“I wouldn’t be surprised if we had four or five shows in Macao within five to seven years.”
Remember this quote?
It’s been a number of years since Daniel Lamarre, President and CEO of Cirque du Soleil, made that statement in regards to Macao and Cirque’s prospects there. Then ZAIA was unleashed to the community at large, getting rather copious amount of attention; little did he know just how wrong he would be. ZAIA closed on February 19, 2012 after just three and a half years of a ten-year contract. The other four to five show concepts on the table? Shelved way before then.
What went wrong?
At the moment there are many guesses and most tend to agree that Macau was just not ready to be an international destination for arts and entertainment; most who visit this special region are here strictly for the gambling.
Although ZAIA’s closing is just as sad as ZED’s, VIVA ELVIS’ upcoming closure and even BANANA SHPEEL’s before it, the timeliness of this quote set me thinking about the last 10 years of Fascination’s existence and all the quotes, blurbs and past announcements about new products, venues or avenues the Cirque would be exploring that we’ve published. I began to wonder which of these came to fruition since then and which have quietly remained hidden behind the curtain at Cirque du Soleil HQ in Montreal.
I uncovered many in my search through the news archives. Some I had readily known but others I had completely forgotten about and couldn’t wait to explore further. But before I move forward let me say this: this article is not a dig at Cirque du Soleil nor is it an attempt to highlight any recent failures. Rather it is an exploration into the “what ifs” of Cirque du Soleil’s development, and explores what could have been had certain details been worked out.
This first of two parts explores the many rumors and announcements made regarding “permanent” or “resident” shows.
PART ONE: CIRQUE TO RESIDE
After the success of Mystère, the company’s first resident show (and the first in Las Vegas) in 1993, and with Alegria’s extended tour the following year, Cirque du Soleil looked to expand their avant-garde empire into the heart of continental Europe. Although London might have been the first choice for a second resident show, Cirque du Soleil looked to Berlin in 1996. Why Berlin?
Unfortunately we cannot say. There are two mentions of a potential Berlin outpost – first, in the Alegria’s Programme Book from Hong Kong and in an announcement on its website not long thereafter.
Neither suggests where the venue would be located, what the show might be about, or who might be part of the creative team (although at that time there was just one creative team). One thing is for certain, though, the project never happened. And it is just one of a number of these types that have been announced over the years that never came to fruition for one reason or another.
LONDON ///
Rumors of Cirque setting up in this fantastic city are as old as resident shows themselves, and some of the earliest regarding London stretch back to the late 1990s. But it wasn’t until Cirque du Soleil unveiled a strategy to open up “Entertainment Complexes” (a topic we’ll get into next time) that London became a more viable option for the company.
In fact, in December 2000 Cirque du Soleil made an announcement to turn London’s disused Battersea Power Station into one such complex at a price tag of £500m. The plans called for Cirque to convert the dilapidated building into a 2,000 seat auditorium, along with two hotels and a cinema. Cirque du Soleil founding president, Guy Laliberte, called the Power Station project a “massive and truly exciting challenge”. He continued, “To me this building continues to radiate the energy that it used to convert. It is a hugely powerful symbol. We want to reflect that energy and power in helping to create an environment and destination that will excite the imagination and stimulate the senses.” Work on the site was to begin within six months of the announcement, but it never came.
Not much more was heard about residing in Europe until Cirque President and CEO Daniel Lamarre in July 2004 alluded to no less than three new permanent ventures within the next few years; Tokyo, London and New York City. “I wouldn’t want to put a calendar to the construction,” Lamarre said in an interview with The Star, “but I think it’s safe to say we will begin work on the Tokyo project very soon.”
The Tokyo project became ZED in 2008, of course, which unfortunately folded at the end of 2011. The New York City announcement ultimately became WINTUK in 2007, which also folded at the beginning of 2011. But London has so far remained elusive, but rumors abound. One such rumor had Cirque contemplating taking part in a revitalization project in London’s Battersea district in 1998, but the details could not be worked out to anyone’s satisfaction and the deal fell through.
But on April 18, 2006, Cirque du Soleil was said to be in negotiations about a possible residency at O2, the multi-million pound sports and entertainment complex being built on the site of the former Millennium Dome in Greenwich, UK. Under the deal, the Canadian circus troupe would have a regular show at the 1,800-seat theater that would form part of the new venue. Illustrations showing how the finished O2 would look were announced and a completion date of July 2007 was given for the project. But this too fell apart.
