Le Grand Chapiteau: Zumanity

Indeed, in an article published December 4, 2001, Alan Feldman (Vice President of Public Affairs for MGM Mirage) confirmed that the New York-New York casino hotel would be the number one choice for the next Cirque show on the Las Vegas Strip. But where would it go? According to the article Cirque could set up a big top on property (think Nouvelle Experience in 1993 at The Mirage) until a suitable theater could be built for the show. Or, a show might move in to the Broadway Theater, which was then occupied by “Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance.” Options were open and all bets were on the table. Would it happen?

Speculation regarding a new Las Vegas production would not abate. In fact when Cirque posted a casting call the following month (April 2002) for “a new project”, it only stoked the rumor mill’s fire. In their words, "Cirque du Soleil is now developing a new form of Cabaret-style show" and they were looking for a variety of talents to help bring this project into reality. They wanted artists that "wish to perform in a provocative, sensual, exotic and cutting-edge environment." The only thing that Cirque du Soleil would say regarding where this new show would be was that it would be “staged at a permanent venue within the North American continent” but fell short of suggesting it would be in Las Vegas... so the rumor mill kept turning.

By June 2002 rumors flooded the fandom that Las Vegas would not receive just one new show, but possibly two! And then in July 2002 Cirque du Soleil made an announcement...

Creativity and Innovation • An Intimate Expression
Change in Direction • O, The Zumanity!
A Two Headed Cow? • The Other Side...

Creativity and Innovation

Using the words "a partnership based on creativity and innovation," Cirque du Soleil in their June 13th press release, confirmed earlier rumors that they were not only developing one, but two new shows for Las Vegas, in partnership with MGM-Mirage. The "Fascination! Newsletter" had touched on these rumors at the time; they were rumored to be working on a "Cabaret" style show, which we believed would be housed at the New York-New York Hotel-Casino. Exciting new official details were released about this project - confirming the Cabaret show, as well as another new show to set up shop at the MGM Grand in the following joint press release between Cirque and MGM-Mirage:

"This partnership is built on the mutual success achieved by our two businesses throughout the past decade," said J. Terrence Lanni, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of MGM MIRAGE. "Cirque du Soleil proved that it had an excellent understanding of Las Vegas by fundamentally changing the form of entertainment here with their groundbreaking artistic vision first with Mystère and then with 'O'. Now we want to work together to explore new areas in which they can continue to cultivate their unique creativity not only in Las Vegas but throughout our projects in the U.S. and around the world."

Guy Laliberté, President, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Cirque du Soleil, added that, "MGM MIRAGE has an excellent grasp of the creative strengths and energy that drive Cirque du Soleil. We have always held fast to our dream of reinventing other forms of entertainment. Terry Lanni and his team have confidence in us and are assisting us to do so."

"We have set out to stimulate the imagination, fire the senses and touch the emotions of spectators around the world," says Laliberté. "The potential of Las Vegas is still vast. Some 36 million people visit the city each year and we believe there is room for continued growth to encourage them to take the opportunity to see shows as part of their Las Vegas experience."

The new productions that Cirque du Soleil is preparing could be described as "hybrid" in the sense that they draw on a number of disciplines. "Whatever the creative niche we're developing may be, we are committed to maintaining the level of quality and creativity associated with the Cirque du Soleil brand," says Lyn Heward, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Creative Content Division.

Cirque du Soleil has always put creativity at the heart of all its production and management activities. Creativity is the very essence of Cirque. "We have worked with creators from all over the world to design, produce and stage our shows," explained Guy Laliberté. "We will continue to promote the developing talent of new creators by undertaking new collaborative projects."

The first project, at New York-New York was set to open in 2003 under the direction of Philippe Decouflé, with Andrew Watson serving as Director of Creation. While the theme and disciplines therein were still in development, the show was said to be "sensual, exotic and provocative;" containing elements of dance, acrobatics and, of course, humor. This show would take the place of "Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance".

