The show Under the same skywhich was to be created in the spring of 2020, will finally be presented on April 20, but under a new name, Echoand with a new director in charge: Mukhtar Omar Sharif Mukhtar.
Updated yesterday at 1:10 p.m.
Cirque du Soleil invited the media on Tuesday to present the concept ofEcho. In fact, this is the show we already told you about in February 2020, created by the English scenographer Es Devlin, who notably worked with James Thierrée, but also with Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus.
Only then, the staging of the show did not evolve to the satisfaction of the Cirque, and communication with the circus artists was laborious, as confirmed by the creative director, Chantal Tremblay. So that Mukhtar had already been appointed to lend a hand to Devlin, he who danced in the show Love, The Beatles (in Las Vegas) for six years and signed the staging of Messi10among others.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Creative director Chantal Tremblay (foreground), in discussion with director Mukhtar Omar Sharif Mukhtar on the platform Zoom
Then the pandemic hit and everything stopped. So we pick up where we left off, but this time it’s Mukhtar who is in charge – strongly inspired by our post-pandemic human relationships – and Es Devlin who signs the scenography. According to Chantal Tremblay, half of the acrobatic content has nevertheless been reviewed.
We will see among others (as planned in the original version) a group of eight Ethiopian artists who will perform acrobatic numbers and lifts (without apparatus), human pyramids and Icarian games.
The process of evolution
The storyline, however, remains the same. We will follow the character of Future (played by Louana Seclet), a curious and creative young woman who discovers with fascination the process of evolution. Except that the disproportionate growth of the planet will make it aware of our progressive disconnection with life, the earth and the animal world.
Future will be accompanied on stage by her dog. A comedy duo, Double Trouble, will also be part of the cast. Characters “born during the industrial era, who will glorify work and production, but who will slowly lose control”, specified director Mukhtar.
A huge two-storey cube – created by Es Devlin – will be the main scenographic element. The circus artists will multiply the figures there, inside and outside the cube, which will have the capacity to deconstruct and reconstruct itself.
Mukhtar, who signed the short film Quarantine: Through the Eyes of Cirque du Soleil Artists during the pandemic, was not present in Montreal on Tuesday. He addressed the media by Zoom of Las Vegas where he resides. The English artist and director – of Somali origin – explained at length the choice of the show’s title.
La métaphore autour de l’écho est très forte. On parle de l’écho des erreurs humaines et de la manière de mettre fin à un cycle de croissance [négatif]. The echo of the sounds too, which is the breath of life, and also the echo through the choreographies, inspired by repetition and movement.
Mukhtar Omar Sharif Mukhtar, director
Band rehearsals will begin later this fall. Louana Seclet, specialist in the Washington trapeze (motorized trapeze on which she performs tricks on the head, among other things), will join the team in January. Until then she’ll be playing in the play amorapresented by the Cirque in Malta in November and December.
The message that Mukhtar wants to convey in Echo “If we want to change the world we live in, we have to work together, collaborate in a spirit of love and empathy to recreate the connections that connect us to each other and to our environment. You have to convince yourself that collectively we can change things, then everything becomes possible. »
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
President and CEO of Cirque du Soleil, Stéphane Lefebvre
One creation every two years
Cirque President and CEO Stéphane Lefebvre wants to return to a rhythm of creating a show every two years, alternating with existing shows, so we can expect a show under a marquee every year.
“We were really touched by the reaction of the public who broke an attendance record for the show Kooza last summer [270 000 spectateurs dans le Vieux-Port de Montréal] and ticket sales corteo, which will be presented during the holidays, so we want to continue presenting shows already in operation that people may not have had the chance to see at the time of their creation. »
Cirque du Soleil now has 37 shows playing around the world (it had 40 before the pandemic), with the latest to be revived being Bazaarin Brazil.
The tickets for Echo will be on sale from October 17.