On November 15, 2010, an interesting blog post came up at Sky News HD, a component of BskyB in London, which suggested Cirque du Soleil was now actively looking for a permanent home in London through an advisory firm. Guy Laliberte had appointed Allen & Co, a specialist media and entertainment advisory firm, to identify prospective partners who could help establish a permanent residence for the acrobatic dance troupe-cum-circus in London.
Mr Laliberté said: “We are working hard trying to find a place in London. We have been looking all over for 10 years. Eventually, we will be at the right place at the right moment with the right real-estate developer. We have looked at the O2. It has been part of the discussion.” David Campbell, the chief executive of AEG Europe, which owns the O2, confirmed the talks: “We have looked at it and it’s just a question of getting the right business model. It’s not imminent but it’s not been dismissed.”
But as of March 2012 there has been no word, and no permanent residence.
MIAMI ///
In the week of May 10, 2005, the Miami Herald and WTVJ-TV (NBC-6) ran independent stories highlighting the possibility that Cirque du Soleil would bring its brand of entertainment to South Beach’s Jackie Gleason Theater, recently upstaged by a new performance theater in Downtown Miami. “What Cirque du Soleil is doing now [is] looking at the box that is the theater to see if it works,” Miami Beach City Manager Jorge Gonzalez said in NBC-6’s coverage. Rumors abounded that due to the theater’s close proximity to beautiful Miami Beach, Cirque du Soleil would bring a decidedly Latin-themed version of Zumanity, its “sensual” cabaret from Las Vegas, to the Gleason. But a spokeswoman for Cirque cautioned against getting too excited: “We’re prospecting many cities in many countries,” said Renée-Claude Ménard. “There have been rumors like that in London [and] New York. We do all kinds of prospective work.”
Although Cirque du Soleil never publically stated they were truly interested in residing at the Jackie Gleason Theater, an August 28, 2006 excerpt from City Debate in Miami suggested the deal had fallen apart: “[I]n response to a question from Commissioner Jerry Libbin at the August 17th Finance Committee meeting, Randy McElrath, Regional Director of Live Nation (formerly Clear Channel Communications) stated that Clear Channel and Live Nation are no longer involved with Cirque du Soleil in their deal for the development of the Jackie Gleason Theatre as a permanent venue for a resident company of the Canadian acrobatic circus.”
So Cirque du Soleil forged ahead alone. In its plans to the city, Cirque expected to pay Miami Beach about $9 million a year to take over the Jackie Gleason Theater and build a restaurant and nightclub there. That return would be considerably larger than rents pledged by AEG Live and Live Nation, the two concert giants competing with Cirque for the Gleason lease. But Cirque wanted $55 million in public dollars to fund a $100 million renovation of the Gleason, AEG and Live Nation would spend between $2 million and $3 million to fix up the Gleason at no cost to the city. Beyond the costs involved, Cirque would commit to about 430 performances a year. AEG and Live Nation, the country’s top concert promoters, wanted to transform the Gleason into a hipper venue for live music and comedy – but with the doors open less than 150 times a year.
City Manager Jorge Gonzalez predicted Cirque would generate about $1.5 million a year in parking revenue for a nearby city garage: “Just on that we’ll be making more than what AEG or Live Nation is offering.” Gonzalez said the proposed 15-year deal protected the city, because Cirque would pay rent on gross revenues, not profits. Cirque didn’t agree to a minimum annual payment. Cirque also wanted an exit clause that would let it close the show after three years if it lost money for 12 consecutive months. For the restaurants and nightclubs, the exit clause would kick in after five years.
On October 19, 2006 the saga of Cirque in Miami came to a close, just a few short days after making its proposal known to the public: they pulled out. “We have been investing for the last 18 months a lot of money and resources, and I cannot responsibly continue to invest without knowing that one day this project will come to fruition,” said Daniel Lammarre of Cirque du Soleil.
To date there has been no further mention of Cirque du Soleil residing in Miami. But that wasn’t the only rumor to appear in May 2005.
