimmers started testing the costumes at the Bellagio, we noticed that all the glowing beads were disappearing, and we didn’t know where! One day, someone opened the pool filter … and found 3,000 beads!” – Yves Fournier (Director, Costume Department)
Lighting the pool required experimentation with different lighting angles and techniques, since water is highly reflective and filters light differently than air. In the end the design team used 1,815 lighting instruments in the show – including spotlights, cans (standard theatrical lights) and scrollers (lights with multiple colors) – using more than four million total watts of light in their design. Testing designs took more than two years but installing the system would take even more thought – 288 of those would be underwater lights – how to mix electricity and water safely? How about in a specially created tunnel! The tunnel consists of eleven four-inch thick windows of Plexiglas, able to withstand both water pressure and heat from the lights, which allows for the safe installation of electric cables under the water. All in all, 222,956 feet of cable were used in the lighting installation, a length of almost 42 miles.
As for sound, in addition to speakers throughout the theater, twenty-four underwater speakers are used. These speakers, provided by Clark Synthesis, are bolted to custom mounts and have a total capacity of 12,000 watts. They supply increased frequency response and increased energy transfer by acting as a soundboard. Two of the mounted speakers and be moved closer to the cast by the in-water crew, so the swimmers can still hear cues and music when aquatic masking is activated. The musicians are housed on either side of the stage in booths, which allows for acoustic isolation for better sound, and has the additional benefit of protecting the instruments from the humidity of the pool.
Consequently, the pool is drained annually for maintenance and when it’s done it drains into the Bellagio Lake raising the water level one inch. It takes twelve hours to fill the pool again. Interestingly enough, though, the pool is below the water table and tries to float when there is no water in it; therefore, a slab of concrete 12 feet thick holds the pool down!
There are many other technical advances of Cirque du Soleil’s theater at the Bellagio that remain secret behind Cirque’s closed doors. And perhaps that’s the way it should be. Giving away too much takes away from the marvel of the show, does it not? But as we move on in our understanding of this aquatic habitat, permit me one more fact about the theater: for their collaboration, Cirque du Soleil and Scéno Plus were awarded New York’s prestigious Eddy Entertainment Design Award in 1998, the Canadian Institute for Technology’s Award of Technical Merit in 1999, and the Las Vegas Best Theater of the Year Award for their ingenuity.
THE CHARACTERS OF «O»
- “The challenge of mixing water, land, acrobats, swimmers and divers on a stage-and finding a place where everyone could move dramatically–was mostly technical. But “O” gave rather than took energy. The level of collaboration was absolutely invigorating.” – Debra Brown (Spectaculara)
Now that we understand the space and stage in which our story takes place, let us take a moment now to view the many faces you’ll find strutting across its watery stage. At first glance each of these characters appears to be on their own journey, and perhaps, in their own time as our play progresses; yet together they provide a wonderful insight into this strange odyssey.
Eugen (La Vieux) — He is our guide and the guardian of the theater. Eugen is strong, yet vulnerable. He knows all and provokes us to see the dark side of “O”. His ghostly orchestrations take us on a timeless journey through different worlds as he makes his own transformation from dark to white. His is the cyclonical part of life where everything becomes new again.
Guifà (Philemon) — He is the young Sicilian boy we see at the very beginning of the show, and throughout its creation. He is a curious fellow and it’s that curiosity and a quest for adventure that transports him (and us) to a magical realm where all his hopes, fears and dreams come true. He is a willing prisoner in this kaleidoscopic domain-the witness who is everywhere and every man.
Aurora — Graceful, fragile and inaccessible, she represents the quest: she stands for fantasy and desire. Guifà catches sight of her in the prologue, pursues her whenever he sees her, and finds her again in the epilogue.
Les Comètes — The comets are noble and sexy, tinged with madness as they soar through the air and fall from the heavens. Dressed in red, they belong to the theater, universe, and cosmos. They are everywhere and yet they are nowhere.
Le Travesti (The Transvestite) — He wears the clothes of a wicked woman; coos, hisses and murmurs. His primal cries resound throughout the theater.
The Organ Grinder — He is a strong man and organ player. A gentle giant is he, always ready to lend a hand. He follows Guifà wherever he may go.
The Petite Dancer — She dances to the music of the Barbary organ, and has always danced.
Le Voleur (The Thief) — He is a masked character with many faces. Sometimes a clown, sometimes a body guard; he plays with fire.
L’Allumé — The human torch is a pyromaniac who enjoys pleasing the crowd. He’s just passing through, popping up out of nowhere, not worried that he is on fire.
The Zebras — They are playful and bright; constantly realigning themselves to maintain balance in a stormy universe. When together, they smooch; separated, they seek one another. They are for eternity existing in the kaleidoscope world of «O».
