Cirque du Spectacle
What is the French word for “spectacle”? Oh, right. That would also be “spectacle.” “Delirium,” the first-ever live arena show concocted by the famous Cirque du Soleil out of Montreal, certainly deserves both words. Get a load of these stats:
“The show has five projection screens with total square footage exceeding that of two IMAX screens.
“It takes 18 semi-trucks to haul the equipment, along with 11 tour buses to transport the cast and crew.
“The acrobats, musicians and dancers perform on, among other things, a 15-foot wide “planet drum,” five trapeze-swings that light up, and three “curve bridges” which resemble giant, rocking cantaloupe rinds.
“The stage, which will be situated along the long side of the hockey rink, is 100 feet long. The audience sits on only one side of the arena.
What is the result of all of this “spectacle”?
“It’s a new type of live entertainment for us,” said Carmen Ruest, the creative director of the show, by phone from Montreal.
“It’s really a concert, related to music and song. The musicians are always on stage, front and center. This is the first time we have done a show based strictly on the music.”
It was conceived as a showcase for the top songs from the Cirque du Soleil catalog, which runs to more than 500 songs from 17 past shows. A committee of Cirque directors narrowed it down to the top 20. Then the creative team developed new musical, lyrical and visual interpretations of those songs.
The songs are not exactly Billboard hits – they have names like “Cold Flame” and “La Nova Alegria” – but they have proven to be popular in previous shows. In general, they tend to be “percussive and dance-oriented.” Ruest calls it an “urban tribal beat.”
A group of 12 musicians, including six singers and two percussionists from Africa, perform all of the music, which tends be arena-filling loud.
For that reason, the show is not recommended for kids below the teen years, who might find it too overwhelming. However, the show is not risqué, like some of Cirque’s Vegas shows.
“Delirium” has been touring for nearly a year and a half. When it debuted, audiences were surprised. It was not the same as a standard Cirque show, which draws heavily on European circus traditions.
“We had to re-educate the audience,” said Ruest. “Don’t expect a big top tour, or what you’ve seen from us before. At an arena, we can’t have what we have under the big top. But we do have dynamic choreography, nine acrobats, and three main characters.”
The multimedia screens are used to retain some of that big top intimacy.
“What is on screen often interacts with what is happening on stage,” said Ruest.
The screens won’t just be projections of what is happening on stage. You’ll also see pre-recorded film.
Meanwhile, don’t get the idea that “Delirium” won’t have that high-flying Cirque magic.
“Even the musicians will be flying over the stage,” said Ruest.