The Second project, for the MGM Grand, would replace "EFX Alive!" starring Rick Springfield, and would reopen in 2004 - Cirque du Soleil's 20th Anniversary year. Robert Lepage was set as director with Guy Caron (Le Magie Continue, Dralion) serving as Director of Creation. The show was set to "shake the spectator's perception of space, conception of the law of gravity, and comprehension of the world in three dimensions."

These projects built upon the relationship between Cirque du Soleil and MGM-Mirage, which started back in 1992 with a special presentation of "Nouvelle Experience" on the grounds of the Mirage. Other projects with this Las Vegas-based company included: Mystère in 1993 (at Treasure Island), "O" in 1998 (at Bellagio), and a special engagement of Alegría from 1999-2000 (at Beau Rivage, in Biloxi, Mississippi). "MGM Mirage has an excellent grasp of the creative strengths and energy that drive Cirque du Soleil," said Guy Laliberté, CEO and Founder of Cirque du Soleil in a press release. "We have always held fast our dream of reinventing other forms of entertainment." And it certainly looks as if Cirque du Soleil will continue to "Re-invent the Circus" in the desert of Las Vegas, and worldwide, as their expanded partnership with MGM Mirage will globalize their efforts even more. The race was on...

By the end of 2002 speculation ran wild regarding just what Cirque du Soleil had up its sleeve; casting calls became rare windows into just what the company had in mind. Some small details began to emerge about the performances/acts. Slated to debut in July 2003, the New York-New York show was casting Rhythmic Gymnasts (to perform in a duo act), a Contortionist / Hand-balancer (for a specialty act - solo, duo, trio or quartet), a Middle Eastern dancer (for an exotic dance act), and "virile" male and "voluptuous" female dancers.

An Intimate Expression

On Sunday, July 28, 2002, "Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance" ended its successful four-year run at the Broadway Theater in the New York-New York Hotel and Casino, which paved the way for the new Cirque du Soleil show to move in.

Throughout the summer Cirque fans had been having heated debates over the direction the new "cabaret-style" show would be taking (Fascination maintained that while most felt that "cabaret" must mean topless, that was not necessarily the case). By September 2002, several signs posted around and inside the hotel gave more of a clue. The largest by far was attached to a parking structure on Tropicana Avenue, measuring a whopping 50 X 60 feet! All of the signs said the same thing:

"Opening / July 2003 / a more / INTIMATE expression of / Cirque du Soleil / at New York-New York" (The word "intimate" in larger type than the rest of that line, showing emphasis.)

What made these signs interesting wasn't just the "more intimate expression" tagline. The image in the center of the picture was somewhat hazy and mysterious, but further inspection revealed it to be a nude woman's torso, turned slightly to her left. The camera angle was based below the right hip, aiming upwards. Her left breast was visible, though the nipple had been airbrushed out. The right breast had been airbrushed entirely and was further obscured by the word "Opening." Her navel was clearly visible in the lower right. The bottom of the shot was cropped several inches below that on her body - any further down and you'd be in trouble!

“What this means, of course, is any fans guess,” Fascination said at the time. “Publicists are notorious for promising the sky, especially when the show is only in the planning stages. But it seems to lend credence to the idea that there will be more ‘exposed’ than in previous Cirque productions.”

Change in Direction

Just two months later, however – on August 14, 2002 – an abrupt change was announced: René Richard Cyr would direct the show at the New York-New York rather than Philippe Decouflé. Cirque released a statement to the press accordingly:

With an eye to redefining the music hall genre, this intimate, exotic and provocative show will serve up an original mix of dance, humour and acrobatics. "Each act promises to be a sensual, artistic experience of the highest calibre," says Lyn Heward, President & COO of Cirque du Soleil's Creative Content Division. The New York-New York Hotel theatre is currently being renovated to house the production in 2003.