Les Mariés (The Bride) — Lost and abandoned, the bride is searching for something — a key to her existence.
REFLECTIONS
- “For me, “O” represents life and all the mysteries of the universe. But it also represents the theatre, which is a marvelous machine mankind has created to understand himself and his universe. Theatre allows us to explore the mystery, and “O” is our attempt both to praise theatre and to push it beyond its limits.” – Franco Dragone (Spectaculara)
«O» is the brainchild of Franco Dragone and Gilles Ste-Croix, the backbone of every Cirque du Soleil show from its earliest beginnings. It is their guidance and determination that we have «O» and the beautiful theater it plays in. Sitting within the theater is also a treat in itself. The redness of the seats contrasts with the beautiful colors of blue, green and white plastered on the ceiling above you. Its silk-like fabric never wavers against the blown air of the theater, and that contrasts with the bright red fabric of the shows curtain, draped across the entire stage.
And it is the stage that grabs our eyes immediately, and to our first introduction of the characters that will play out their hopes and dreams before us. The first person we see is Guifà, a young Sicilian boy. His curiosity about what lies ahead and his never-ending quest for adventure become the center point of the journey we, as spectators, are about to undertake. There’s something about the red curtain that draws us to it, and him. It covers the entire stage, shutting us out from a wondrous world we know nothing about. But as curious as Guifà is, we are as well.
-
O, the world’s the stage they say
Upon which mortals strut and play
Until the final hour of day
Until the curtain calls
O.
Look! Out from the red curtain that has been draped over the stage comes a white hand — a ghoulish hand. There! There! Did you see? “What does it want…” you wonder. But it’s not a what, but a who. The hand beckons to Guifà to come closer to it. His curiosity once again begat the best of him, and he gets a bit too close. The hand grabs the unsuspecting man and drags him behind the curtain. And just as we begin to worry about the man, another jumps out at us. He is malformed, hunched over and dressed as a gentleman – we shall call him Eugen. This man takes a moment to look us all over, and then, he calls for the young man to make his re-appearance.
“Ladies and Gentlemen,” Guifà cautiously lets out. “Welcome to the Cirque du Soleil Theater.” He begins to advise us of the rules of the theater, going on about smoking, emergency exiting, and other such rules. And as he finishes, returning the parchment of paper the before mentioned rules were printed on to the malformed man Guifà begins to levitate. Stricken with fear, he suddenly realizes that he is about to enter an unforeseen world: a realm where dreams are experienced, a realm where anything is possible. Higher now he has risen above the theater stage and soon, he begins to retreat backward taking with him the red curtain that has kept us from the world behind it. Guifà, his curiosity getting the best of him, is about to enter the world Eugen has prepared for him. He is about to enter the world of «O», taking us with him.
And doth the winds blow…
Words can hardly express the feeling one finds as the red curtain quickly disappears into the opening world of «O». It made the hair on my arms stand on end. It is such a powerful image that, to each person, means something different. Nevertheless, the world that Franco Dragone and Gilles Ste-Croix have created for us has opened its doors to our wanting eyes. We are now committed to experience everything Guifà experiences. We are now locked in the dream world with him. And in his hopes, fears and dreams that will be acted out on stage, we will be experiencing our own.
O, to sing with all my heart
Caress you with my soul, my art
Embrace you as my counterpart
Until you turn away
O.
Turn away we shall not. After the amazing opening curtain, the senses are overloaded with a horde of different acts. They range from the classic circus performance to interesting one-of-a-kind creations, made special for this production. The acts include:
Nage (Synchronized Swimming)
Just as water is essential to all life, the swimmers’ graceful presence during the acts and transitional segues, is central to “O”. At the heart of the production, the swimmers provide the necessary link between the elements of fire, earth, air and water. Choreographed by Debra Brown and Olympic gold-medallist Sylvie Fréchette, the synchronized swimming team is made up of 17 world-class swimmers.
Duo Trapeze
Two aerialists perform their dance in the air, sharing a single trapeze designed to co-exist with the water and machinery of the Bellagio Theatre. This visually stunning mirror image reflects the special bond shared by the twins performing the act. Their breathtaking maneuvers and feet-to-feet catches emulate the beauty of harmony and complete trust.
La Barge (Banquine):
With amazing strength and fearlessness, this team of talented acrobats performs atop a floating raft in the Barge act. The core group is comprised of eight world champion women with a background of sport acrobatics. Their act combines inventive gymnastic performances with the traditional circus act of banquine and the balletic prowess of adagio. Blending these skills with water completes this lively act, which also includes synchronized swimmers and Olympic divers.
