Cirque Rumors

[Zummi Gummi]

When I was in Vegas, I learned that the key to a show success depends on the tour. A show like The Lion King would not work because it's touring all over North America. Beauty and the Beast however is not. It would be a better fit because it is not longer in New York or touring(under the specific Disney Theatrical name).

Beauty and the Beast is currently touring, and the production actually stops at the Bob Carr Center in Orlando this December. It's the non-equity production.

When you cite the cost, are you referring to the tour or fixed production? Most of the cost of a touring show is in the travel...10-20 semis, RVs, plus local and touring load in/out crews.

If a show setup camp on WDW property somewhere, it wouldn't cost any more than a run of La Nouba.

The Broadway production of The Lion King costs over $700,00 a week to run. Having the show set up camp on WDW property WOULD cost significantly more than La Nouba for a few reasons, the main ones being the cost to pay the Equity performers and the orchestra. The Lion King (and Mary Poppins) is a significantly more expensive show to produce on a weekly basis than any of the Cirque shows.

Before people go bonkers here on me. Let me explain my thinking here.

First, I know a lot of people who work on that show. I was there for about 3 years working on a couple of the Vegas rides. They love working the show. They also know the start up was extremely expensive. I think it cost $9 million. They made back the money I believe. Still, thats a lot of money and some very impressive sets to let sit around.

Second, Phantom producer Cameron Mac does have a really strong relationship with Disney Theatrical. There's a new revamped touring production of Mary Poppins that's in the works right now. So the relationship is there.

Mackintosh and Disney are co-producers on all of the worldwide productions (including Broadway) of Mary Poppins, not just the tour. Incidentally, the tour isn't "in the works" right now, it's already on the road (and has been for years). The relationship was born out of necessity more than a desire to work together. Mackintosh owned the rights to a stage version of the P.L. Travers stories, while Disney of course had the rights to the songs everyone knew. I know the relationship between the two has been very good, and I would be curious to see if they'd ever work together again on a non-Poppins project.

And thirdly, it's not a Disney show. I think part of the attraction to Cirque that it isn't Disney. It's the kinda show you can't find in the parks. Even with the touring shows, none of the shows are the same. It's one of those things where you go oh wow look at this.

Phantom is a Warner Brothers property. What's Disney's relationship with them like? Genuine question...I honestly don't know the answer off the top of my head. I just wonder if Warner Brothers would ever license the characters to a rival company, even for use in a stage show.

I think the show combined with Cirque would be an amazing 1-2 punch. I mean how do you top that?

You top it by staging that little musical that stars a certain green witch that sells out imemdiately in EVERY venue it's ever played. Granted, that will NEVER, EVER happen on WDW property, given it's a Universal-produced show. However, that's how you top Phantom.

I don't know what the chances are of it happening. Maybe none. But all I know is this. There's sets already built, a cast and crew that still wanna do it, it's made more money then anything else in entertainment, and it's really only closing in Vegas because the Casino doesn't want it anymore. Better then empty buildings I say.

Unfortunately, those sets were specially built for it to fit into that particular theater. It's not simply a matter of dropping them in to a new location. Phantom of the Opera: The Vegas Spectacular was very different from the Broadway or touring productions of the musical. It was a specially designed production for that particular venue.

He's refering to Broadway shows in NYC. They can cost a lot. Especially on start up. But you bring up a great point. Touring shows can be more expensive then the actual resident versions for the main reason you mention. Take Phantom for example. I think that show had 20 tractor trailers just to move the show. They then had to pay for travel for cast and crew, as well as renting out the theater space. So touring get's very expensive. That's usually why you see a very watered down version of a broadway show. Or why tours don't last long traditionally.

Most national tours aren't watered down at all. With the exceptio of small scenic elements you can't replicate on the road because of the different setups of touring houses, the experience is designed to be identical, especially when it's a full-scale Equity tour. For example, Pride Rock in The Lion King tour doesn't rise up from the bottom of the stage, it slides in from the wings on tour. In Wicked, Elphaba makes her entrance from stage left for No Good Deed, not from the bottom of the stage.

 

[SyracuseOrange]

Most national tours aren't watered down at all. With the exceptio of small scenic elements you can't replicate on the road because of the different setups of touring houses, the experience is designed to be identical, especially when it's a full-scale Equity tour. For example, Pride Rock in The Lion King tour doesn't rise up from the bottom of the stage, it slides in from the wings on tour. In Wicked, Elphaba makes her entrance from stage left for No Good Deed, not from the bottom of the stage.

It depends on the venue you see them in. Some regional theatres simply can't handle certain parts of national tours. I've seen several shows both on Broadway and on tour, and the tour versions are always missing at least a couple elements. (Generally scenic, but sometimes they cut down the number of ensemble members; like in Legally Blonde.)

