Da Guy’s Encounters with Cirque du Soleil
Updated: August 6, 2011 — IRIS!
Sights. Sounds. Action. The human performance. No, there are no animals at this Circus of the Sun. Staging. Precision. Costumes. The lights. Quality. A spectacle. Always something new, no matter how many times you see a performance. Unlike anything you can imagine or have seen before, and almost a religious experience for some. Each show is different. It’s Cirque du Soleil since 1984, and Da Guy is one of their greatest fans. Check them out all around the globe.
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The Shows
Da Guys encounters with Cirque du Soleil since 1993
37 performances at 13 different live shows and counting!
Cris Angel Believe — 1 performance
Not so much a Cirque du Soleil show, as it is a series of magic illusions recreated on the Las Vegas Luxor pyramid stage by TV personality, Cris Angel, melded together with some Cirque du Soleil style. If you are into a rock ‘n roll sort of concert event centered around a single personality, with a booming sound system causing some members of the audience to plug their ears at times, this one may be for you. Seen in April 2009, 5 months into it’s run at premium ticket prices, this is unfortunately not a production Da Guy would recommend, especially for anyone looking for an amazing Cirque du Soleil show in Vegas. A couple of the illusions are even more astounding in person than on television, but for the money, if big magic with a big personality, is what you’re after, check out David Copperfield when he plays the relatively intimate MGM Grand Hollywood Theatre several times a year, or Lance Burton‘s performances in his theatre at the Monte Carlo.
Corteo — 1 performance
A touring production under the Grand Chapiteau which Da Guy saw in San Diego, January 2008.
Dralion — 1 performance
Da Guy’s first experience under the Grand Chapiteau in Atlanta, Georgia. Loved it in every way!
Ka
— 7 performances, and counting!
It’s gigantic! Martial Arts, fire, and a breathtaking indescribable stage that moves like nothing you’ve seen before. …at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Definitely Cirque du Soleil at it’s best. (Click the program for a great preview)
Check out the Ka Extreme Documentary DVD in the show’s gift shop or at the Cirque du Soleil Boutique. It’s one of Da Guy’s favorites!
IRIS — 1 performance, and counting!
This permanent show opened in August 2011 on famous Hollywood Boulevard at the Kodak Theater where the Oscars are broadcast from each year, and next door to the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theater where the movie star hand prints are. This production is everything you expect of a permanent Cirque du Soleil show — great acts, wonderful stage, sets, lighting and environment — just like the big Vegas productions. Unlike the Vegas shows however, this one runs nearly 2.5 hours with a 20 minute intermission. Music is by Danny Elfman — a great blend of what you’d expect from him and his former film tracks, with the live stage. Hopefully there will be more to come. To top off a great show, you too can be where all the Oscar nominees and winners are each year, in a spectacular theater that seats 2500, but feels intimate as it’s not too far back to the last row on any of the 4 levels. That top level though, at least from down in the Orchestra, is waaayyyyy up there! This show has become one of Da Guy’s recommendations for visitors to California and the Los Angeles area. Super.
La Nouba — 2 performances
A permanent show only at Walt Disney World’s West Side in Orlando. You can’t miss the white circus tent structure across from Typhoon Lagoon. The show has an urban look and feel — great for families. Terrific!
Love
— 1 performance, and counting!
Opened in late June 2006 at the Mirage in Las Vegas with the music of the Beatles, where Da Guy saw it in one of it’s earliest performances. Terrific multimedia production with some of the best sound you’ve ever heard — the Beatles as you’ve not heard them for years. This isn’t your “traditional”, if there is such a thing, Cirque du Soleil show with lots of acrobatics. We’re effectively “in the round with this production, so with the exception of some great guys on roller blades, things tend to go up and down quite a bit, and there is far more dance than you’ll find in some of the shows like Mystere, O, and Ka. Worth a look if you’re a Beatles fan and to round out your view of the creativity that you can always expect from a Cirque du Soleil production.
Mystere — 10 performances, and counting!
The original permanent Cirque du Soleil show at Las Vegas’s Treasure Island. A little more quaint these days with the even grander scale of “O” and “Ka” that have followed, but still one of the most magical performances you’ll ever see. (Click the program for a great preview)
O
— 9 performances, and counting!
Yes, it’s called “O”. Perhaps nothing will ever top this show — at least in the view of Da Guy. Water, light, the stage, the scale and spectacle. Is there such thing as perfection in any live show? If there is, “O” is the one to see at it’s permanent home at the Bellagio on the Las Vegas strip. (Click the program for a great preview)
Check out the Flow Documentary DVD in the show’s gift shop or at the Cirque du Soleil Boutique. It’s artsy just like the show, and one of Da Guy’s favorites!
Quidam — 1 performance
Toured for years in Europe, and Da Guy caught a performance under the Grand Chapiteau in San Diego, February 2006.
Varekai
— 1 performance
Da Guy and his family caught this touring company, under the Grand Chapiteau in Costa Mesa, California. Did you see the behind the scenes series on Bravo Cable TV? If not, catch Cirque du Soleil – Fire Within (TV Series) on DVD some time.
Viva Elvis — 1 performance
This production opened concurrently with the Aria Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas late in 2009. You won’t find the typical Elvis impersonator here, rather vocals and video footage from his recordings mixed with others from live performers, with an on-stage live band and a handful of acrobatic acts, most notably one with two guys and a huge wire guitar and a unique and energetic trampoline routine. This production was a disappointment to Da Guy … it was as loud as a rock concert, unfortunately drowning out the vocals a good part of the time, and majors in big dance numbers versus what some may expect from seeing touring or other big Cirque du Soleil shows like Mystere, O, Ka, and La Nouba. The staging and look are Cirque du Soleil without question. If you’re an Elvis fan, you’ll probably enjoy the show. Many do. For Da Guy however, this was a one-time event given the other Cirque du Soleil and Vegas productions that are always refreshed and the reason he goes to Vegas in the first place.
Zumanity — 1 performance
Da Guy made a special trip to Vegas for the opening night of this new “other side of Cirque du Soleil” show at New York, New York in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, unlike every other show from Cirque du Soleil, this one just didn’t flick Da Guy’s BIC if you know what that means. Adult themes, yes, but it just doesn’t have that Cirque du Soleil feel like all the others… Take a date to it perhaps before a late night on the town, otherwise, try out one of the other amazing Cirque du Soleil productions!