Creator, artist and communicator René Richard Cyr has been an active player in Quebec's cultural scene for over 20 years. He's an accomplished theatre director who has created over 100 shows. He has put his talents to work as an actor, director, author, creator and producer of variety shows aired on Quebec's major networks. In addition, he has garnered a number of awards, most notably for his work on Les Parapluies de Cherbourg. His most recent production, L'homme de la Mancha (Man of La Mancha), is currently a major success.

"I'm really up for this new professional challenge! It's an honour to be able to work on a Cirque du Soleil production, and I'm thrilled to create a show that will strive to redefine the music hall genre," says Cyr. "I'm joining an organization that has the utmost respect for the creative process, and showcases the talent of numerous Quebec artists on the international stage."

"René Richard will bring a fascinating artistic perspective to this creative project. We are all the more proud to be working with a Quebec director who wants to embark on Cirque du Soleil's international adventure," adds Heward.

O, The Zumanity!

For months fans had been speculating about the new production. Soon at least some of the speculation would be over - what to call it? "Zumanity!"

The fervor began on the evening of March 17th when an article appeared in USA Today featuring the title of the show, amongst a list of the gifts that would be handed out to presenters at the Academy Awards. The gift was an "invitation for two to the international gala premiere of Zumanity ... on Sept. 20 and a two-night stay at the [New York-New York Hotel Casino]."

Zumanity [zü'man-i-tee] was described as "an intense visit to a world where human inhibitions are both unveiled and discarded, where style and intense sensual passion share an uncommon stage." Cirque recently offered this definition of the word: "n. n. Neologism dating from 2003, contraction of the words "zoo" and "humanity." 1. A human zoo. 2. A new form of eroticism which blends dance movement, acrobatics and beautiful bodies with the sensual caress of the human voice and the pulse of exotic rhythms. 3. An exploration that awakens the most primal urges in human beings."

On February 27th, Cirque du Soleil registered the domain (http://www.zumanity.com/) and placed a dual English/French language teaser site online. You could sign up to be on a mailing list to receive updates about the show in either HTML or Text format, however you needed to be 18 years old to participate (or you were directed back to the CDS website). The 18-year age limit caused quite a stir within Cirque fandom, dividing the age groups for the first time since Cirque's debut.

So, what could we expect out of Zumanity? Fascination discovered:

Rhythmic Gymnasts (to perform in a duo act), a Middle Eastern dancer (for an exotic dance act), a Drag Queen (transvestite), a Body Builder (strong man) and "virile" male and "voluptuous" female dancers - with clowns, singers, and a sensuous atmosphere. One of the acts, we believe, will be a solo-contortion act performed in water. The artist, Natalia Vasyliuk, recently performed at the Festival du Cirque de Demain in 2002. Nicolai Tchelnokov (Adagio Trio, Saltimbanco) is the artistic counselor of this act.

Spymonkey, the Brighton(UK)-based theater group, may be providing their talents to place their writer/director Cal McCrystal in the directors' seat for the show's clown acts. McCrystal recently worked with Cirque du Soleil on Varekai, producing and creating the clown acts seen in the show. Four Spymonkey regulars will provide the storyline for the acts: Aitor Basauri, Stephan Kreiss, Petra Massey and Toby Park, with the assistance of Andrew Watson (Director of Creation for "Zumanity") and René Richard Cyr (Writer/Director).

Word comes from Chartattack, a Canadian musical website/magazine, that Cirque du Soleil has chosen homegrown Kinnie Starr to vocalize Zumanity. Starr is described as a "hip-hop slam poet/freaky beatnik dance rocker" and seems rather perfect for this production.

The costumes for Zumanity remained a mystery until fans received their first look at sketches on April 4th. Zumanity's mailing list emailed two items: a definition and a link. That link produced four interesting and provocative sketches of what costumes may look like when the shows premiere. There is a strong man, bare-chested wearing a fuzzy-pink stole; a Drag Queen, which resembles Erik Karol (the ex-singer from Dralion) in a way; a leggy young woman in a trench coat; and Cher.

