For November 2021, the company announces it will present “Kooza” in Punta Cana in November 2021. The management sees Punta Cana as a prime travel option for US travelers in these pandemic times.
Cirque du Soleil announces it will relaunch its tours with two of its longest-running live shows going live in Las Vegas, “Mystère” and “O,” in time for the July Fourth weekend this year.
Covid-19 had pushed the Montreal-based company into bankruptcy protection. The announcement is a comeback for the Canadian acrobatic entertainment company now under new ownership.
“I think our opening becomes the symbol that entertainment is back,” said Cirque Chief Executive Daniel Lamarre, as reported in Los Angeles Times.
Lamarre said the Cirque shows will comply with the health mandates but are aiming to operate at full capacity, without social distancing. Cirque shows need only 40% capacity to break even, Lamarre said, but they are aiming for 100%.
“If you’re a US citizen, you don’t have that many places to travel around the world, so if you want to entertain yourself after a year of confinement, the place to go is to Las Vegas,” he said. “My belief, short term [is], at least for a year, you will have more American citizens going to Vegas than international clients.”
Punta Cana is also an attractive destination for tourists. The low density and wide spread out resorts are ideal for vacationing while keeping physical distancing.
The spokesperson for Cirque du Soleil explains that the return of touring shows remains complicated because the Covid-19 situation varies from state to state in the United States and from country to country worldwide. Prior to the pandemic, Cirque tours reached more than 450 cities around the world each year.
“The US market is going to be more important for us, more than normally, because it’s becoming every day a much safer market. I would think that in 2022 I wouldn’t be surprised if we had three touring shows touring in the U.S. because of the fact that it’s a much safer country,” he said. “The UK is also looking pretty good, and some others in Europe as well. We are monitoring all the other countries around the world to see what our options are.”
Cirque du Soleil is scheduling “Luzia” for January 2022 in London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Cirque is also working on setting a new opening date for “Drawn to Life,” its collaboration with Disney that was set to open in Orlando, Fla., last year. “It’s a tribute to Disney animation, and we felt honored to have the opportunity to do a show with the IP [intellectual property] of Disney,” Lamarre said. “We should be able to open sometime in the fall.”
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Los Angeles Times
21 April 2021