Going along with the idea of bringing a Disney on Broadway show to Orlando, I agree that this wouldn't be the best move. Not only because of cost, but it also just probably wouldn't have the required level of interest since there are already well done musicals you can see in the parks without any extra ticket fees (like Nemo, which I think is great.) Cirque is a plus, whereas a full-scale Lion King/Poppins show would be a side-note.

 

[stitch2008]

Let me bring the conversation back to Cirque with another question. Apart from questions about the physical nature of the show, what kind of show would you like to see Cirque do? Would you like something very similar to La Nouba? Or would you like something a little darker like Quidam and Varekai?

No one say Zummanity. You will never see that again from Cirque.

 

[stitch2008]

I have never seen Varekai live, so I cannot really comment on that show. Having recently seen Quidam and LOVED it, I think another show with a theme similar to Quidam would be great. But, would a show with a dark theme be attractive at a place like Disney? If you read recent reviews of Quidam, many folks don't seem to like the dark nature of the show. Of course, the marketing done for the show makes it look like a happy show, so that could be why. What I would really love is if Cirque decided to put one of the touring shows into residence, like Alegria, at Disney. But, that is just wishful thinking on my part, because that likely will never happen.

I really haven't seen the advertising for Quidam so I cant speak for it. But I do know there are people who go in expecting happy bunny time. After all, its a circus with jugglers and acrobats right?

I say a darker show(not totally dark) would be best, cause that's the kind of show Cirque does best. What makes Varekai so great is there is this dark and mysterious feel. There's something about it that draws you in.

As for bringing in a touring show, that would be great. My vote would be for Quidam.

 

[rle4lunch]

First of all, I'm a huge Cirque du Soliel fan, and so are the other members of my family. I've seen 3 of their shows: Saltimbanco, Quidam & Alegria, and my whole family will be seeing Dralion in May. My parents have seen O, Love, and Viva Elvis. We are booking tickets for La Nouba so we can see it during our upcoming trip in September. (I have watched the DVD version of La Nouba and cannot wait to see it live:sohappy

It would be fantastic to have an O-esque show in DD. I have watched the video of O and was blown away! I'll be interested to see what comes of this

Dralion is a great show. That was the first one I saw live, and it's one of the original shows they had before they were so popularized by Vegas and other spots..

 

[RonAnnArbor]

Great topic --

I had several friends in NYC that have auditioned for the WDW production (neither got a callback)...but what they were not told was if it was for replacement cast (it was advertised as such), a new production, or a tour of the same production.

A water show like O would be great at DD, but it would require an entire remake of their stage area, rewiring of all their electrics, and a redo of the entire lift/underground systems. I do not see it happening.

DD can not support two Cirque shows. There are performances of the current La Nouba that run at half-capacity at certain times of year. I am sure that what they are looking at is a new version that fits into the systems that they already have in place. Like any other company, they want people to come back a second (and third time)....several posters herewith have already mentioned "its been years since they saw it, but would buy tickets to a new production"....exactly.

As to a touring theater in DD -- same thing; there are times of the year that the shows would be packed; other times of year that they would be half-empty...Could Orlando use another theater? It sure can. I've toured through there with shows before, and it was pretty awful. But that doesn't mean that Orlando folks will go to DD to see a touring show. In fact, lots of Orlando folks won't be caught dead down in the Disney area...it's a lose/lose proposition (not to mention that there is no parking down there as it is, they would need to spend as much building new parking garages as a new facility).

But more importantly, most theater producers DONT WANT a sitdown production. They are expensive; they are much much harder to sell than tours, and quite frankly, they make more money off of their tours across the country where you get a big cross section of audience....at DD you get a very small subset of that audience. Not something I would invest money into it, especially since Cirque is playing 1000 feet away. Disney, for example, tours Lion King at a cost HIGHER than the 700K Broadway per week cost...but they sell out every performance in every venue they tour to -- the same would NOT be true of a show that runs night after night at DD.

Finally -- a cast and tech crew of the caliber of most Broadway shows is very different....you are not going to get Broadway performers to commit to a 6-month contract in Orlando when their lives are in NYC -- as an ex-Equity tour member myself, I can tell you that the last thing I really wanted to do was be on tour with my show -- I wanted to get that on my resume so I would be cast in a show back in NYC.

 

[imagineer boy]

This was a rumor a while back because a guest survey went out from La Nouba and asked how would they feel if they built a water show next to La Nouba. I highly doubt its happening though. Another show at DTD would totally cannibalize off of La Nouba. The same could be said if they built a permanent Disney broadway show there.

There are some thoughts though, that maybe the show Zed which used to be at Tokyo Disneyland but closed due to the earthquake could replace La Nouba because very little retro fitting would be done since the shows are similar in scale. Its not likely though.