Bateau:
Charting the course of life and the pursuit of dreams, this steel frame ship floating above the water provides the platform for this truly unique display of acrobatic timing and strength. At the foundation of the Bateau (French for “boat”) is the traditional circus discipline of the aerial cradle act incorporated with gymnastics parallel bars for the very first time. While the Comets anchor the bateau, it begins to swing back and forth under the power of the acrobats. And together, the flyers and catchers create an amazing display of timing, strength and agility.
Feu (Fire):
The rage of fire and the purification of water are blended into one – and then displayed throughout the “O” Theatre in this brilliantly visual act. Incorporating ancient folklore and martial arts, this act invokes rituals from around the world including Hawaii, Samoa, New Zealand and Australia. The fire act was conceptualized and transformed by artists with different backgrounds, from performance companies to street theatre. Incorporated in the act is the amazing fire stunt of Ray Wold.
Russian Swing:
Pleasure, envy, passion and temptation are everywhere during the honeymoon celebration. Drawing its inspiration from the many wedding chapels of Las Vegas, the church bell atop the largest swing beckons all to join the party… of life, love and death. The cast includes expert divers using three sets of Russian swings. The swinging movement creates a different trajectory of flight, presenting a unique challenge even for the most seasoned diver. Moving from ground level to the highest point at 32 feet creates a momentary weightlessness at zero gravity, followed by tremendous acceleration down to the water.
Cadre:
Struggling to maintain balance in a stormy universe – the zebras constantly realign themselves, hanging on until the very end. Resembling a playground jungle gym, this giant aerial frame was created by Cirque du Soleil specialists to facilitate choreography and gymnastics in an aerial space between the sky and the water. Performed by the same group as the Bateau act, the entire number takes place suspended in mid-air.
High Dive:
A group of four world-class high divers leap from 60 feet above the ground into a small exposed section of the pool. The dive team is made up of cliff and exhibition divers.
Washington Trapeze:
The Washington Trapeze is unique because unlike the traditional rope-hung trapeze, it is built on a fixed metal frame and swings in a long pendulum motion. The difficulty of this act is heightened as the trapeze is attached to a revolving carousel, which descends from the grid at four feet per second. This segment fuses slack wire and tightrope elements with the high technology of the “O” Theatre
Contortion:
Hailing all the way from Mongolia, these four girls have been performing since the age of eight. Their graceful body language and lithe movements underline the balletic perfection of the female form. Their arrival from above and their aquatic surroundings add a new dimension to this long-held circus tradition.
Cerceaux (Hoops):
This act fuses dizzying aerial choreography with powerful gymnastic routines. Water is incorporated as both an atmospheric and a choreographic element. This traditional circus act is reinvented with the addition of water and its relationship to the sky.
Epilogue:
O, the circle, O the cycle
O la vie, an ode to the
O water of life
Please carry me
O.
We see Eugen, our grotesque theater guide, who serenades a beautiful young woman from his piano. As he plays the theme to this realm, «O», he and his love slowly disappear beneath the waters of the stage — his stage. This gesture by Eugen and the movement of the music that accompanies his disappearance is so powerful that it draws the most stern of people to tears. Me included. Eugen has changed so much from the beginning of the show, literally from dark to light (you can see this in his costuming – a black suit in the beginning to a completely white gown seen at the end).
All is still again but the music plays on…
Then, a basket falls from the sky. As this basket floats down the river of «O», we soon realize that it’s not just a basket, but part of a hot-air balloon that has fallen. And as this balloon floats away, behind it are the artists — sitting, waiting, and watching. Moments later, the wind picks up again and with it, pulls a red fabric from the basket. Slowly, but surely, the red fabric fills the stage — forever locking the mysterious and wondrous world of water from us.
-
To the scores of silent alchemists
Who wreak their joy in darkness and the light
Bringing magic to life
We bow most humbly
O.
# # #
“The show is about femininity,” says Dominique Lemieux, the show’s costume designer. “«O» is about drama, theatre. It deals with love, marriage, birth, death, and rebirth. «O» is the cycles of life represented through a theatrical experience. «O» is about splendor, about encountering splendor.”
The fantastic story of “O” centers around an unsuspecting theatre-goer named Giufa – our unwitting guide through this magical realm. When Giufa is chosen to give the show’s opening speech, the curtain is suddenly swept away carrying him high up into the air. As his laughter echoes through the theatre, the stage dissolves to reveal an aquatic universe teeming with amphibious creatures and larger than life characters. The incredible adventure has begun.
On the other side of the proscenium, Giufa is no longer a mere onlooker, but a witness, a conspirator, an actor in a world that changes constantly before his eyes. While Giufa guides us through “O”, each spectator undertakes his or her own odyssey. “O” frees us to lose ourselves in a world without limits – where dreams are not only encouraged, but where they come true.
Become lost in “O” again…
Happy 15th Anniversary to the cast and crew of this remarkable show. May there be many, many more!
