This time it’s true. Intermission is over for Cirque du Soleil, which returns to Montreal with Koozaunder the big blue and white marquee of the Old Port, after three years of absence.
Tuesday, the Cirque presented three numbers of this show first conceived in 2007, and which is, according to the new president and director, Stéphane Lefebvre, “the most circus of the Cirque shows”.
The circus, we need it, after spending three years confined far from magic and the extraordinary. And the marvelous, the Cirque du Soleil has precisely full of its suitcases. The Cirque has also bet here on a show very close to the circus arts to reconnect with an audience in search of living arts.
What we saw on Tuesday was first of all a fabulous duo on a unicycle, a kind of pas de deux on a single wheel, which gives rise to breathtaking feats. Then, a number of aerial straps highlighted the extraordinary energy of the soloist. Finally, a jumping board number, where certain somersaults are performed on stilts, forced the public to hold their breath. Cold sweats guaranteed.
Above the stage, a group of musicians and two singers seem to animate the artists and follow them throughout the show. For Stéphane Lefebvre, the reopening of the Cirque in Montreal has a very strong symbolic value. “The whole team is very excited,” he said. It’s the feeling of coming home. »
A present audience
And the Montreal public is there. Already, even before the premiere of Kooza, 100,000 tickets were sold. “It’s unheard of,” argues Stéphane Lefebvre. The resumption of Cirque activities has begun outside Quebec, in the United States and in Europe. The show Kyrios opened in Toronto a few weeks ago.
Arrived at the head of the Cirque du Soleil in the midst of turmoil last year, Stéphane Lefebvre comes from the world of finance, he who was at the multinational CAE before joining the Cirque. The outgoing CEO of Cirque du Soleil, Daniel Lamarre, even said that it was his ability to manage the crisis that convinced him of his ability to take over.
However, for Stéphane Lefebvre, Cirque du Soleil’s mission remains to innovate and maintain creative leadership. “But innovation doesn’t just happen with technology,” he says. He cites the effects created in the new show as an example Drawn to Lifefrom Circus on Disney, presented in Orlando.
More risk management
The president admits, however, that it will be necessary to look closely at “risk management”, even if it means testing the numbers for a long time before presenting them in show. It is true that some Cirque shows, such as RUNwhich was briefly presented in Las Vegas, were failures and then seriously strained the budget of the organization.
Moreover, it is also now a question of reconquering markets that have been deserted for three years or more.
“It’s very important for us, this notion of reconnecting with our fans everywhere,” he says. Le Cirque also sets itself the task of staying in contact with its audience between shows, in order to create a kind of more global “circus experience”.
In the context of the pandemic, it was not possible for Cirque du Soleil to present an entirely new show on the occasion of the reopening of the Montreal market. However, Cirque has entered into an agreement with the Old Port of Montreal to present one show a year for ten years. “What I would like is for the next Cirque creations to be shows in which we will innovate. And innovation often has a technological connotation. It can be technological, but it can also occur in acrobatic performances,” says Mr. Lefebvre.
The CEO also talks about creating collectives of creators from different disciplines, circus first, but also dance and music. “We want to seek out different expertise in the form of art, but also in a variety of geographical experiences. »
For the moment, Kooza, of which Jennifer Lécuyer assumed the artistic direction, will offer spectators classic circus acts, but rhythmic and modernized.
When the pandemic hit, 44 Cirque du Soleil shows were on show around the world. Currently, there are about twenty in progress.
“We have a few that will be relaunched over the next few weeks and months. By the end of the year, we will have pretty much resumed all activities,” said Mr. Lefebvre.
The artists, in any case, are at the rendezvous, and, if we are to believe the extracts from Kooza, absolutely thrilled to put their bodies to the test. “The nice surprise we had, notes Stéphane Lefebvre, is that people were more ready to come back on stage than we had expected. […] The artists have returned from the pandemic in better shape than expected. »