 

[stitch2008]

This was a rumor a while back because a guest survey went out from La Nouba and asked how would they feel if they built a water show next to La Nouba. I highly doubt its happening though. Another show at DTD would totally cannibalize off of La Nouba. The same could be said if they built a permanent Disney broadway show there.

There are some thoughts though, that maybe the show Zed which used to be at Tokyo Disneyland but closed due to the earthquake could replace La Nouba because very little retro fitting would be done since the shows are similar in scale. Its not likely though.

Zed will most likely not come to the States. Given the main for reason for the show closing, they wont bring it back.

Now a water based show at this point would replace La Nouba and not run along with it. The real question is the amount of work that would have to happen. But it's for sure a real possibility.

 

[Jimmy Thick]

Rumors of a new show have been floating around for years.

It has not happened yet and until Disney announces something, I think its just wishful thinking. Last time I went to La Nouba, it was packed, so they are not hurting for business.

Opening another Cirque theatre on property would force a conflict of interest and would be a poor business decision, so I would think thats something that would never happen.


Jimmy Thick-Not to say La Nouba don't need a freshing up...

 

[stitch2008]

Rumors of a new show have been floating around for years.

It has not happened yet and until Disney announces something, I think its just wishful thinking. Last time I went to La Nouba, it was packed, so they are not hurting for business.

Jimmy Thick-Not to say La Nouba don't need a freshing up...

A new Cirque show is on the horizon. They have concepts. They just have to get through some other projects before they can invest their time and energy into it. Amaluna is getting every ounce of love Cirque can give it right now before opening next month. Then they have to do work on Zarkana(and it needed work) for Aria in Vegas. Then there is the extreme sports arena show that premiers in 2013. So for a new show, your looking at late 2013 or 2014 IMO.

Here's another thing to keep in mind. A concept was created for Dubai. It was rumored to be a water themed show and a lot of concept work had been done. After the financial crisis, the show was put on hold. All the work has been sitting on a shelf at HQ for a few years. Maybe they would pull it off the shelf.:shrug:

 

[Jimmy Thick]

A new Cirque show is on the horizon. They have concepts. They just have to get through some other projects before they can invest their time and energy into it. Amaluna is getting every ounce of love Cirque can give it right now before opening next month. Then they have to do work on Zarkana(and it needed work) for Aria in Vegas. Then there is the extreme sports arena show that premiers in 2013. So for a new show, your looking at late 2013 or 2014 IMO.

Here's another thing to keep in mind. A concept was created for Dubai. It was rumored to be a water themed show and a lot of concept work had been done. After the financial crisis, the show was put on hold. All the work has been sitting on a shelf at HQ for a few years. Maybe they would pull it off the shelf.:shrug:

LOL!!!

As long as I have been posting here a new Cirque has been on the horizon. It has not happened yet, why should I believe it now?

La Nouba is still doing fantastic business, its the jewel of Downtown Disney. Look at the Adventurer's Club, the place was dead all the time and only after it got scrapped did people care about it. La Nouba is nowhere near where the Adventurers Club was at when it got canned.

Why should Disney spend money to change Cirque when its not needed yet?


Jimmy Thick-5 years, still La Nouba...

 

[imagineer boy]

I think La Nouba is perfect as it is now. However if they were to change it, I'd like them to bring back the balancing on chairs act but keep juggling at the same time. Then can the jump ropes act and bring back the german wheels for the opening.

 

[unkadug]

LOL!!!

As long as I have been posting here a new Cirque has been on the horizon. It has not happened yet, why should I believe it now?

La Nouba is still doing fantastic business, its the jewel of Downtown Disney. Look at the Adventurer's Club, the place was dead all the time and only after it got scrapped did people care about it. La Nouba is nowhere near where the Adventurers Club was at when it got canned.

Why should Disney spend money to change Cirque when its not needed yet?


Jimmy Thick-5 years, still La Nouba...

And as long as you've been posting here, you still continue to speak out of the wrong end of the body.

I haven't agreed with you yet, why would I agree with you now?

Jimmy Thick - still a noob

 

[stitch2008]

LOL!!!

As long as I have been posting here a new Cirque has been on the horizon. It has not happened yet, why should I believe it now?

La Nouba is still doing fantastic business, its the jewel of Downtown Disney. Look at the Adventurer's Club, the place was dead all the time and only after it got scrapped did people care about it. La Nouba is nowhere near where the Adventurers Club was at when it got canned.

Why should Disney spend money to change Cirque when its not needed yet?


Jimmy Thick-5 years, still La Nouba...

Dont kid yourself. La Nouba is doing alright; alright only. While it's loved by many Cirque fans(myself included), its not considered to be as popular as O, Quidam, or Varekai.