Cirque du Soleil took over a theater at the New York-New York Hotel Casino previously built for Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance production (that had since moved to the Venetian). For months Cirque has been working on re-creating the theater in their image. "We took over the theatre 18 months ago," explains Ménard as quoted in the Toronto Star, "and tore everything out to rebuild it in cabaret style. The theatre is always a key element in our resident shows, almost a character. And this one will be much more intimate." And they mean it. Seating for Zumanity will include a wide variety of options from "love seats to barstools". "We want to offer people options," said Ménard. You can sit way back high up a stool and be a voyeur, or you can be a participator right down in front. Maybe you want to lounge in the middle with your partner, letting it inspire you. Very warm, very cozy."

Zumanity, a provocative exhibition of human sensuality, arousal and eroticism, opens July 31st at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. An official announcement by Cirque du Soleil is scheduled for April 22nd.

"We're here to evoke, invoke and provoke," says Cirque du Soleil, and that's exactly what they're doing.

A Two Headed Cow?

By January 2003 it was apparent from another abrupt change in direction – Dominic Champagne (as co-director) came on board - and the constant rumors of delay that Zumanity, which Cirque had named the show, was not coming along as planned. Fascination touched on these in its June 2003 issue:

The fiery creative process we first saw documented in "Fire Within" seems to have taken hold of Zumanity. Earlier this month we reported that the "soft open" date of Zumanity had been pushed back two weeks from Thursday, July 31st to Thursday, August 14th to "address technical demands associated with the production of the new show." Now we have word that Varekai's Dominic Champagne has come in to co-direct with Rene Richard Cyr.

What's going on -- a meltdown? Not exactly. Here's what we found out from our sources...

The two-week delay, we understand, was caused by the contractor hired to construct the theater at the New York-New York Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas. Apparently, the contractor thought he had more time to complete the project than he actually had, due to a misreading of the schedule. Suddenly he could not meet the deadline of completion for Cirque's needs, which delayed the installation of special equipment needed to run the show, which in turn pushed back the rehearsal schedule. The theater has now been completed but we've seen what this problem has caused - the first time Cirque has had to announce a delay in the opening of one of its shows.

But the second issue, well, that's a bit more touchy, and sketchy. Zumanity is now suggested as being a "two-headed cow", with Rene Richard Cyr and Dominic Champagne making up those heads. But this pairing leads to a question, why bring in Champagne at all? Was management not happy with Cyr's direction and staging of the show?

It seems so. "Guy [Laliberte] said that he was confused after having seen what [Cyr] showed him," Andrew Watson, Director of Creation for Zumanity, admitted to Canadian newspaper La Presse. We've seen how Mr. Laliberte can make it clear if he doesn't like something (remember the apparatus from Varekai he got rid of?), but what does this mean for Zumanity?

It seems that this "human zoo", a show that is set to debut in two months, is going back to the drawing board of a sort. "This morning, we start at zero," said Director Cyr, indicating they plan to go back to the spark of the original idea and start again, albeit with the same performers, talents and performance space as before.

This is a shocking revelation that could have major repercussions for those seeing Zumanity in its first few weeks. Thankfully the upheaval at Zumanity has spared, for the time being, composer Simon Carpenter, who was rumored to had been let go, a suggested cause of the delay in the first place. But it doesn't seem to have spared Debra Brown, the Choreographer.

