PARAMOUR has canceled the August 22, 24, 25, and 31 performances to make “creative changes.” The production released a statement explaining, “True to our roots as street performers, our shows evolve over time to reflect feedback from our consumers and our creative team.” A production spokesperson said ticket holders should seek refunds at the point of sale, but said that all who purchased tickets via Ticketmaster are being notified.
Cirque du Soleil’s $25 million Broadway musical “Paramour” is going dark for four days so creators can revamp the production.
For Cirque, an internationally renowned entertainment company based in Montreal, the stakes are high. “Paramour,” which combines the brand’s signature highflying skills with traditional musical-theater elements, is the first show to come from Cirque du Soleil Theatrical, launched in 2014 to forge a presence on Broadway.
The show’s hiatus, starting Aug. 22, will give the cast time to rehearse changes made in response to audience feedback, said Scott Zeiger, president and managing director of Cirque du Soleil Theatrical. Cirque routinely budgets for evolving developments, he said: “Every one of our shows has a reserve for revisions.”
The changes aim to please both Cirque devotees and local theatergoers. For example, Mr. Zeiger said, many fans wanted more acrobatics earlier in the show during the exposition, while others wanted the plot and characters to be fleshed out with more depth. So the creators have worked on the tricky balancing act of crafting a stronger narrative while leaving room for spectacle. Storywise, “Paramour” will remain a love triangle set in the golden age of Hollywood. Changes will come in the placement of some Cirque-style spectacles and in the show’s choreography—including its soaring drone lampshades. Also expected: clarification in the actors’ scenes. “We are giving the story and the characters deeper dimension,” said Mr. Zeiger, a longtime entertainment producer.
While the alterations may be driven by comments from audience surveys, social media and in-theater reactions, they also reflect some complaints from critical reviews. The Wall Street Journal’s dance critic Robert Greskovic wrote: “Alas, only the circus acts soar, sometimes literally, as the show’s musical and film elements play, at best, dutiful and uninspired parts.” In the Hollywood Reporter, Frank Scheck wrote of the show’s “atrocious dialogue and forgettable songs.” Mr. Zeiger waved off the critics: “We are not asking to be re-reviewed or trying to get better notices.”
The production is, however, looking ahead to the 2017 Tony Awards. Following the completed changes, voters will be invited to the show for the first time. “Paramour” opened May 25, making it part of the 2016-17 season. The changes are also being made with an eye to bumping up the box office. “Paramour” is being staged in the Lyric Theatre, one of Broadway’s largest houses, with 1,896 seats. “Right now, we are doing well,” said Mr. Zeiger. “But it’s a big theater and I want to sell every ticket.”
The show’s best box-office showing came during its first full week of performances, when it brought in $1.1 million, or 62% of its potential weekly gross of $1.8 million, according to data provided by the Broadway League. Since then the production has averaged 55% of its potential, crossing the $1 million mark five of 11 weeks. Attendance has stayed above 60% but hasn’t bobbed above 80% since opening week.
The “Paramour” hiatus comes during a challenging theater season in which some Broadway producers have announced sooner-than-expected closing dates for well-regarded shows, avoiding expensive running costs in front of dwindling audiences. By retooling for the long run, Cirque may benefit in continuing when others have pulled up stakes.
“It would seem economically foolish for [Cirque] to pull a show they’ve only just started,” said Louis Patrick Leroux, founding director of the Montreal Working Group on Circus Research, who has long followed Cirque. Mr. Leroux noted that Cirque’s history of adapting could be seen in its Las Vegas run of “Viva Elvis,” a tribute to Elvis Presley. Months into the show, he said, the company was “finding their rhythm and allowing changes to the show,” which included dropping acts and adding ones.
Taking a brief timeout isn’t unprecedented on Broadway, but it usually happens during previews, before a show officially opens. Last season, “Shuffle Along” scheduled a break between March 27 and April 1 for changes to the production ahead of its April 28 opening. Major fixes after a few-week preview period typically, however, can signal a lack of cohesion from which recovery is a challenge. Such was the case with “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.”
The $75 million production started previews in November 2010, then went through an overhaul that included replacing its original director, Julie Taymor, before a long-delayed opening the following June. The result: a show more widely noted for its public trials than its staging.
While Cirque has two of its more traditional spectacles slated to come to the New York area this fall, Mr. Zeiger has his eyes on a different crowd for “Paramour,” one that typically emerges in New York after the summer tourists and groups have gone home.
“I want the avid theatergoer in October,” he said.
{ SOURCE: Wall Street Journal | http://goo.gl/hvZls8 }