Why should you believe what I'm saying? I didn't think I'd have to come right out and say it. But if i have to I will. Cirque has been figuring which concept to roll with. Why in the world do you think had that survey last year? The ideas on the survery were to figure out which idea to roll with. I filled out surveys like that in Vegas. I remember getting asked how I'd feel about a "show based on popular musicians"; cough "Love" cough.

Cirque shows, especially resident shows, take years to create. The extreme sports arena show had been an idea for many years. I forget how I heard it, but I remember hearing it takes on average 1 to 2 years to create a show once a concept has been approved. 1 year for design and 1 for training and rehearsal.

The other resident shows have slowed down progress on La Nouba's replacement. Cirque is spending a lot of time getting Michael Jackson ready for Mandalay Bay once the tour hits Europe. Also spending a lot of time preparing Zarkana to replace Viva Elvis. Also don't forget the "damage control" they did with Believe, moving Iris into the Kodak Theater in LA, the issues with Zed, and the work done on the Dubai project that was shelved cause of budget issues. All of that is happening at the same time as Cirque was refitting Quidam for an arena format, getting Michael Jackson IWT ready, as well as creating Ovo, Totem, and Amaluna. Until recently, they haven't had time to sit down and figure things out for WDW. They have plans in mind and at this point have it narrowed. Personally, I really hope it's Dubai's water based show.

As far as your AC comments go, I dont know why you bring it up. Nothing about PI has anything to do with what Cirque does with their show. And why should Disney spend money on a Cirque? Hard to say considering the whole thing Disney would pay for is changes to the theater. The bulk of a new shows development is handled and paid for buy Cirque.

I think La Nouba is perfect as it is now. However if they were to change it, I'd like them to bring back the balancing on chairs act but keep juggling at the same time. Then can the jump ropes act and bring back the german wheels for the opening.

I don't think Cirque is thinking about replacing the show because they think it's bad. It's they think they have a superior product. I think La Nouba is great, but if they replaced it with a show like Amaluna(which ive heard great things about) it could be even better.

The acts you mention could return in certain circumstances.

 

[StageFrenzy]

A new cirque show would be cool, I like the idea of something based on Walt Disney. I stayed in the Aria when i went to Vegas and I had no interest in seeing Viva Elvis. It didn't look like cirque, it looked like a musical production with 30 Elvis impersonators. I think a theater for traveling performances would be great, especially since you say the Orlando theater sucks.

 

[stitch2008]

A new cirque show would be cool, I like the idea of something based on Walt Disney. I stayed in the Aria when i went to Vegas and I had no interest in seeing Viva Elvis. It didn't look like cirque, it looked like a musical production with 30 Elvis impersonators. I think a theater for traveling performances would be great, especially since you say the Orlando theater sucks.

What a min. I never said that. I said La Nouba is a very good show; it's just not as good as Quidam and Varekai IMO. The theater is fine. Nothing wrong with it. It would just need tech upgrades for the new show.

 

[Pitchforkman]

O is mediocre, im sorry that is just my opinion. It is the second worst Cirque show.

It would be awesome if they took Love and brought it out to DTD. Love is their best show.

 

[Demeter Tess]

If this is factual, I could not be happier. I love Cirque but was never very enthusiastic about "La Nouba." Personally, I prefer my Cirque with a bit more plot (ie, Quidam), though I understand that a plot is something most civilians would never expect from a circus experience. At any rate, a new show (or a permanent home for one of their existing shows) would be wonderful! By changing things up a bit they will attract the business of those returning vacationers who have previously seen and enjoyed "La Nouba" but perhaps don't care to see the same show twice.

 

[Pitchforkman]

If this is factual, I could not be happier. I love Cirque but was never very enthusiastic about "La Nouba." Personally, I prefer my Cirque with a bit more plot (ie, Quidam), though I understand that a plot is something most civilians would never expect from a circus experience. At any rate, a new show (or a permanent home for one of their existing shows) would be wonderful! By changing things up a bit they will attract the business of those returning vacationers who have previously seen and enjoyed "La Nouba" but perhaps don't care to see the same show twice.

As long as it is not O or the one with Horses i would be okay with a change. I wish they would bring Love in

 

[Greenkai3000]

.

I personally would love Cirque to bring the now defunct Zed show to Orlando. They may have not sold out regulary in Tokyo, but I can say with certainty that they would do more than great in DD. Anyone on this board get a chance to see the show live?

Totem, the latest touring show, is IMO one of the best touring shows they've come up with, and I'd love for them to consider turning it into a permanent show too. So that'd be another great option.

Finally, if Disney were to go with someone else like Dragone, a third water show in the likes of Le Reve and House of Dancing Water, with a Disney Twist, would just blow my mind! :king:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8mu8PfWnyY