======================================================================= Fascination! Newsletter Issue #10 - June 2002 "Live to Cirque; Cirque to Live" ======================================================================= Bonjour et bienvenue! Our last issue promised to explore the musings of the two Varekai clowns and John Gilkey, but so many interesting items popped up we'll need that we'll need to forgo the promised material this time in lieu of all the exciting new things we discovered. In this issue, you'll find information on Cirque's new website (referred to as Phase II), a bit on Dralion, Las Vegas, and more! Not to mention a horde of news, rumours, and sightings! ============ Contents: ============ * Cirque Buzz: News, Rumours & Sightings * The Itinerary: Tour/Show Information * Historie: This Month in Cirque History * Anniversarie: Birthday Wishes to Cirque Alumni * Le Spectacle: "More to Explore" (By: Keith Johnson with Paul Roberts) * The Cirque Connection: "Getting the Official Line" (By: Keith Johnson) * Cirque Musique: "Au-Dela des Couleurs" (By: Jen Waldman) * Le Spectateur: "Through the Eyes of a Newbie" (By: Paul Roberts) * Behind the Curtain: "What's a 'Q&A Session' Like?" (By: Keith Johnson) * Special Engagement: "Le Grand Tour: Mystère & 'O'" (By: Ricky Russo) * Beyond the Bigtop: "More Coverage on that Wallpaper!" (By: Keith Johnson) * From the Boutique: "Viva Las Vegas" (By: Ricky Russo) * Parting Quote * Next Issue * Subscription Information * Copyright & Disclaimer ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ======================================================================= CIRQUE BUZZ: NEWS, RUMOURS & SIGHTINGS ======================================================================= Alegría VHS/DVD Now Available: Without notice to the press, or to fans, Cirque du Soleil has quietly made the Alegría DVD available for purchase through their online store - www.cirquestore.com. For weeks, the DVD has been available through preorder only, but now their site claims the DVD is "Now Available". For $25.00 VHS or $29.00 DVD, you can order this one-of-a-kind show directly from Cirque du Soleil. Visit them at or go directly to for further ordering details. Varekai CD Release Date Set: Thanks to Wayne Leung, our unofficial roving reporter, we have a set date for the release of the official Varekai soundtrack. We previously reported that date was somewhere in September and he has found official news that the date is indeed September 10th. Mystère hits 4000: On May 24, 2002, Mystère put on its 4000th performance during the 7:30pm showing. The Fascination! Newsletter wishes the cast and crew all the best and many more performances to come! Mystère reached its 2000th performance milestone on March 15, 1998 during the 7:30pm showing, and its 3000th milestone on May 27, 2000 during the 10:30pm performance. Mystère has out performed even Saltimbanco, the oldest currently running Cirque du Soleil show to date! Win a Trip to Portland: Dralion is set to premier in Portland on June 12. Fans of Cirque du Soleil in the states of Washington and Oregon have a chance to win 4 tickets to the show, Accommodations at the Paramount Hotel and Dinner for 4 at McCormick & Schmick's. All you have to do is match up four Cirque posters with their appropriate show name. Read more at Seattle Weekly: < http://www.seattleweekly.com/contests/dralion/ >. Celebrities vie for Cirque's attention: The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) reported that Angelina Jolie, who signed up for the sequel to last Summer's blockbuster "Tomb Raider", is anxious to work with Cirque du Soleil. "I want to be much, much stronger," she says. "I would love to train with Cirque du Soleil." But, she's not the only one. Another "celebrity" - Jamie Salé from the 2002 Olympics has been quoted: "We want to challenge ourselves to new heights and reach new levels. We're really interested in working with Cirque du Soleil and other arts to enhance our skating and our performance." Thanks again to Wayne Leung for providing the heads up. Discounts to La Nouba!: Currently, there are 3 ways to save on La Nouba tickets this Summer, with a variety of discounts available. The First: Open to all members to the Disney Club (a members- only discount club - www.disneyclub.com). Members receive a 15% discount off regular-priced admission for themselves and up to three guests from now through September 30th. This offer excludes performances on 5/28/02 - 6/12/02, 7/22/02 - 7/25/02, and 9/9/02 - 9/12/02. In order to receive this discount, you must call (407) 939-7691 and have your Disney Club card available. Membership in the Disney Club is $30.00 per year, which comes with a newsletter, a subscription to the Disney Magazine and various discounts. The Second: Also, from now until September 30th, Walt Disney World Annual Passholders receive a 25% discount off regular- priced admission for themselves and one guest. This offer excludes performances on 5/28/02 - 6/12/02, 7/22/02 - 7/25/02, and 9/9/02 - 9/12/02. To take advantage of this exciting offer, passholders must present their Passholder ID at the La Nouba box office to receive tickets. Advance purchase is required. Discounted prices are: Adult $50.25 plus tax, and Child (age 3 - 9 years) $29.25 plus tax. The Third: A new offer by Cirque du Soleil allows Florida residents to get in on the fun. With a valid Florida ID, residents receive a 20% discount on tickets. This offer is valid on performances between 6/16/02 - 9/30/02 (with no exclusion dates). There is a limit of 4 tickets per transaction and they must be purchased by calling: (407) 939-2477. Tickets can not be purchased online or at the La Nouba box office. Celine Dion invades Las Vegas: On March 25, 2003, Celine Dion begins her 3-year performance contract with Park Place Entertainment - the owners of Ceaser's Palace. Her $95 million venture is housed in Caesars' new 4000 seat theater, named The Coliseum, now in construction between the Forum Shops and the main entrance - the Mirage side of the property. The venue is to be more intimate than most theaters say its designers, who tout a figure of 120 feet as the distance from the most distant seat to the stage (and that is with two balconies!). The stage itself is also said to be 120 feet wide, holding 70 performers at various times. Tickets for the show went on sale Thursday, May 16th at a price that tops the Strip's current most-expensive show: "O". Prices for Celine Dion's as yet unnamed show is set at $150.00 for the top seat, with VIP packages available at $200.00. Other ticket levels are available at a price of $127.50 and $87.50. Tickets for this venue may be purchased through ticketmaster or at Caesar's Palace Las Vegas. Get your tickets now as they are going quickly! Dragone vs. Las Vegas: Franco Dragone may not be a household name, or recognized on the street, but he is credited with helping change the rules about entertainment in Las Vegas. He and collaborator Gilles Ste-Croix lit up the Strip with Mystère in 1993, and again with "O" in 1998 - creating the most expensive Las Vegas show in history. What's next now that Franco Dragone and Gilles Ste-Croix have decided to go their own separate ways? Plenty. Franco Dragone is currently rehearsing for his new collaborative effort with Celine Dion at Caesar's Palace. "When you feel that you could become incompetent," said Dragone at a press conference regarding Celine's new show, "it is better to change fields and go somewhere else, to refresh your eyes, to become innocent again." Franco Dragone will be busy over the next few years as the Celine Dion show comes to fruitation as well as another show - or two - at Steve Wynn's new Strip Mega-Resort: Le Reve (set to open in 2004). And it is possible that Dragone is not entirely done with Cirque. Details as they become available. Quincy Jones to join forces with Cirque?: As we have reported in the past, and above, Franco Dragone has been tapped by Steve Wynn to create and produce two shows for Le Reve, Wynn's new Strip hotel (which replaces the Desert Inn). It has been heard that Mr. Wynn has been in negotiations with Quincy Jones (producer of Michael Jackson) to create music for the new Cirque du Soleil show there. While we have heard that Dragone is to produce shows for Wynn, it was always under the assumption they were not Cirque du Soleil branded shows. We will, as always, keep our eyes and ears open. "I want to tell a story...": In a recent press interview, Franco