Great point, Starship. I think cirque is best when they fit a show into a relatively smaller theatre. LOVE is a perfect example of that. Bigger isn't always better.
I completely agree with you Taz. I also think Cirque is best when they don't try to complicate their shows or get too far ahead of themselves. I feel sometimes they get lost in their own mumbo jumbo that they loose what makes Cirque, Cirque.
I think Zarkana is in the best shape that it can be. It will never be my cup of tea nor a truly great Cirque show (in my mind). But, the changes made over the past year have definitely put the show in a better place than it was.
Joya looks interesting. The concept art looked very immersive and intriguing. However, as I say with Disney's concept art, the final product usually is only 50% of what the concept art displays. Embarrassingly so, I rolled my eyes at the plot. So I suppose we shall see.
I could see their being more of an appeal for a dinner theater concept considering the show will be apart of an upscale resort. I haven't seen a picture of the theater yet. Any links?
Joya looks interesting. I've seen every touring and sit down Cirque show in the United States since Cirque first performed in LA in 84 during the Olympics. Almost every one - the one that eluded me was Banana Shpeel. I bought tickets twice - once in New York and once in LA, and both times the show was canceled. I think a higher theatre power was watching over me based on the reviews.
I echo a lot of statements on here regarding "Iris" - at $250 for premium orchestra and $150 for regular orchestra, it was way too expensive for most theatre goers and tourists in LA. In my one person's opinion, it was not a well-conceived show, and compared to sit down shows in Vegas the whole set and staging looked cheap (though I'm sure it cost quite a bit). The premise they presented at the beginning of the show was "See motion pictures through the eyes of Cirque du Soleil" But it didn't follow that theme consistently. Right off we got a bunch of acts with no real thematic overlay except some video special effects. The acts were good, but didn't show us movies through the eyes of Cirque. Yes, they set up a tramp/innocent young man in the beginning who falls in love with a movie starlet but that thread meandered. And the comedy and clowning bits with audience participation were uninspired. Only when it started to interpret movie genres in the second act using cirque act settings did it start to work for me.
I didn't catch "Zarkana" in New York. But I saw it in Vegas and thought it was a dreary mess. The latest Cirque I saw was "Michael Jackson - One". Having seen the arena Jackson Cirque and the mediocre Elvis Cirque, I was not expecting much. But I was surprised. It's really well done, dynamic, well conceived and surprisingly moving. Next up "Kurios" in San Francisco in November.