SINGAPORE ///
Also in May 2005, the Las Vegas Sun announced that MGM Mirage was bidding to build a casino resort in downtown Singapore, in which the company leveraged their then-exclusive partnership with Cirque du Soleil to boost its proposal. “Cirque du Soleil’s innovative entertainment plays a significant role in our company’s reputation for presenting the best possible entertainment available at our Las Vegas resorts,” MGM Mirage Chairman Terry Lanni said in a statement. “Our two companies have accomplished some amazing things together and Cirque enthusiastically agreed to join us in our commitment to make Singapore Asia’s new entertainment capital.”
The production would be tailored to Singapore with Asian travelers in mind and little more was said about it… until almost a year later when, on March 18, 2006, in support of the project Guy Laliberte was quoted as saying: “We are confident a resident show in Singapore will quickly prove itself a powerful tourist draw, even more so than our successful touring shows. It will become a new, world-class landmark on the Singapore entertainment scene.” But just a few short months after (May 26, 2006), the Singapore government chose U.S. Casino operator Las Vegas Sands Corp, owner of The Venetian Las Vegas, as the winner of the Marina Bay Casino Project, leaving MGM-Mirage and its Cirque du Soleil inspired proposal in the dark.
Interestingly enough though, Cirque du Soleil would go on to partner with Las Vegas Sands Corp to stage ZAIA at The Venetian Macau (an announcement made on May 2, 2007), which as of February 19, 2012 is no longer performed.
MACAO II ///
With its announcement of what ultimately became ZAIA at The Venetian Macao: Cirque du Soleil announced they would also produce a second show for the hotel’s expansion project to debut sometime in 2009. This show, dubbed Macao II, Macao 2009, and later Macao 2010 as expansion delays ensued, would be, as some creative sources put it, a re-invention of the long-lost variety show. The production was assigned a creative team and work was set in motion at Cirque du Soleil HQ in Montreal:
o) René Simard — Director
o) Serge Roy — Director of Creation
o) Stéphane Roy — Set Designer
o) Alan Hranitelj — Costume Designer
o) Alain Lortie — Lighting Designer
o) Michel Cusson — Composer
o) Steve Dubuc — Sound Designer
Ultimately the down turn in the economy doomed Macau II from ever seeing the light of day (as the hotel expansion did not move forward), but amusingly enough the idea of producing a “variety” show seemed to survive and transferred over to the troubled BANANA SHPEEL concept, which itself was billed as a “new twist on Vaudeville”. (With a brand-new creative team, save Serge Roy, who remained on as Director of Creation).
WASHINGTON DC ///
With Cirque du Soleil in the hunt for new and exciting venues beyond Las Vegas in which to showcase its product, and various re-development projects getting the attention of the company, it was somewhat surprising to learn in mid-2006 that Cirque du Soleil was part of a project to re-develop the District of Columbia’s southwest waterfront. However, it was decided by September that there was no room for a permanent Cirque du Soleil show in DC. “A team of developers has been chosen to transform the District of Columbia’s Southwest waterfront from mostly parking lots and concrete buildings into a leafy, park-like setting that will include a promenade, piers and cultural attractions. (. . .) The developers are seeking a mixture of white-tablecloth restaurants, cafes and bistros, a small grocer and specialty stores. The original proposal included a space for Cirque du Soleil, but the developers decided against it because the attraction was viewed as too touristy.”
Although Cirque du Soleil was out of Washington DC, it forged ahead with its dreams of setting up in New York City: Madison Square Garden Entertainment and Cirque Du Soleil announced on November 20, 2006 a joint partnership to present New York’s very first theater production of Cirque du Soleil at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. The announcement was made by Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque du Soleil; Hank Ratner, vice chairman of Madison Square Garden and Cablevision Systems Corporation; and Jay Marciano, president, Madison Square Garden Entertainment. The Cirque production would be created specifically for the Theater at Madison Square Garden and would run for ten weeks, each winter, beginning in 2007 for the next “several” years. This show, of course, became the Winter-tale themed WINTUK, which did run from 2007 through 2010.
Cirque du Soleil would go on to make two more announcements regarding New York City: one in April 2009 for residency at The Beacon Theater (which became 2010’s short-lived BANANA SHPEEL) and in September 2010 for residency at Radio City Music Hall (which became 2011’s ZARKANA).