Dragone said he waned to tell a story with his next Vegas show (exactly which one we do not yet know). "I don't want to stop the show to do a trapeze act," he said. As reported in a gossip column in the Las Vegas Review-Journal: The audience... will be surrounded by the performers who will be in a circular water and fire pit. A sentiment pretty much confirmed by Dragone himself at the press conference. "The audience will be into the show, not watching the show. They will be part of the world, inside the space where the show happens." The story Franco Dragone wants to tell is still a bit vague. We previously reported on a possible show/theme featuring a village where children can fly until they reach a certain age. Now, it seems, that idea is not only true, but has become the "second" of the two shows now in development. Then what does Franco Dragone currently have in development (besides the Celine Dion show)? That is still unknown, but is said to have huge special effects. "If the people will fly, it will be because they have to go from one point to another. If they do contortion, it's because they have to hide themselves. You don't see the circus act." We await more. More Cirque in Las Vegas?: In our final rumor for this issue, it has been heard that Mystère and "O" are not only set to receive one new show, but possibly two! It has been reported that a Cabaret style Cirque show is currently in production to be housed at the New York, New York Hotel & Casino. We recently heard that it is possible a forth Vegas show is slated for the MGM Grand. What type of show the MGM Grand would house is yet unknown. This is heresy and we will be researching this further. ======================================================================= THE ITINERARTY: TOUR/SHOW INFORMATION ======================================================================= [Touring Shows] Alegría: * Denver, Colorado: 6/12/02 - 7/14/02 * Minneapolis/St-Paul, Minnesota: 8/21/02 - 9/8/02 * Mexico City - Fall 2002 Dralion: * Portland, Oregon: 6/12/02 - 7/7/02 * Seattle, Washington: 8/1/02 - 8/25/02 * Sacramento, California: Fall 2002 * Phoenix, Arizona: Fall 2002 Quidam: * Detroit, Michigan: 6/20/02 - 7/7/02 * Boston, Massachusetts: 8/1/02 - 8/18/02 * Cleveland, Ohio: Fall 2002 * Tampa, Florida: Fall 2002 Saltimbanco: * Barcelona, Spain: 4/26/02 - 6/16/02 * Vienna, Austria: 7/10/02 - 8/4/02 * Brussels, Belgium: 9/4/02 - 9/29/02 * Madrid, Spain: 10/31/02 - 12/01/02 * London, England: 1/10/03 - 1/26/03 Varekai: * Montréal, Canada: 4/24/02 - 6/16/02 * Québec City, Canada: 6/27/02 - 7/14/02 * Toronto, Canada: 8/1/02 - 9/01/02 * Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Fall 2002 * San Francisco Bay, California: Fall 2002 * San Jose, California: Winter 2003 [Resident Shows] La Nouba: * Two shows Nightly - Thursday through Monday. * Times: 6:00pm and 9:00pm * Location: Walt Disney World, Orlando. * No performances on Tuesday or Wednesday. * Other than its normal off nights, "La Nouba" is scheduled to be dark on these dates in 2002: - May 28th through June 12th - July 22nd through July 25th - September 9th through 12th - October 21st through 24th - December 3rd through 11th Mystère: * Two shows Nightly - Wednesday through Sunday. * Times: 7:30pm and 10:30pm * Location: Treasure Island, Las Vegas. * No performances on Monday or Tuesday. * Other than its normal off nights, "Mystère" is scheduled to be dark on these dates in 2002: - June 5th through 9th - August 4th through 7th - October 6th through 9th - December 4th through 17th "O": * Two shows Nightly - Friday through Tuesday. * Times: 7:30pm and 10:30pm. * Location: Bellagio, Las Vegas. * No performances on Wednesday or Thursday. * Other than its normal off nights, "O" is scheduled to be dark on these dates in 2002: - June 19th through 27th - August 12th through 13th - October 14th through 15th - December 4th through 19th [Information is subject to change without notice] ======================================================================= HISTORIE: THIS MONTH IN CIRQUE HISTORY ======================================================================= * June 06, 2000 -- Dralion opened Denver, Colorado * June 07, 1985 -- 1985 Tour opened in ShereBrooke [Plateau Parc] * June 07, 1992 -- Fascination opened Nagoya, Japan * June 09, 1994 -- Alegría opened Ste-Foy, Canada * June 12, 2002 -- Alegría opened Denver, Colorado * June 12, 2002 -- Dralion opened Portland, Oregon * June 13, 1992 -- Saltimbanco opened Ste-Foy, Canada * June 16, 1984 -- 1984 Tour opened Gaspé, Canada * June 16, 1995 -- Alegría opened Toronto, Canada * June 18, 1993 -- Saltimbanco opened Toronto, Canada * June 20, 1991 -- Nouvelle Expérience opened Ste-Foy, Canada * June 20, 2002 -- Quidam opened Detroit, Michigan * June 21, 1985 -- 1985 Tour opened in Ottawa [Plaines Le Breton] * June 21, 2001 -- Saltimbanco 2000 opened Osaka, Japan * June 22, 2001 -- Dralion opened in Chicago, Illinois * June 23, 1984 -- 1984 Tour opened Bai-Comeau, Canada * June 25, 1992 -- Fascination opened Hiroshima, Japan * June 27, 1989 -- Le Cirque Réinventé opened Ste-Foy, Canada * June 28, 1984 -- 1984 Tour opened Jonquière, Canada * June 29, 1999 -- La Nouba CD Released * June 29, 1999 -- Dralion opened in Toronto, Canada ======================================================================= ANNIVERSAIRE: BIRTHDAY WISHES TO CIRQUE ALUMNI! ======================================================================= * June 02, 1970 -- Elena Day (Bird/La Nouba) * June 05, 1977 -- Valentin Menjega (Russian Swings/Varekai) * June 06, 1964 -- O'Neil Langolis (Singer/La Nouba) * June 07, 1965 -- Badri Esatia (Georgian Dance/Varekai) * June 08, 1975 -- Andrew Atherton (Aerial Straps/Varekai) * June 08, 1975 -- Kevin Atherton (Aerial Straps/Varekai) * June 17, 1976 -- Isabelle Chassé (Tissu/Quidam) * June 21, 1982 -- Time Sumeo (Fire-Knife/Alegría) * June 23, 1961 -- Leonid Leikine (Clown/Alegría & "O") ======================================================================= LE SPECTACLE: "MORE TO EXPLORE" (By: Keith Johnson with Paul Roberts) ======================================================================= OK, so what about the expanded website? We had heard for many months about an expansion to the Cirque Club "Official" Fan Website. It was finally put on-line May 16 after a year of development (during which membership in Cirque Club jumped 1000%!), and we are very pleased to report it is well worth the wait! Of course you have to be a member of Cirque Club (you are a member, aren't you? ) to enjoy it. (Before we go any further, we have to say that we were looking at the site with very fast T1 and T3 lines, so we had no problem with the animations or navigation. However, this was a different story when we checked it out using a Pentium 1 with a 56K modem. There it was terribly slow, with the Flash 5 animations taking a very long time to load.) The "new" release is divided into four sections which appear through moving stars in the upper right corner of the main page. (It may be necessary to go and log into Cirque Club, and then back to the home page, for the stars to appear). -- Spectaculera - Information about all the shows from "Saltimbanco" on. The early shows (such as "Nouvelle Experience") aren't covered here because, as we understand, there are rights issues with some of the earlier imagery. (And, not surprisingly, Varekai has no content - yet.) Each show page is divided into four smaller sections - The Dream, addressing the original inspirations for the show; A Vision Takes Form, talking about the show's development; Inside the Music, for musical influences; and The Acts, with a page for each individual act. Most all of the content in the sections are quotes, and are either 1 or two pages long. --IntraCirco, Living in our World - While being careful to not promise "all the answers," this "behind the scenes" section has several longer articles covering performers and other areas. There are articles discussing the new website, Cirque du Monde, Artistic Direction, Training, Casting, Food, and circus children. One downside here is the articles are not on a single page, leading to multiple pages needing to be clicked through (in a few cases 13 pages). I would have preferred one long page that could be scrolled and printed. --Inspiratum - Sorry folks, this section is still "Under Construction" though it sounds very promising. The one page does have some interesting animations, with a promising note about things to come. --Odyssea, the Dreamers' Odyssey - The "Company History" of Cirque told in a unique new way, kind of like a slightly-interactive Powerpoint presentation. Entering the section pops up a new window on your browser, showing the first page. The presentation is divided into 11 pages, each covering different time points in Cirque's history. Each page has a large border at the top with two photos embedded within - pointing at these pictures highlights them with additional text. The main text is below, with small very cute animations on the lower right hand side. A very fun section to just experience. TALL TALES: ------------- The "Odyssea" section features a subliminal story told by stilt walkers. On each page, the history of Cirque du Soleil comes to animated life. With the descriptions given, try to figure out this historic journey from Cirque du Soleil's beginnings to the present: 1979-1980: A character carries a long rod and climbs it like a Chinese Pole. It begins to sway back and forth and he jumps off, breaks it in half, and connects the two poles to his feet. His arms wave in celebration as he begins to stroll on his new pair of stilts. 