Welcome to the latest edition of Fascination, the Unofficial Cirque du Soleil Newsletter.
There’ve been a number of disparaging reviews about TORUK in North America, (which just officially launched in Montreal on December 21st) and with Amaluna in the UK (which just had its London premiere on January 16th). So much so that many Cirque du Soleil fans are baffled by the audacity of what’s being published. These critics, who are normally a tough audience to begin with, have laid it on thick this time, suggesting that these two shows are pedantic, boring, and “a mess” – and that’s putting it mildly. Yet some fans feel these words perfectly describe what they now feel about Amaluna (which recently went through some changes for the European market) and TORUK (which is a radical departure from what Cirque usually produces). It’s not a hard stretch of the imagination then to realize fans on both sides of the fence have discussed their views with zest and zeal. We’re a passionate bunch, after all! And our fervor spilled over into a number of fan circles. You can imagine what ensued.
My take on it all is this: I think we can all agree that what an artist does can be tough. (I certainly can’t do any of it so they get props from me right there.) But if we examined a negative reaction more closely we might see that it’s not necessarily an issue with the artists themselves when people complain about a performance, it’s more likely they just didn’t like it and they can’t explain why. Perhaps it’s the staging, integration into the show, a disappointment in what that act may have replaced, maybe they don’t care about the artist’s costume, the music accompanying it, the way it’s lit, or maybe it just didn’t touch them. It happens. You can’t please everybody. And while it may be disheartening to hear negative comments – especially to artists who really are working hard – it comes with the job. You have to take the bad with the good. There really is no getting around it.
I would consider myself a hardcore fan of Cirque du Soleil, and I love them and the artists that work for them. But being Hardcore or a “true fan” does not mean I automatically love everything Cirque does. Believing that way comes across as superficial and false. So, yes, even I might say a few adverse things when I feel such criticism is warranted. A fellow fan may not agree with my point of view, and you know what? That’s okay! I may not agree with theirs. But the important factor here is that we can openly discuss it rationally (or, at least hope to) to see if we can come to common ground. Suggesting that criticism is unwelcome is foolish. We have our own opinions and we all should accept that there are those out there who do not agree with us. Their opinions may be harsh, we may vehemently disagree with them, but that’s life. Take it, accept it, and use it to help yourself understand (fans) or get better (artists), and then move on.
Surrounding yourself with people who think “everything is awesome” isn’t doing you a good service in my opinion because you’re only being told what you want to hear then, not necessarily what you need to hear. And in the end perhaps it’s a good rule of thumb not to take anyone who cannot enunciate the reasons why they disliked something you did so seriously. Comments like “you suck”, “that sucked”, and/or “this artist is bad” are subjective and dependent upon a lot of factors that are (maybe) out of their control. It’s negativity for negativity’s sake, it’s not very diplomatic, nor is it constructive. And keep in mind the person doing the speaking may not have an idea what he or she is talking about. Take this comment from one of the recent reviews of Amaluna as an example. She proclaimed it “as erotic as a wet wipe” and I have to wonder: did she understand Amaluna is NOT Zumanity? Was never meant to be Zumanity? Or overly erotic? It makes you wonder!
Now, fans, if you’re champing at the bit to see TORUK-The First Flight and make your own opinion about the show, but it’s not coming anywhere near you anytime soon, don’t despair. According to TORUK’s Facebook page, filming for an upcoming TORUK DVD at Centre Vidéotron in Quebec City is now complete. We don’t know when it will be released or in what format (to DVD, Blu Ray, or digitally) – but it’s currently being edited for release so check back for updates; we’ll definitely let you know when we hear! (And we hope the documentary “TORUK Takes Flight”, which was exclusive to Bell Fibe TV will be included too!) In other news: La Nouba celebrated its 10 Millionth Guest on January 8th – that’s quite a feat! It seems like only yesterday the show welcomed its 5 Millionth Guest (which it did on August 10, 2006 – I was in the audience; my how time flies!) And for those who were wondering (like I was) if there was a plan for a 2016 version of SCALADA in Andorra, wonder no longer. A release (http://goo.gl/eylaRA) notes a new version of 45 DEGREES’ summer spectacular is in the works. And if anyone out there was wondering how JOYA was doing, wonder no more. According to this article (http://goo.gl/6V6sSx – French), although there have been a few changes as of late (about 12 more minutes were added to the show recently), JOYA enjoys a 97% attendance rate. It’s so popular that, according to the article, there’s soon to be a JOYA-like dinner show in Hawaii. And there are 2 JOYA-type shows under consideration for China. WOW!
There’s much, much more in our NEWS section this month, such as: Casting announcements for Paramour, Cirque butting back its involvement with the Saint-Michel community (where their IHQ is located), and a note that 45 DEGREES will be putting together the opening show for the NBA All-Star Game. If you’re looking for a little insight from Cirque cast and crew, check out the Q&A section this month where you’ll find a number of chats – with Nikolai Liubezny (TOTEM Russian Bars Performer), singer-songwriter Leona Lewis (who is joining One Night for One Drop 4), Hassan El Hajjami (ONOD4’s Director), Jerry Nadal (Cirque’s Resident Show SVP), and Giulia Piolanti (TORUK’s Tsyal). And don’t miss out on the articles about Cirque trying to break into the Chinese market, or the one about the changes coming to LOVE, Believe, and… yes, even “O”! I’m also curious to know your thoughts on the revelation that Cirque is planning a “talent show” reality series for its upcoming auditions in Australia!
For FEATURES this month we continue with our look back at Guy Laliberte’s Poetic Social Mission (Part 6 of 8), and dive into all the press materials released on TORUK-THE FIRST FLIGHT – there’s a lot of text there – from costumes to music, and puppets to makeup – but it’s all very fascinating, especially for fans who are interested in the World of Pandora. As always we have updates to Cirque’s touring schedule (ITINÉRAIRE), but before I signoff there’s one more thing I want to mention: we’re piloting a re-tool of the OUTREACH section this month. You’ll find that rather than breaking out mentions by location (CirqueClub, Facebook, etc.), we’ve basically arranged them by type (Videos & Photos) in the hopes that in the future we can include links to relevant posts from all across the social media spectrum: Twitter, Instagram, Periscope, YouTube, Snapchat, and Tumblr, without really worring about where they came from. To help us organize this effort you’ll find three categories in the new OUTREACH section: WEBSERIES (for the official online featurettes Cirque’s been posting across YouTube and Facebook), FOTOS (for images posted by Cirque and fans on Facebook and Instagram), and VIDEOS (for other official peeks and noted fan finds across Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, and other sites featuring video).
So, let’s get started!
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