It’s the biggest and most glittering Cirque du Soleil show of the year. But it runs only one night, yet involves, as an all-volunteer effort, the casts and crews of all seven Cirque shows on the Strip. It’s the only production that Cirque founder Guy Laliberte never sees and changes in advance of curtain up.
The first two “One Night for One Drop” shows at “O” Theater in Bellagio in 2013 followed by the “Michael Jackson One” Theater in Mandalay Bay in 2014 raised $11.3 million for the world water charity One Drop. This year’s production on March 20 will be at “The Beatles Love” Theater in the Mirage.
We received a sneak preview over the weekend of this year’s annual charity production helmed for the second consecutive time by Mukhtar O.S. Mukhtar, who started with Cirque as a performer in “Love” at the Mirage. He presented the mind-blowing aerial gymnastics of twin British brothers Kevin and Andrew Atherton, who star in “Zarkana” at Aria.
I wrote about Andrew and Kevin, from my hometown of Manchester, England, on March 7. They began their Cirque careers in 2000. They will help illustrate Mukhtar’s vision for this year’s production based on the long-distance journey women make in different parts of the world to get water.
“It’s the story of the journey, not the destination, for the six women we introduced last year,” he told me.
He stressed that this year’s show is still in the raw state of creation and the specially composed and selected music is not yet completed. His video projections will only arrive two weeks before the March 20 performance.
“But everybody at every Cirque show is already busy with the One Drop project,” he emphasized. “I began it in August, but now it’s at full intensity for everyone involved.”
I talked with Mukhtar and One Drop CEO Catherine Bachand after the Athertons’ gravity-defying, one-strap act 50 feet in the air. Our thanks to contributing photographer Tom Donoghue for his extraordinary photos. Here is my Q+A with Mukhtar; my chat with Catherine will be posted on Tuesday.
Q. How do you focus on the journey of six women without there ever being a destination? What’s the payoff? What’s the finale? What’s the conclusion?
This is why I didn’t want to say too much about the finale because there’s an element of surprise that we show at the end, and we show it with this story. This journey that we’ve been seeing really is the women’s journey because there’s something else in the show that we show, and you find out at the end whether it’s really them or not. The surprise comes at the end. We’re fabricating something very unique specially for that to show the story of these women through one woman.
At the end, we find out how that woman — we don’t know who she is or what she is — but how she’s connected to these women. We see her at the beginning. We also see her for a few moments during the show, and then the finale is all her.
Q. How tough is it to stage it in this theater that is an octagon?
I would say it’s double time the effort, but I’ve worked here for six years in “Love,” so I know how the theater works. That’s one of the biggest things that pulled me in because it’s a 360 and that challenge of having this time constraint to create a 360 to make sure that you please everybody in the crowd so there’s no blind spots. I think that’s the biggest thing that truly made me want to do it again. If it was any other theater, I probably wouldn’t have come back.
Q. Have you succeeded?
We’re in the process. We’re definitely getting there. I can easily say yes, but we’re still creating right now, but I’m liking what I’m seeing. The show will be approximately between an hour and 15 minutes and an hour 30. This is the biggest cast that I’ve got. Last year, we had I think about 100. This year I said you know I’m going to cut it down to 80 to make it similar to what “Love” has: 60.
But I’m already up to 110. There are a lot of volunteers who want to do it, and then as we go, we see … I have to say no at some point; we have to. Some because it doesn’t fit what we’re doing, but then we also see positions that pop up as we’re creating.
Q. The first year that this took place with water being the theme was at Bellagio, where you had all the water in the world to work with, but my knowledge of “Love” says there’s no water. Does the fact that there’s no water to work with become a strength for the show and its message of drought and disappearance?
No water at all. That’s definitely a strength. The first year was about the celebration of water. They did a great job of really showing how we can use water in celebration. The second year, I thought how can I do something different, so I concentrated on the desertification of the lack of water.
This year I thought how can I create a show because we have the same crowd that will come. They can relate to what they’ve seen already and connect the shows. The No. 1 thing were the women because we’ve seen elements of the women in the last two shows, and now people can really see who these women are.
In terms of water, I don’t want to use any water really onstage. We only have one element of water we use, and that’s a specially built bowl. I’m calling it “the vessel.” All props that you see in the show are specially built for this occasion and one-night-use only.
Q. Are you cutting it close with video projections not being delivered until two weeks before the one big night?
Not really only because we’re really prepared in what we’re doing with the projections. We have two or three content designers for the show, so each concept has their task of what they need to do. My job is to make sure I give them the right directions so that when they put the projection with the movement, everything fits.
Q. Today we saw the Atherton twins, who are totally remarkable people. Fearless people; fearless.
I see a lot of strap acts, and I see a lot of people doing straps, and for you to really earn your way, you’ve got to do something really interesting. For me, it’s poetry for them. They’re not two separate people; they become one. You don’t really look at the straps when you’re watching them; you watch them.
Q. How do you make their aerials work for water? What’s the message other than the fact that they’re stunning, and you will expose them hopefully to a new audience? What’s the connection between them and the air and water?