1980-1981: The Stiltwalker passes by three people who then grow their own stilts and follow him off the screen. 1981-1982: The Stiltwalker juggles balls and passes by the three people, now sitting in chairs. The chairs grow stilts and they walk away on their four-legged stilts. 1983-1984: The Stiltwalker approaches the sun in the sky and waves to it. He reaches up, grabs a ray, and places his new Soleil hat upon his head. 1984-1985: The Stiltwalker removes a bowler hat from his head, reaches in, and throws six flags onto the ground. The flags grow into a Big Top. 1985-1986: The Stiltwalker enters followed by the other three. He removes his bowler hat and throws what appears to be balls on the ground. All four jump on the balls-which are actually wheels-they join hands, and whisk away as The Stiltwalker holds his hat against the breeze. 1986-1990: The Stiltwalker approaches three tall poles each with a hat, he removes the hats one by one and places them on his head. With the final hat in place, they grow into a stovepipe hat, his stilts also grow, and he disappears into the clouds. 1990-1992: The four Stiltwalkers whisper to each other, then two move away and their stilts and bodies curve and connect into a 'C' shape. They join the other two as they also evolve into 'C' and become a large wheel and roll away. 1992-1994: The Stiltwalker takes off his bowler hat and it becomes a watering can. He pours water onto the ground and grows a flower (in the desert, of course). 1994-1997: Three Stiltwalkers approach the Big Top and descend into it from the top. When the third one has entered, the Big Top morphs into a hot air balloon and floats away. 1997-1999: The flower is watered once again, this time it spurts into a forest of palm trees. 1999-2002: The Stiltwalker stops and ponders, thought bubbles floating from his mind. A parade of people approach the bubbles as a rope descends that they climb onto...they float away. And the icon for the 1999-2002 page is the horizontal-figure-eight symbol for eternity. OUR THOUGHTS ON THE SITE: ------------------------- MUSIC - Music is omnipresent here. Every page seems to have some kind of sound. Even the simple act of highlighting a button produces a sound, such as a didgeridoos hum in the "Mystère" section. We were told the individual show pages contain sampled fragments from the soundtracks of the shows. For our ears, they are sampled and mixed so cleverly that they sound like new compositions. GRAPHICS AND MOVEMENT - Wow! This site is up-to-the-second in terms of moving images on the page. Every page has some animation, from comets highlighting pictures, to droplets of water cascading down (and up!) on the "O" pages. The colors here are rich, deep, and dark. The images familiar yet mysterious. This is truly where the site conveys the mystery of Cirque. But not too mysterious; our visit didn't uncover any hidden "Easter Egg" features in the pages (where moving your curser uncovers "secret" areas to click to), something we thought might have been included. ANIMATIONS - Tiny animations of jugglers, swimmers, and acrobats add a quirky humorous touch. They are like the icing on the cake. Keep your eye on the bottom of the page and don't be too quick to click through, especially in the "Odyssea" section. A LOT of credit goes to the site's designers and "idea folks" at fellow Montrealers, Diesel Marketing (www.dieselmarketing.com) - another very interesting "moving" site). They were the successful bidder in a world-wide competition for the Cirque account. Also due for kudos are Burnaby, BCs Telus (www.telus.com) (the "realizers") and hosters Cognicase (www.cognicase.com). Here is a really well-designed, interesting, innovative, and intriguing (enough I-words for ya?) site. It successfully evolves further the enigma of Cirque on the Web. It's going to be slow going for older computers and slower modems, and it would be nice to have similar treatment done to their early shows. But those are small quibbles. Have fun spelunking! ======================================================================= THE CIRQUE CONNECTION: "CIRQUE CLUB: GETTING THE OFFICIAL LINE" (By: Keith Johnson) ======================================================================= Here at Fascination!, we try to give you a different look at Cirque du Soleil - more than just the "official line." Here we can be opinionated (sometimes passionately so), and can point out the good as well as (um, how do I put this politely?) the not-so-good. But that doesn't diminish the value of Cirques' own communications. As mentioned in these pages, we feel every one of our loyal readers should also be a member of Cirque Club, Cirque du Soleil's "Official" Fan club (www.cirqueclub.com). We've extolled their virtues before. You can get region-specific information sent to you when a show is coming your way (even when temporary jobs are available in your area - ever wanted to be a Cirque Usher?). You can buy tickets (though not at a discount) ahead of the general public. There's a busy chat forum for discussing Cirque. And now there's a brand-new expanded section just for Cirque Club members (which we discussed in detail above). And there's also a little-heralded part of the site that dovetails with what we try to do, their "News" section. The "News" section is reached through a tab on the main Cirque Club page, and is only accessible to Cirque Club members. There you'll find a myriad of articles covering a range of topics. Staff writers Lisa and Anne-Josee are also aided from time to time by reports from "the road". The articles generally fall into one of four categories, though there are articles on other topics. --Quidam - Includes coverage from Miami written by tour manager Jeff Pluth. Interesting coverage is also provided of opening night parties in Charlotte and Pittsburgh. --Dralion - Tour Manager Rob Mackenzie provides several articles here with special emphasis on moving the big top to the different cities of its tours. --The "Oscars" performance - Here the articles shine with content found nowhere else. You have the "Official" Press release, backstage stories, interviews with "Fire" performer Mike Brown (who set the stage on fire during rehearsal!), and "Bungee" performer Irina Sorokina (where it's mentioned the bungees couldn't "swing" due to fire marshals rules but could only bob up and down). There is also a complete listing of the acts and performers, and the source of each shot in the accompanying film. This is excellent coverage, as only an "official" source could do. --Varekai - One article discusses the Creative team (with short bios), another raising the new Big Top, an interview with the British Atherton twins (aerial strap act), and a discussion of the costumes (with some costume sketches, though they are only head-and-shoulder shots.) To be sure, some of the articles are quick PR blurbs that might not contain much value to a knowledgeable fan. Sometimes it's necessary to wade through an article to get that interesting nugget. Articles on raising of the various touring "Big Top" tents seem to be a favorite topic. One fun aspect is the name-dropping coverage of opening night parties in various cities. Some of the articles come with thumbnail-type pictures - clicking them brings up a larger image. And each article is complete on it's own page so you don't have to click to multiple pages, as you do