From Alegría to Zumanity

Story by Matthew Cope

This new circus struck a chord, perhaps because it was about a great deal more than physical feats. It was also about ideas, and some of those ideas were quite profound. The aesthetics of the show were a big departure from the kitsch that predominates in the vast majority of circuses. And in another major deviation from conventional circuses, Cirque du Soleil didn’t employ animal acts (unless you count a rat that appeared in one early show).

Cirque’s creators were, indisputably, innovators. But they weren’t above taking inspiration from outside sources. As Guy Caron, the artistic director, puts it, “We had enormous pretensions. We wanted to change the circus. But we used everything from everywhere. The 1920s were a high point for circus arts in Europe. Also pantomime. And masks. From the Chinese we learned about presentational, musical and choreographic unity—the grace and beauty of gesture within a smile. That was very inspirational. We looked for an impressionistic sensibility, took everything that had existed in the past, and pulled it into 1987.

Perhaps the biggest risk Guy Laliberté ever took was to bring “We Reinvent the Circus” to the United States. Cirque had only just emerged from a crippling financial crisis that almost sank the company. Now Laliberté was risking everything again by exporting the show to the Los Angeles Festival. The festival had offered the unknown, untested Cirque no fee for appearing, just a promise of top billing and a share of the box office. “We had no money to put gasoline in our truck to come back if we failed down there,” says Laliberté.

The contingency plan in case of disaster (if you can call it a plan) was to sell the company’s only asset—their distinctive blue-and-yellow big top. But Laliberté believed so passionately in Cirque’s potential to speak to a universal audience that he was ready to take the make-or-break risk. “We said,” he recalls, “‘We live or die in LA.’”

They lived. In fact, they were an instant smash hit. Hollywood’s élite stood in line to see them, and overnight they were the hottest ticket in town.

Laliberté’s next stroke of genius was to realize that no Cirque du Soleil production ever had to close. By keeping its shows running, Cirque was building a repertory of shows that could all be on tour at the same time. No circus had attempted such a revolutionary move before, but Cirque made it work. (The current crop sees “Varekai,” “Dralion” and “Alegría” criss-crossing North America while “Quidam” travels Japan and “Saltimbanco” is wowing European audiences.)

Cirque and Las Vegas first took a chance on each other in 1992 with “Nouvelle Expérience,” which was performed under the big top in the parking lot of The Mirage.

The success of “Nouvelle Expérience” led to building a permanent theatre at Treasure Island for a show called “Mystère,” a non-stop perpetual-motion kaleidoscope of athleticism and raw emotion that showcased exotic acts like the Korean Plank, the Winged Trampoline and an aerial ballet played out high above the auditorium. With “Mystère,” Cirque delivered a rush of such intensity that Vegas audiences are still packing the house.