DUBAI ///
In May 2007, following the smashing success of Quidam’s earlier tour stop in Dubai, Cirque du Soleil announced a 15-year, multi-billion dollar partnership to develop a permanent show on Palm Jumeirah, an artificial archipelago created using land reclamation by Nakheel, a company owned by the Dubai government in United Arab Emirates.
It is one of three islands called the Palm Islands which extend into the Persian Gulf, increasing Dubai’s shoreline by a total of 520 kilometers (320 mi). The two companies were to jointly design and build a 1,800-seat theater to be home to the first ever Cirque resident show to be staged outside of the United States and the Far East. The show, expected to begin its creation process by January 2008, begin performances in the first quarter of 2010 with an official gala premiere to occur later in December of that year.
But the process became complicated before it ever got off the ground.
On the 24th anniversary of Cirque du Soleil’s founding (June 16, 2008), rumors began circulating that Cirque had been approached by Dubai-based Istithmar, a leveraged-buyout firm affiliated with Nakheel, for a £1 billion investment (or buy-out) of its operation, which would give the fund a “significant” stake in the company. An unidentified Cirque representative said at the time it was “rumor and speculation” and that Cirque du Soleil was not for sale. “The Cirque du Soleil is a very attractive business and we regularly receive offers from individuals or companies,” Renee-Claude Menard, director of Montreal-based Cirque’s public relations later said. “So occasionally, rumours and speculation of our sale abound, In this case, it is just that, rumour and speculation,” Menard said.
But less than two months later Cirque du Soleil announced that the company had indeed sold a 20% stake to Nakheel and Istithmar World (August 6, 2008). The agreement kept control of the Montreal-based entertainment company in the hands of founder Guy Laliberte, putting to rest conjecture that the troupe would be sold outright, but speculation still abounded. “This partnership is the best of both worlds for me and my management team,” Laliberte said in a joint statement with Nakheel and Istithmar. “We can keep control of our creative challenges and operations while accelerating our growth doing projects all over the world.”
The investment did little to help the Dubai project get off the ground, however. By late 2008 the premiere date for the still unnamed, un-themed show had slipped past 2010 and into 2011; by March 2009 that date slipped again into 2012, thanks in large part to the global economic crisis which had just gotten underway. Dubai’s stake in the MGM City Center project (where VIVA ELVIS would launch in 2008) and its subsequent development problems and cost-overruns didn’t help matters either. Brett Judd, Head of Entertainment and Leisure at Nakheel told Emirates Business at the time: “As with any other company, [the financial crisis] has made us reassess our projects, but the show is going ahead.”
Unfortunately that was not to be the case. On June 6, 2011, plans for a base on Palm Jumeirah for the Cirque were set aside. “There is no plan for a Cirque du Soleil permanent [presence] in Dubai at all right now,” company’s Corporate PR Manager Chantal Côté said. “This project has been set aside.” Asked if Cirque was in talks with any other companies in the UAE to host a permanent show, Côté replied: “We are not speaking to any other party in the UAE. And asked if Nakheel or Istithmar were in talks to sell their stakes, Côté said: “They cannot sell their stake without the consent of Cirque du Soleil’s founder Guy Laliberté. There are no discussions to that effect at the moment. They still own 20 per cent of Cirque du Soleil.”
Confirmation that Cirque du Soleil would not pursue the Dubai show did not come as a surprise. News about the show had been scarce since the initial declaration and most had given up on the concept ever seeing an audience. However, in an interview with Fascination!, Martin Lord Ferguson and Ella Allaire eluded that they had written demo songs for the show; we wonder now if any music written may see the light of day…
# # #
The projects listed here are just the ones we know about, those that were leaked and thus were only rumored to be happening or had semi-official announcements made regarding the company’s intention toward pursuing them. There very well may be dozens of other concepts and projects that we don’t even know about… and will probably never have the privilege of knowing about. And the announcements keep coming. Current plans have Cirque du Soleil setting up residence in Russia, India and China, even with the failures of ZAIA and ZED in Asia.
Next time we’ll take a look at projects beyond permanent residences and take a look at concepts that would expand Cirque’s prospects in video and audio, other forms of entertainment and even in real estate. Remember the announcement about Cirque-branded and/or themed Casino’s? Remember the blurbs about Cirque-branded Entertainment complexes? Remember the rumors of particular shows going under the lens or being re-filmed?
We’ll explore those next time.