on sections of the new website. The best part about the articles is the accessibility of Cirque Club to their own employees (something we have yet to obtain). Several interviews are interspersed throughout, some of the most interesting concerning the Oscar performance. Despite the efforts of the Cirque Club writers to provide content, there has yet to be a mention of a new article posting in the Cirque Chatroom, though they are mentioned in the Cirque Club home page (after you log in). We'll keep an eye out, and keep you informed of new articles that appear each month. Three new articles were posted in May/early June: one discussing opening night in Pittsburgh (at http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/ CirqueDuSoleil/en/clubcirque/news/news30.htm>), another about the names of the actual Big Tops, something I didn't know (at ), and the third, just posted, talks about raising the Alegría Grand Chapiteau in Denver (at http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/ CirqueDuSoleil/en/clubcirque/news/news32.htm.) In addition to the News section, the rest of the Cirque site also deserves investigation. Several sections have been re-designed from the last time we looked. For example, the "Historia" chart of productions has been re-designed and reformatted into "Show History." While you're checking out the Cirque Club specific content, have a look at the other sections... --Press Room - With press releases, publicist info, and several background articles. --The Company - With a message from President Guy, basic company info, 9 articles on their social commitment and 3 on cultural commitment. --Join Cirque - With information about on-stage (performer) and off- stage jobs. --Multi-Media - With music excerpts and information about show videos. --Tickets - A nice page showing the touring plan for all the shows with links. --Shows - With listings for acts and ticket availability. --Boutique - Their on-line store. ======================================================================= CIRQUE MUSIQUE: "AU-DELA DES COULEURS" (By: Jen Waldman) ======================================================================= Francesca Gagnon is known by many as "The Voice" of Alegría. In her CD "Au-Dela des Couleurs" she takes that voice out of the Big Top and into contemporary music, the sort that would be classified as "World Beat" by most music stores. The songs do not fit into one musical "style". The first track, "Dame La Fuerza", starts off as a ballad before adding flamenco-style guitar accompaniment. "Que Mas Da" is an upbeat pop song that suddenly throws in a chorus reminiscent of Broadway's "Lion King". Personally, I was hooked on the slower, sweeping songs right away, but it took a while for me to warm up to the upbeat songs (such as the title track). One song of note is written by Cirque du Soleil's René Dupere. (Don't look at the playlist, don't count the track numbers, and see if you can guess which song it is. Hint: it sounds like it belongs in "Alegría" or another Cirque show.) None of these songs are in English (Even "I Believe" is in Italian), but the lyrics are printed in the insert. Grab your French, Spanish, and Italian translation dictionaries, log on to Babelfish, and settle in for a night of translating some really great song lyrics. Francesca sings with a passion that is genuine, and easily conveys the meaning and emotion of her songs even to those that do not speak the Romance languages. She can perform dramatic, sweeping melodies and highly-charged songs with equal passion and ability. Francesca has done amazing work on this, her most widely-released CD. That said, it's not easy to acquire. If you want to buy this CD, you will see it offered "on backorder" at most major online record shops. My advice is, skip those and go straight to eBay. The record shops do not get this CD in very often, and you could end up waiting three months or more. And if anyone knows what "Zilinga" means, please tell me. The CD, "Au-Dela des Couleurs", is published by BMG Canada at a price of $22.99. ======================================================================= LE SPECTATEUR: "THROUGH THE EYES OF A NEWBIE" (By: Paul Roberts) ======================================================================= As with most people experiencing their first Cirque du Soleil show, I felt a bruise on my chin (from having it repeatedly hit the floor) after seeing "Mystère." The second time I saw "Mystère", I watched for audience members exhibiting that same expression, and this became a personal tradition. I marvel at the Cirque Newbies and try to put myself in their place. My fondest Newbie-marveling event occurred when I saw Dralion in Minneapolis in August, 2000, with my mother (a Cirque du Soleil veteran) and my daughter, Tara, who had days before turned twelve. After spending an excruciating day at The Mall Of America we ventured near the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome to excitedly find le Grand Chapiteau. I felt energized in seeing a Cirque du Soleil tent for the first time. Approaching the entrance, Tara and I said in unison, "They're playing our song," when we heard "Alegría" emanating from the tent's speakers. I gazed up at the fatigued blue and yellow stripes that exhibited wear and tear, but more importantly, exhibited history. I then thought of our heroes that had performed in that very tent, as the spirits of the Dewhursts, the Stebens, Francesca, Mr. Gilkey, Olga, Audrey, and so many others filled my teary mind's eye. Tara woke me from the zoned-out daze when the time to enter had arrived. After the tent flaps opened, we climbed the wooden stairs together and when we reached the top, I saw flashes of ecstasy in her deep, blue eyes. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it even harder than during take-off of her first flight, but she had no idea that I had arranged a monumental surprise for her. A few days before we left, I discovered the web site of singer Erik Karol that included his email address, and decided to attempt the seemingly impossible. I sent a carefully-worded letter emphasizing Tara's birthday and our lengthy travels to see "Dralion." A half an hour later, I amazingly received: "Paul no problem...for your request...You just have to ask for me after the show and stay under the big top...I will reach you a few minutes later...have a good day...and I hope you will enjoy the show on Saturday...érik." I stashed a copy of this email in my pocket. At 7:41, I noticed a beam of light shining into the audience directly across from us. I turned to Tara, pointed and said, "Let the show begin," as a tuxedo-dressed clown with long hair bound by a red band on her head began to mess with un-suspecting spectators. Throughout the show I shared with Tara the laughter and nervousness and wonder of her initial Cirque du Soleil experience. I yearned for the suspension of time as Tara's grip on my arm never lessened for the length of "Dralion." The moments of my initial "Mystère" experience in 1996 came back to me. I felt like a Newbie once again. Afterwards I told Tara to sit awhile and let the crowd disperse as we discussed the magic we just witnessed. When the tent had nearly emptied I approached an usher, showed him the email, and said, "I made arrangements to meet Erik Karol, could you find out how or where, please?" I hoped Tara would become distracted as she talked to her grandmother, but she came to my side and heard the request. "Uh Dad, did I just hear you say that we might meet Erik Karol? You're not kidding, are you?" She began to tremble as I said, "Yes, er, no I'm not kidding." The usher found his supervisor who spoke into a walkie-talkie and told us to have a seat. Minutes later, an imposing figure walked across the stage and when he saw Tara, Erik Karol smiled like he had found long lost friends. He signed our programs and told us how thrilled he was to meet us. Not as thrilled as we were, of course. And when he bent down and kissed Tara on the left cheek, she became speechless for the first time in her life. As a security guard escorted us out of the tent, she finally spoke: "I just met Erik Karol, I just met Erik Karol,..." all the way to the parking lot. With Tara and Mom tucked away in the car, I peered back at the Grand Chapiteau's Cirque du Soleil insignia glowing proudly in the star- etched night, and envisioned another spirit: a memory of a new hero's meeting that will last forever. ======================================================================= BEHIND