Marguerite Derrick had to step in for Debra Brown, as Brown would leave "Zumanity" 12 days before opening night at New York-New York. "Exhaustion" was the reason given by Gilles Ste. Croix, Director of Creation for the Montreal-based company. Lyn Heward, No. 2 in Cirque's hierarchy to founder Guy Laliberte, shed little light on Brown's departure, other than to say, "Debra and I discussed the situation and she said Marguerite is the best choice." Heward added, "She's really hit it off with director Dominic Champagne," which might be a way of saying Brown didn't. Champagne is co-director with Rene Richard Cyr. "If anything, this move, Debra and Marguerite together on the show, gives it more richness." Five or six of Brown's acts will remain in the show and "are a tribute to her," said Heward. Whatever is behind Brown's shocking exit, no one disputes Derricks' ability to make magic.

Debra Brown herself is cautious when asked why she left the Cirque days before the R-rated burlesque Zumanity show opened. She maintains "there's a lot of my work in it," but that she became tired and left because of "different methods of working." She alludes to decision-making differences: "There were three changes of directors on that show."

The Other Side...

Despite those challenges, Zumanity would open to the public on August 15, 2003 - and fall with a thud.

Original singer Kinnie Star left the show early on, and the way we heard it she wasn’t satisfied with the direction the music of the show was taking, so she and Cirque came to an amicable parting. (One might speculate that she was expecting more of a featured role in the show music, and the music's evolution didn't meet her expectations.) We also heard that, at Guy Laliberté’s insistence, the fire performers also left. Evidently Guy did not want any fire in this show; they were replaced with an aerial hoops act. And then there was the CD: it had been delayed while Cirque re-thought the entire endeavor, as the original album didn’t reflect the current state of the show after numerous changes Cirque had implemented. And when finally released (on March 22, 2005) the new version – the “Inspired by” soundtrack - didn’t win over fans either. There was very little music from the actual show, English lyrics, poems and narration that did not exist before. We speculate that this might have been done to “inspire” romance where a straight soundtrack would not do, but the drastic departure left the Zumanity album to become the weakest soundtrack in Cirque Musique’s canon.

Even so, by the time Zumanity had its gala premiere on October 19, 2003 the show came together a little more. And it would take quite a while – and even more changes – before the show would find its place in Las Vegas. Through the years Zumanity has endured, which shows us that even if a show premieres as a dud it can be salvaged given the right attention. Sometimes that requires just a tweak and sometimes that requires more drastic action – such as re-arranging the flow of the show and putting out a new visual and advertising campaign, which is exactly what Cirque du Soleil did on November 24, 2006:

The Resident Shows Division’s Marketing Department brought in the SpotCo agency from New York City to develop the new campaign. Many months ago the SpotCo creative team came to Las Vegas and viewed ZUMANITY over and over and over. They discussed the show with the artistic team and the marketing team and pinpointed their mandate: To create a visual identity for ZUMANITY that combines sexuality, humor and playful surprise to create the sensual side of Cirque du Soleil. In order to avoid turning-off the less adventurous Cirque du Soleil patrons it became apparent that we needed to communicate the element of humor and playfulness along with the element of sexuality.

Adding a creative new twist to Cirque’s saucy cabaret, the new ads contrast the sexuality and humor of ZUMANITY against the mundane nature of everyday life. Commonplace items such as fishbowls, water faucets, light bulbs and bathtubs seamlessly contrast with the sensual and sexy images of ZUMANITY.

Along with the new look, the show also moved away from the “Another Side of Cirque du Soleil” billing in favor of a brand new tagline, emphasizing that ZUMANITY really is “The Sensual Side of Cirque du Soleil.”

Thanks to Cirque du Soleil’s more drastic tactics, Zumanity has been able to celebrate a number of “wet and quivering orgasms”. And here's to many more earth-shattering, mind-altering, body-tingling cries in the darkness!

"I would say we have a little more tougher experience with 'Zumanity.' It was a little more conflict," Laliberté says. The backstage turmoil "took me by surprise because I would believe they would appreciate the fact that there was a great creative environment at their disposal." In time, "Zumanity" took flight as another success, and "we can develop an entire series of product under that brand," Laliberté says. "Eventually, 'Zumanity' will be its own brand, just as Cirque du Soleil is its own brand."