Welcome to the latest edition of Fascination, the Unofficial Cirque du Soleil Newsletter.
Just weeks after Benoit Glazer announced that January 13, 2017 would be his final performance with Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba, the conductor and trumpeter was seriously injured in a Thanksgiving weekend fall. According to the official Facebook page for Timucua White House, the arts venue operated out of his home, Glazer is recuperating from surgery after fracturing his skull, wrist and three ribs.
“On Saturday morning, Timucua Founder and Board President (and chief engineer, architect and visionary) Benoit Glazer fell from a ladder and fractured his wrist, three ribs, and his skull. He was immediately taken to the hospital. His condition remained stable overnight and surgery was not required for his skull. Today he was cleared for surgery on his ribs.” Benoit’s surgery went extremely well, according to Timucua on December 1st. “He is already back on his feet, getting up and down stairs, talking about music, and making big plans. His doctors expect a complete recovery, and Benoit expects to come back better than ever.”
And that’s very good news! What’s also good news is that Karina, also from La Nouba (who had a very nasty fall from her silks a few months back, is also getting better!
“The only major Kurios disappointment for many in the Cirque fan community was that the show would ‘never’ be recorded for DVD release,” Jose Perez said over at TheChapiteau. “The recording of the DVD was actually scheduled to take place at the beginning of 2015, but the plans were later scrapped for reasons unknown. Cirque’s response to our inquiry was that there were no plans to film Kurios at that time. And just like that, the hope of many to own what seems to be one of the most popular shows, was gone.
Out of nowhere on the 14th, however, an Instagram post from Christa Mercey (Bella Donna in Kurios), surprised many fans. (Which you can see here). Although no official announcement has been released by Cirque du Soleil, Christa’s caption clearly states they’re filming the DVD. But if Christa’s post was not enough to convince you, Kurios’ General Stage Manager post pretty much confirms it. (Which you can also see here. As with any filming, it will be months before the DVD is released, so stay tuned. And here’s hoping we’ll see TOTEM recorded for home consumption in the near future!
But the announcement comes with a caveat… because Erini Tornesaki – KURIOS’s singer – is leaving the show during the Dallas engagement. From Erini’s various social media pages: “BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: After 3 incredible years with Cirque Du Soleil, I have decided not to renew my contract with Kurios and to seek new adventures! My last city will be Dallas, TX and my last show will be on March 26. I feel extremely lucky to have been part of such a phenomenal show, to have done the creation in Montreal, to have performed 1,000 shows in front of 2 million people, to have lived in 15 cities in Canada and the USA, to have recorded the soundtrack and filmed the DVD, and above all to have worked with some of the most talented and amazing people on Earth! First, I will be taking a little break to rest and spend time with my family and then, I will share with you my next steps! Thank you all for your love and support throughout these years.”
We wish Erini all the best in her new endeavors! Sophie Guay, who is currently the lead singer in JOYA, will replace Erini shortly. Flor De María López will become JOYA’s new singer!
End of the year marked some goodbyes for Mystère. After 23 years, Zdzislaw Pelka (affectionately referred to as “Z”) has left the show – and Cirque du Soleil. If you’ve seen Mystère at any time over these last few years, you would have seen him as the Vache à lait character. Previously, he was part of the house team as a Korean Plank artist (and was also featured in SOLSTROM and Nouvelle Experience). Although I personally did not know Z, I will miss him. He owned that role!
But he’s not all Mystère is saying goodbye to at year’s end. Alexey Turchenko, who was performing the cube act, has left and been replaced with a new mixed duo straps act by Stu McKenzie and Luba Kazantseva (LOO-bah KUH-zant-suh-va). Neither are strangers to Cirque du Soleil. Stu joined Cirque in 2008, traveling with Kooza for just over five years before transferring to KURIOS to perform Aerial Straps. And Luba is a former Aerialist/Dancer at Zumanity, at Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour, at the LIGHT Nightclub, at KA, and with 45 Degrees. Both joined Mystère in November 2016 and fully took on the opening of the show on January 1st.
Additionally, Mystere said goodbye to the fast track and butterfly trampoline at years’ end, with the fast track being replaced with a power track and the butterfly trampoline’s ultimate replacement to be determined. Stay tuned!
When The Wiz Live was announced for television, it was also announced that the production seen on NBC would come to Broadway soon thereafter (for the 2016-2017 season). But according to Playbill, producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are unable to find a theatre.
“The goal was to get The Wiz Live to Broadway,” said Meron to invited press on a Hairspray Live conference call. “But, as anybody on the call who knows about what is going on in the theatre [knows that] there is always a log-jam in terms of the available and appropriate theatre that we need for this show. It’s kind of like jets lining up on the runway. Unfortunately, we’re still on the runway with that.”
Zadan added, “We did plan to do The Wiz immediately after we did the television production, and as Neil said, there was a problem—not with the show, but the fact that when we went to the theatre owners, there were no theatres available, so it kept getting delayed because there were no houses. The future of that has not been determined…”
With no solid plans in place for a Broadway revival of The Wiz, casting for the production is up in the air, but the producers hope to transfer as many of the NBC production’s players as possible. The cast included Shanice Williams as Dorothy, Stephanie Mills (The Wiz’s original Dorothy) as Auntie Em, Queen Latifah as The Wiz, Mary J. Blige as Evillene, David Alan Grier as the Cowardly Lion, Uzo Aduba as Glinda, Amber Riley as Addaperle, Elijah Kelley as the Scarecrow, Ne-Yo as the Tin Man and Common as the Bouncer.
It’s an interesting conundrum as Cirque du Soleil Theatrical is currently facing housing issues for it’s first-ever Broadway production – PARAMOUR – booted from The Lyric Theater to make way for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and for the company’s upcoming installation of a resident show at the oft-delayed American Dream entertainment/retail project in New Jersey. Where they all will end up is still a mystery, but at least the powers that be over at PARAMOUR have something to smile about… their best week ever! Take a look, For the week ending 1/1/2017 the show grossed over $1.9 million!
Week This Week Potential Difference Seats % Cap Ending Gross Grosses in Dollars Sold ------------------------------------------------------------------ 06-Nov $884,873.95 $1,805,456.00 -$120,514.45 10,981 72.40% 13-Nov $917,418.25 $1,805,456.00 $32,544.30 11,378 75.01% 20-Nov $883,963.20 $1,805,456.00 -$33,455.05 10,527 69.40% 27-Nov $1,078,535.00 $1,805,456.00 $194,571.80 10,412 68.64% 04-Dec $927,404.50 $1,805,456.00 -$151,130.50 10,356 68.28% 11-Dec $1,029,466.15 $1,805,456.00 $102,061.65 11,102 73.19% 18-Dec $1,039,208.90 $1,805,456.00 $9,742.75 11,230 74.04% 25-Dec $1,100,772.00 $1,805,456.00 $61,563.10 10,615 69.98% 01-Jan $1,908,018.00 $1,805,456.00 $807,246.95 15,125 99.72% 08-Jan $1,218,860.80 $1,805,456.00 -$689,158.15 14,491 95.54%
Paramour hit show #250 on December 30, 2016 – the final for the year – but unless it finds a new home soon, it won’t have very many more. So don’t forget, the final show at The Lyric Theater is April 17, 2017. Catch it while you can!
Well, that’s all I have time for this month. Let’s get to the rest!
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