THE CURTAIN: "WHAT'S A 'Q&A SESSION' LIKE?" (By: Keith Johnson) ======================================================================= The email appeared in our in-box, saying in part: "We are thrilled to offer Cirque Club members the chance to attend an exclusive DRALION Q&A session! Purchase a ticket in any category for the May 22, 8 p.m. performance of DRALION [in San Diego, CA] and get exclusive access to a POST-SHOW Q&A SESSION with the DRALION cast and crew. You do not want to miss this unique opportunity to catch a glimpse of life under the big top!". We'd seen this before for other stops, and wondered- what do you get? We finally had a chance to find out from, of all people, my mother, who just happened to have tickets to that performance. The Q&A session is generally offered once per tour stop, sometimes during the last extension of the run (though we've been told it won't always happen in each city, depending on participants' schedules). One can speculate this is to generate business for slow-selling shows. In any case, chances are the Cirque Club members receiving this message have already seen the show earlier in it's run, so it might engender repeat business. The San Diego session was attended by about 35 people, who were gathered in the center seating section close to the stage after the performance. On stage were the local publicist, a Dancer-acrobat performer, the technical manager, and someone who seemed to be the tour manager (my mothers notes weren't complete). There was a mic on a stand, but it was seldom used as people just asked questions from their chairs. The questions during the half-hour session were wide-ranging, from housing, to logistics, training, and food. Many in the crowd seemed knowledgeable about Cirque (Fascination! Readers perhaps? ) and wanted more insight into the inner workings of the show. In the end was the most surprising action - People were allowed to take pictures with the participants! Since Cirque is very strict about not allowing pictures inside the tent, this was very surprising. Of course, it also could have been because someone asked to during the Q&A session. You'll need to decide for yourself whether it's worth seeing the show (probably again) for this added perk. But it isn't often you can ask Cirque employees your questions! ======================================================================= SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT: "LE GRAND TOUR: MYSTÈRE & 'O'" (By: Ricky Russo) ======================================================================= Las Vegas: The City of Lights. It has been called everything from Sin City to "The Adult's Playground," yet it remains in the hearts and minds of children and adults alike as a fabulous place where fortunes can be won virtually overnight. For Cirque du Soleil fans, what draws us to this "flower in the desert" are two of the Strip's finest shows: Mystère and "O". My Grand Tour of Cirque took me to Las Vegas from May 22nd through May 29th. During that time I was able to sample Mystère for the forth time and "O" the third. After coming off of a very exciting and one-of-a- kind trip to Montréal, I'm almost ashamed to say that I didn't even look forward to my Las Vegas trip. Once I returned from Canada I fell into a "recession", much like the U.S. Economy - not quite depressed, but not quite whole - know what I mean? Luckily, though, as the weeks turned into days, my excitement began to build again. Before long, I was itching to stand outside of the Bellagio and awe at the fountains (my favorite pastime in Vegas), walk through the Mirage and smell the wonderful air scent (I'm not the only one addicted to it - eh Carol?), or watch the pirate ship Hispaniola battle and sink the British frigate HMS Britannia in the middle of Treasure Island's Buccaneer Bay. Yes, by the time my plane hit the skies I was ready to hit Las Vegas like a tornado. I love Las Vegas, what can I say? The lights; the sounds; the money! Only a year had passed since my last visit, but in a city that never bats an eye to a demolition crew, I noticed changed very quickly. Caesar's Palace was under construction again (building the new Celine Dion theater) and the Desert Inn was totally gone (temporarily replaced with "The Steve Wynn Gallery", home to the Steve Wynn fine art collection). But nothing brought this home more so than when I visited the MGM Grand to see a female lioness with whom I had my picture taken. I was overwhelmed to see that the cute little lion cub I was able to stroke and stand with had grown up! Paws that were mere centimeters wide could now be measured in whole inches! She bounced, jumped and leapt into my heart setting the right tempo for my journey. I wondered about a couple of things as I went into Mystère and "O". How would Paul Bowler's absence in Mystère be handled? And, could I hear the rise and fall of the "O" stage from my front row seat? Mystère: -------- Walking into the Mystère theater is always a treat. The ceiling is decorated with what appears to be a map, but it isn't the ceiling that immediately catches your attention; it's the two baby buggies on stage. And I would get a good view of these two items and the rest of the show from my seat in Section 103, Row B, Seat 13, which is an isle seat - and a damn good one too. The show began when Brian Le Petit (played by Brian Dewhurst) hit the theater floor in his trademarked black suit and gray frizzed hair. I was in stitches the entire time he was performing - I don't know how many people fell for his assistance! And what was really great, was not only did he lead a couple on stage (for their seats), he actually attached their tickets to a bungee rope and they were pulled up into the ceiling - just dangling down enough for the audience to see them. I thought, "hey, strap me on a bungee... I don't mind!" It was a Friday night, about 7:25pm, and I was in a happy-happy mood. Soon enough though the lights began to dim and the muttering of Moha Samedi (Nicky Dewhurst) could be heard. Moments later he appeared on stage complete with his red puppet. His gibberish continued to fill the air until "Hey! They don't understand you stupid," replaced the untold language with something we could understand. The puppet then sat up, cleared his throat, and began again: "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Cirque du Soleil!" I was so anxious I couldn't sit still! "During the performance, smoke effects will be used. You, however, can not smoke. And now... sit back, relax, and enjoy the 4000th performance of... MYSTÈRE!" The 4000th performance? Yes indeed-y! Prior to my travels to Las Vegas I had been tipped off that the performance I was attending would be a historic one. There are only a small handful of original cast members (one of them contacted me and told me of the significance of that nights performance) and I was only too eager to sign up. While the show was no different that any previous showing, it did add a little something special to it. The show itself went off without a hitch (and only one mistake in the High-Bar), but Paul Bowler was severely missed. As told on the Cirque Club discussion board and on the Cirque du Soleil discussion list, Paul Bowler hurt his shoulder in March and was scheduled to be out for about four to six months while he recovered. This meant that during my performance he would be absent. I wondered what would replace his act until I heard it was some kind of "strap-act". That, and a spoiler by another fan who had gone to Vegas just before me, seemed to confirm it. In action, the act (which opened the show) is as much mysterious as the regular opening Cube Act, but not as powerful. The opening act for my performance featured a young black-haired man and two straps (basically, the second half of the Cube Act performance, where Paul Bowler swings around the stage). It was very reminiscent of the Aerial Straps performance seen in Nouvelle Experience. He did all the moves Paul Bowler would do, except without the Cube. Once he disappeared into the Machine, the show went on as normal. Watching the Bungees from the second row is always a treat. From there, most of their performance is done virtually over your head. So, just like before, I scooted down in my seat so my head could rest on the back of my chair. There I was, arms folded across my chest, my head resting on the seat back looking up at (in my opinion) the most amazing performance done by Cirque du Soleil. You just can't beat