It’s a projection element. I want to make the show so that there are a lot of things to look at and understand. I don’t want to just limit it to these women are just looking for water. Usually half the time, the stories are sad. You know they’ve been traveling a long distance, so I don’t want to do that and make the whole show sad. I want to expand it and look at different things they explore.
So each woman I’ve given a different exploration in life. One woman explores love and the different forms of love, so in that section, we explore for example the love of twins and this is how they come into it and how unique their love is. We also explore the love between a masculine energy and a feminine energy and know that all love is the same. It’s just society that breaks it up.
We also explore the love between a mother and her baby. So that’s three things that love can be seen, but we’ll show that they’re all the same. It’s just society that breaks it into pieces. Each woman explores something completely. One woman explores love and different forms of love, another woman explores memories and how this affects us, another woman explores figuring the system that we’re living in this everyday life.
Q. It’s a ballet, it’s a play, with no words?
We have some words. I’m not using the spoken word poet again. This year I thought I’d go in a different direction and see how I can still tell the story without the poet. We do have poetic elements in the show that you hear throughout the show. There are some acted words. There’s also a character as a guide who will speak in the show.
We’ve got different types. I’ve created clowns who are going to go the opposite directions. I don’t want clowns to be funny or make people laugh and joke. I want clowns who are cooler. I want clowns that when kids look at them, they say, “I want to be that when I grow up.” There are six clowns.
Q. The six clowns match the six women?
Exactly. So there are little things like that I’m bringing together that bring the circus with this cause, and it makes sense.
Q. When did you start writing this show? When did you start banging your head against the walls?
Maybe August. July is when I started thinking, “OK, what can this show be? What would be interesting?” The easiest part for me is working with the team just because everyone really wants to do it. I don’t have to persuade people; they’re already engaged. The toughest part is telling people they can’t help, but also the time limit is very tough.
It’s already tough enough on a regular stage, but when you’re in a round, it’s four angles. That for me is a tough thing, but it’s also the biggest thing that drew me back because what is life without a challenge. I really wanted to see how it can be tested in this theater.
Q. Is it sad that it’s only one night?
It’s so sad. For me, especially as a director, I want more people to see this live. There’s something about seeing it live that you’re never going to get on the Internet. No way; never. Even most years when I watch the DVD, I’m still not affected like I was when I was watching it live. I wish we would have a two-week run so that more people could see it.
Q. Maybe bring back a Cirque tent to the Strip?
Exactly. That’s what was mentioned, that maybe “One Drop” could be a temporary show. So that’s already in the works, but I also love the element of this uniqueness. You only see it once, so you need to fight to get your ticket to come and see this.
Q. Has the big boss, Guy Laliberte, had any input in this yet?
No, none whatsoever. He doesn’t see it until the night of; it’s the only show he does that. To be honest with you, it’s good and bad. The good element is that you can fully create without anybody interfering. The bad thing is, it’s not bad, but you need to make sure you have your act together because he’s coming in for that one night, and you need to deliver.
Q. No shortage of volunteers from performers to seamstresses at the Cirque shows?
No shortage. This year has been better than the last two. I think from last year, people saw a lot of things, how we developed and how people’s time was used, so I think that really engaged people to come back this year. For example, the costumes, we had all the shows really taking on projects. … We have all-new costumes. We’re not using any old ones.
Q. Is it safe to say that the minute you walk into the “Love” Theater, you know you’re inside the “Love” Theater, but you’re not going to see anything of “Love”? The love is all about protecting water?
The love is all about water, and the love is about this theater that we’re transforming. It will be physically transformed by virtue of the unique show. The challenge with that is “Love” coming back in the next day. So understandably of course they’re worried about time; how much we change that we can change back. I think that’s the biggest worry. Of course I’m trying to do the most I can.
Q. The “Love” stage in sections is either a computer genius’ nightmare or the ultimate tech pleasure. You get to use it all?
I get to use everything, which is amazing. That’s another way of us transforming how people see “Love.” We’re trying not to use any of the transfigurations that “Love” uses. There’s also a safety element. “Love” took nine months to a year maybe just to make sure things are safe.
I have limits, for example lifting the sensor, I want it to come up 30 feet; “Love” doesn’t do that. So there’s that collaboration and that negotiation with all the necessary licensing departments and inspectors.
Q. I noticed that the Atherton twins this morning worked with no safety nets. How many feet up?
That’s how good they are 50 feet up. In their rehearsals, they haven’t once used their safety nets because they feel so comfortable working with each other. We’re still playing with how dangerous we can make it. The fact that they do an aerial act and this is not a completely new discipline, we do not have to have mats.
But we have other acts in the show, for example we’re bringing in a trampoline with teeterboard. It’s one of the first times that’s been done. We’re doing it together. There are nine people in that right now. It’s never been done. These guys are basically the top trampoline act and also the top teeter artists from “Mystere.”
We made sure we got the best. This show will be different than last year, and it’s going to be an upgrade, too.
Q. Have you signed up for No. 4 yet?
No. Right now there are a lot of projects in mind that I want to really focus on, and my main focus is really making this one a success.
{ SOURCE: Las Vegas Sun | http://goo.gl/153jrv }