watching the Bungees this way. You feel like they're dancing just for you, especially when you can see the expressions on the artists faces as they dangle above you... I recommend it to all who get seats this close - try it! (Also watch for them to get into position as Kalimondo begins to play.) Other character interactions were just as nice. Watching Pierre Dubé Taïko Drummer) go nuts in his percussion booth while singing Kunya Sobé and beating relentlessly on a small drum was quite funny. There was the Green Lizard staring in my face and the whimsical nature of the baby girl (who stuck her tongue out at me). Watching the sweat drip off the foreheads of the Lorador Brothers (and wondering how the hell they do it night after night) was something. Also the way the Double Faced characters seemed to hang on to the theater wall and crawl was amazing! Brian Le Petit is a quick thinker let me tell you, with such gusto to lasso even an energetic husband into his box of incarceration. And, finally, to one red bird who can manage to avoid a bump on the head and still balance on his hands. I had a blast! When it was over I was the first (and only person for a good 15 seconds) to jump out of my seat and give my heart to the performers - they deserved all the applause I could give. And after their final bows, I could do nothing more than look up at "Alice," the snail, and smile. "Words don't do it justice," I said aloud and it rings true still. "O": ---- After Mystère I was jazzed and ready for my second Cirque du Soleil show, "O" on the following Monday night. But this performance would be different for me on two levels. First, I would be seeing the show from a front row advantage (Section 104, Row A, Seat 18), which I had never done before. Second, I had reservations about the show that I hoped would be put to rest by this performance. In the past I've been pretty vocal about the show's lack of pulling me into its whimsical world. The first time I saw the show back in 1999 I found it to be a good show, but not the best. That experience was probably clouded by the fact I wanted to see Mystère more and had to "get through" 'O' to get to what I really wanted to see. The second time was equally deterring, if not more so. I was not in a good seat, grumbling about the fact I was in the last row in the upper orchestra section; not in a good mood due to my poor seat; and worried about the show itself because it was not progressing in the order I had expected, therefore I became concerned that favorite pieces of the show would not be seen. Unfortunately, I went into the lovely Bellagio theater with all these misconceptions about the show. It also didn't help matters when Gufia and Eugen (who I saw walking across the Bellagio casino floor just prior to the show) appeared on stage. From my vantage point I couldn't see their interactions! I couldn't see Gufia being taken from the stage and whisked into the air. All I could see was the removal of the curtain from floor to ceiling (which in itself was remarkable... I could see exactly where it went!) Besides that first bit of trouble, all my misconceptions about the show melted away as I received the first splash of water from one of the artists. It was just a little splash, but the whole experience grew from it. Did you know that even though you're up front you still can not hear the rise and fall of the stage? It's amazing! But you can hear the creaks and strain of the overhead apparati as they are swung into place. I found that to be a little distracting but it all added to the mystery of "O". Other interesting observations are more whimsical in nature, like: Do you know how stick-like and thin Eugen's legs really are? And just how funny it is to watch the Horse-Head Man swing his butt from side to side as he walks down the stage? Or the fact that the Comets, as they run by, are just centimeters from tripping over one another, but they miraculously defy Murphy's Law and remain upright? Or how artists slip in and out of the water with precision that just blows the mind? Or that you can feel the storm (wind and rain) during the Cadre act? Or how you get so wet from those Russian Swing performers? (Not so funny when you wear glasses and you can't see!) Or that the clowns slip by you with hardly a notice? Or that the Mongolian Contortionists don't strain at all when they perform? Or that the bell on the center Russian Swing doesn't really waft a nell? Or that a Red Comet started to laugh as he picked up the mooring line from the Batteau? Or that while the angelic singer was suspended over the pool the lyrics heard didn't seem to match her lip movements? Or that the comets really do fly over the audience? Or that the paper the man on fire reads has an advertisement for "O" on it? Or how heartbreaking it is to see the piano be wheeled on stage when you're having such a good time? Or how satisfying it is to see the looks on people's faces as the balloon basket drops down and from it the curtain unfolds? Or how wonderful it is to watch the performers smile at their standing ovation? I came away from this performance of "O" with a new-found respect and admiration of the show, even if Toumany Kouyaté (lead male singer) did not perform. I've always liked the show, but now I have found many reasons to love it. Seeing it from the front row has destroyed all the misconceptions I had about it, and truly paid homage to the old saying "the third time's the charm." It certainly was for me and I am all the better for it. No fan can resist the urge to shop once the show ends, and I am no exception. Since I was the last to leave the "O" Theater I was treated to a very packed B"O"utique. I braved the masses and made a couple of purchases that would allow me to take a little bit of "O" home. The first thing I picked up was a silver "O" key chain. It's not real silver, but it is heavy. "Cirque du Soleil" is etched on one side, and the other says "At Bellagio, Las Vegas" on the other. It will replace the "Mufasa/Sarabi/Simba - Lion King" key chain I've had since 1997. My other purchase was the "O" raised-surface magnet. These magnets are rather nice and feature the logo's of each show. This will join my other "memento magnets", which I currently hold 4 - Varekai (from Montréal), Mystère and "O" (from Las Vegas), and the Cirque du Soleil Logo. My permanent reminders of my "Grand Tour." The Bellagio: ------------- No reflection of Las Vegas would be complete without mentioning the $1.6 billion dollar Bellagio. It's name means "Elegant Relaxation" in Italian (at least, according to the 1999 Mirage Resorts Annual Report) and that's exactly what you get - elegance. From the $15 million dollar lobby, complete with a glass sculpture from artist Dale Chihuly (called "Fiori di Como", which means "Flowers of Como", it is composed of over 2,000 individually blown pieces), to the synchronized Fountains that reside in its lake (created by WET Design and commissioned by Steve Wynn), the Bellagio is nothing but pure grace. It doesn't try to throw it in your face like some resorts, or rely too much on some gaudy theme. It sits there proudly above them all on the Las Vegas strip. I can't tell you how much I love the Bellagio, especially the Fountains outside. My week ended as it began - right there at the Bellagio Fountains. I'd seen and heard such productions as One Singular Sensation, the Pink Panther, Luck Be A Lady, and even Singin' in the Rain, but my favorite eluded me until the night I saw "O". It was a clear night, with the lights reflecting off of the lake. The Bellagio itself was adorned in orange and blue hues and the sidewalks were a-buzz with activity. I had just finished shopping in the boutique after "O", and decided to catch a performance while I still had time. Words failed me as I stepped outside and took up space at the railing; the fountains sprang to life and immediately I knew they'd play my song. The beginning pattern of the water is not hard to recognize as it's not flashy or sudden; it's as elegant as the song it accompanies. And perhaps that's why I love it so much. The song, "Con Te Partiro" (With You I'll Leave) or "Time to Say Goodbye", matches the Bellagio in every way. An elegant song for an elegant display. The voices of Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli cried out while the lake came alive with dancing water, lights and movement. My body swayed along with the motion of the water as I sang in rejoice. I couldn't help but shed a tear or two as I watched the water of the fountains dance to the beautiful voices of its singers. After waiting so long to hear this song, and to finally hear it on the one night I fully embraced the watery world of "O", my resolve was too weakened to stop any kind of emotional display. The whole Las Vegas experience has left me more thirsty for Cirque du Soleil than ever before. Unfortunately, it was "time to say goodbye" to the Bellagio, to Cirque du Soleil, and to the desert. It was time to look to future endeavors that would take me to places around the world. The next stop on my Grand Tour of Cirque shows takes me to Denver, Colorado. There, Alegría makes its triumphant return to the United States. That journey begins on June 21, 2002 and thus the mantra lives on: "Live to Cirque; Cirque to Live." ======================================================================= BEYOND THE BIGTOP: "MORE COVERAGE ON THAT WALLPAPER!" (By: Keith Johnson) ======================================================================= Two issues back, we introduced you to a rather unique aspect of the Cirque universe; Cirque du Soleil Wallcovering. But we didn't know then what we know now; that this was not the first time the Cirque mystique was captured on wallpaper and upholstery fabric. This was just one revelation from a recent conversation with Mr. Pierre Cousineau (pronounced Coo-zee-no), Vice President of Distribution for Montreal, Quebec, Canada's Beauport Wallcovering Company. We were very surprised to learn that there was a previous edition of Cirque wallcovering designs. And that the idea didn't come from Cirque in-house. But even more surprising was Mr. Cousineau's explanation of how the wallcovering book(s) came to be! The story actually starts in Montreal (Cirques' "home town"), on a wintery evening during the 1994 Christmas season. Mr. Cousineau was working for Ontario wallcovering producer International Wallpaper at the time. While on a walk one evening he happened to notice a Cirque pamphlet advertising a local engagement of "Saltimbanco." With its bright colors and strong visual design sense, it caught his attention. "I wish I had a wallpaper book with that sense of design," he thought. At the time, after its '94 Tokyo tour and prior to its '95 European tour, Cirque had rented a local warehouse where it set up "Saltimbanco" to play for the Christmas season. (This is also a new revelation, as such an engagement has never been listed in Cirque's tour histories.) It was after seeing the show with it's grand design and spectacle that Mr. Cousineau was convinced the power of the imagery could be translated into wallcovering form. The following Monday he was on the phone to Cirque's home offices, who referred him to a New York agency. But he had to fight the battle on two fronts. Not only was Cirque unsure about whether their imagery could be translated to a wall, no one at International Wallcovering wanted to take on the design task. So he contacted a free-lance designer who had done other wallcovering books for him - Ms. Vicki Butler, who designs under the name Tzaddi! LLC. Intrigued by his idea, the Philadelphia-based designer met Mr. Cousineau for a New York City performance of "Alegría" in the Spring of 1995. That was all it took - Ms. Butler was inspired to come up with several initial designs. They were designed to be unique and upscale. "They had to be very different," comments Mr. Cousineau. "If not Cirque wouldn't have approved the concept." But by late Spring of 1996, after months of Mr. Cousineau trying to get an appointment to present the initial designs, Cirque still wasn't sure. As he learned later, there was a meeting at Cirque headquarters at which the topic of wallcovering was brought up. For long moments, no one at the meeting spoke. Finally a woman at the table suggested, "He's been bugging us for six months, let him come and show us some designs. What can it hurt?" Mr. Cousineau made an appointment almost immediately and presented the drawings, but the final OK rested with company founder Guy Laliberté, who was out of town at the time. So Mr. Cousineau left Cirque headquarters not knowing if his ideas would fly or not. The day Mr. Laliberté returned, the drawings were spread out on a table in his office. For 10 minutes he carefully examined them without speaking, "which is a world record" according to Mr. Cousineau's contact. Finally Mr. Laliberté broke his silence. "These guys understand." Mr. Laliberté grasped what Ms. Butler and Mr. Cousineau were trying to accomplish, taking the emotions and color and energy of Cirque du Soleil and translating them in graphic terms to wallcovering. He could "see the concept," said Mr. Cousineau, "and if they like the concept they let you go." The next two years they were "tortured by the direction, struggling" with the assignment. Slowly, the initial drawings were turned into bold, original, full-color finished designs, different from "regular" wallpaper. The International Wallcovering book was distributed in June, 1998 and was discontinued in June of 2001. (Wallcoverings generally have a shelf life of two to three years because as, Mr. Cousineau says, "tastes change.") The book was successful but took awhile to catch on. "Vicki's books do better the second year than the first," he suggests, "because her designs are somewhat ahead of their time. It takes the public a bit of time to catch up to her." One interesting story Mr. Cousineau tells about his attempts to get the book into designers' hands involves Hollywood. Normally, wallcovering books are just sent to the designers at the various studios (who keep copies in their design libraries) with little fanfare - a "non event." But Mr. Cousineau had a different plan, to make more of an "event" out of the Cirque wallpaper, showcasing Ms. Butlers' unique designs. So he sent one of the books to a distributor friend in Los Angeles, Mr. Aaron Kirsch, who facilitated set designers at the Hollywood studios. "Just do me a favor," Mr. Cousineau requested. "Tell them there's this weirdo who wants to fly all the way down from Montreal just to show them a book of wallpaper from Cirque du Soleil. If you don't get any appointments, fine." By the next day, Mr. Kirsch had appointments with nearly all of the people he called! The wallcovering later appeared on the sets of "Friends," "Mad About You," "3rd Rock From The Sun," and "The Nanny" to name a few. Later on Mr. Cousineau switched companies, becoming Vice President of Distribution for Beauport Wallcovering. But he took his relationship with Cirque with him, and suggested another book of designs be created to be produced by his new company. Vicki Butler was again the designer, and in June, 2001 the "Cirque du Soleil Collection Volume A: A Fantastic Journey" book was sent to 6,500 decorators, designers and retailers by American distributor Seabrook Wallcoverings (www.seabrookwallcoverings.com) immediately after the previous book was discontinued. The new designs are also making inroads into Hollywood, having just been extensively incorporated into the Casino set for the NBC daytime drama "Days of our Lives." And Mr. Cousineau is still working hard to get the idea of Cirque wallpaper out to the public. One idea he'd like to see is having the wallpaper books sent to local papers in cities where Cirque appears. Perhaps then more people will become aware of this fascinating product of Cirque du Soleil. Our thanks go to Mr. Cousineau for graciously sharing his time with us, and Sabrina Levine of Lizzie Grubman Public Relations in NYC for putting us in touch. ======================================================================= FROM THE BOUTIQUE: "VIVA LAS VEGAS" (By: Ricky Russo) ======================================================================= To many Cirque fans, Las Vegas is Mecca - the holy city. Nowhere else in the world can you see two of Cirque's shining achievements to grace, power and elegance. And, it shouldn't surprise anyone to know that Las Vegas also has two Cirque du Soleil boutiques, chock full of goodies any Cirque fan may want. My visit to Las Vegas pretty much went as it did last time, in July 2001: I picked up my tickets, visited the store, and went on. This time, however, I decided to take a longer look at some of the items for sale, so our readers could have a better understanding of what was available at the boutiques - new or otherwise. In many cases items available in the Las Vegas stores are usually not available anywhere else. The Mystère store, located across from the showroom, was filled with the sounds and visuals of the show. Playing on large screens in the back of the store were clips from Mystère alternating with clips from its sister show, "O". The store changed very little from my last visit, but I did notice a few new items. This Spring, Cirque du Soleil released new 3-D "Raised Surface" magnets made of medium-density fiberboard. These magnets, made in Canada, are available for La Nouba, Mystère, "O", Dralion, Alegría, Varekai, Quidam and the Cirque du Soleil logo (there was something similar for Journey of Man in 2000 but it has since been discontinued). Most notably the show missing from this lineup was Saltimbanco - does this mean that it is at its end soon? Both shops featured the logo magnets for Mystère and "O" as well as the Cirque du Soleil logo magnet. They are $6.00 each and are also available through the online Cirque store at www.cirquestore.com. The next item that held my interest was a new Mystère logo shirt. It is very similar to the Chambellan Jr mask shirt that has dominated the Treasure Island store for a long time. But, this shirt differs from its predecessors in many ways: The first logo shirt featured Chambellan Jr in blue, white and yellow (eyebrows). He is featured with his nose pointing from left to right with the Mystère logo at top and a green-lined box surrounding him. The second version of this shirt (beginning in 1996) shows Chambellan Jr in a pose left to right, in multi colors - blue, orange, red, white and purple. This shirt is surrounded by a blue and gray-lined box with the Mystère logo and "Cirque du Soleil" at top, and "Treasure Island" at bottom. The new shirt keeps the second shirts pose, only the colored lines surrounding the logo are gone, and the top is replaced with "Cirque du Soleil" in smaller white letters, followed by the Mystère multi-colored logo. The shirt also sports eyebrows and other facial features that have been touched up with glitter. If you want a representation of this shirt, look inside the new Quidam CD, where it shows you the other CDs available. The picture of the Mystère CD is an exact copy of the shirt (or vice-versa). Or, check out the Cirque store online at www.cirquestore.com, and find the Magnet picture, which is also the same. Most of the shirts for Mystère are only available at the Treasure Island store. There are a wide variety available - from the $20.00 Logo shirt to ones featuring the Chinese Poles artists (at $26.00). There's even one or two that feature the Alexis Brother's, in one of their signature poses. What you won't find in the store is anything with the "old" Mystère pink mask logo, with the following exceptions: You can still purchase a mask that looks exactly like the old Mystère pink mask (this mask was featured on the Mystère programmes from 1994 through 1998). You can also find a representation of this mask on a few Candles that are for sale only in the Treasure Island store. One item in the candle department did catch my eye - it was a small cylindrical glass surrounding with multi-colored candle wax inside (unfortunately I did not notice the price - it was relatively inexpensive however). The Mystère logo was etched on the glass, and while I did not purchase the candle, I thought it was an interesting piece. The "O" boutique did not really sport anything new from my last visit either. In fact, it had changed very little since I first saw it in 1999. There were the same "O" logo shirts, the infamous group Zebras and the lone Zebra "Pose" shirts (in white, gray, and navy blue) - all at standard $20.00 prices. But one thing did catch my eye: musical snow-globes. Inside a half-filled sphere (or globe) sits a Red Comet astride on his horse (a scene from the show). On the bottom of this item rests a turn-knob. Once turned, the globe begins to play the piano solo portion of the song "O" from the show and it loops over that portion of the song until the spring completely unwinds. I saw no other interesting items that were not either available online or hadn't been available before. I did take note that there were no new show programmes available for either show. Both Mystère and "O" sported 2001 published years. In a past issue I mentioned that the Mystère studio CD was no longer being sold by Cirque. This is the case in Vegas as well as on their online store (www.cirquestore.com). The reason for this is simple: "It didn't move." Everyone, it seemed, wanted the Live version for the Taïko drums, and thus the regular (old) studio CD never sold. The powers-that-be removed it from the floor. Curiously, you can still listen to the CD through the "touch-screen" audio kiosks in both the Treasure Island and Bellagio stores. And you can still purchase the CD through online stores like Amazon.com and CDNow.com. Speaking of CDs, I noticed that all varieties were being sold: the Le Cirque du Soleil and Nouvelle Experience CDs that are no longer being sold at the La Nouba boutique, were being sold in Vegas. Also of note was that the Mystère store did NOT have the "new" Quidam CD, with the extra tracks. As for videos, both boutiques were selling all the newly released Videos and DVDs. This includes: Le Magie Continue, Cirque Réinventé, Nouvelle Experience, Saltimbanco, Quidam, Dralion and Inside La Nouba. Both stores also had another interesting item - the "Truth of Illusion" video, which is currently out of print and not available anywhere else. Not even directly from Cirque du Soleil! Needless-to-say, my journeys through the Las Vegas Cirque stores did leave me with a little less cash and a few more souvenirs. But it was fun looking at all the Cirque stuff! ======================================================================= PARTING QUOTE ======================================================================= "YOU, get out!"; "Awwwwww"; "YOU ALL GET OUT!" - Moha Samedi (Mystère) ======================================================================= NEXT ISSUE... ======================================================================= The World of Cirque du Soleil continues to evolve before our eyes. Sometimes what we plan for our next issue doesn't always come together. We do apologize for not having the promised Varekai musings, but we assure you that we will continue to explore the new show as well as bring you other exciting news and features about Cirque du Soleil! With that said, it is our current plan to bring you features on John Gilkey and Mooky Cornish/Claudio Adalberto Carniero as well as explore how Varekai has evolved over the last few weeks. That and more in our next issue! Thank you for reading! Have a comment, question or concern? Simply email the Fascination! Newsletter staff at either richasi@azlance.com or through the Yahoo Groups email address: CirqueFasincation-owner@yahoogroups.com. We are anxious to hear any and all comments! ======================================================================= SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION ======================================================================= Fascination! is a monthly newsletter, available only through sub- scription. If you wish to unsubscribe, please send an email to: < CirqueFascination-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com >. To re-subscribe in the future, you can do that automatically by emailing us again at: < CirqueFascination-subscribe@yahoogroups.com >. If you have any questions, feel free to email us at: richasi@azlance.com. ======================================================================= COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER ======================================================================= "Fascination! Newsletter" Copyright (c) 2002 Ricky Russo, published by Vortex/RGR Productions, a subsidiary of Communicore Enterprises. No portion of this newsletter can be reproduced, published in any form or forum, quoted or translated without the consent of the "Fascination! Newsletter". By sending us correspondence, you give us permission (unless otherwise noted) to use the submission as we see fit, without remuneration. All submissions become the property of the "Fascination! Newsletter". "Fascination! Newsletter" is not affiliated in any way with Cirque du Soleil. Cirque du Soleil and all its creations are Copyright (c) and are registered trademarks (TM) of Cirque du Soleil, Inc., and Créations Méandres, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No copyright infringement intended. {Issue 10a: August 01, 2002}