Cirque comes full circle

Thursday, April 11, 1996

Performance troupe to return to L.A. in SeptemberBy Emily
Forster

Daily Bruin Contributor

Jean David, vice-president of marketing for the Cirque du
Soleil, announced in a morning press conference yesterday that the
performance troupe will be coming back to Los Angeles with a new
show and a new ticket agency this September.

The new production, entitled "Quidam" (the French word for
passerby or stranger), will employ cutting edge technology to
enhance the show while Admission Network USA, Cirque du Soleil’s
substitute for Ticket Master, will, according to David, allow for
more personal service.

"This new production is going to be more theatrical than
anything we’ve had in the past," said David. "This one is going to
be darker, more high tech and a lot of surprises. Basically it’s
going to be something you wouldn’t expect under the big top."

While the unique circus has continued to gain critical praise
over the past 12 years, this prosperity in itself poses a problem
because, according to David, for a show now to be deemed successful
it must top the last one.

"We try to reinvent ourselves with each show," said David. "It’s
a real challenge, but we decided to take it much farther with
‘Quidam.’"

"They’ve created an aerial conveyer which no other show has
used," said David. "It’s like a half-dome inside the big top and
there is a special light system inside of it, so the lighting will
be very different. And there will be a different sound. It’ll still
be a Cirque du Soleil sound, but it has more dramatic
intensity."

The composer responsible for this new sound not only created new
music, but also an opportunity for his 11-year-old daughter, Audrey
Brisson-Jutras, to tour with the troupe as a singer. Her young
voice will add a quality to the sound that David describes as
"different and aerial."

But not all the technological improvements have to do with the
actual show.

"Before our audiences had to sit in bleachers, but with new
advancements, we have chairs," said David. "It’s a good thing
because 40-year-old people don’t want to watch the show on
bleachers. We are very excited about it."

Tickets for Quidam will be cheaper with the aid of Admission
Network, but there will be fewer outlets to buy the tickets from
than if Ticket Master were handling the event. David hoped that
positives outweighed the negatives.

"Ticket Master does whatever they want, and that’s their
business," said David. "But we’d like to offer our customers
something that is better."

The Cirque du Soleil is Admission Network USA’s only client so
far. But the general manager of admission, Keith Kelly, was
optimistic about the future of the company.

"In any market where there is a company without competition,
which Ticket Master certainly is, there’s room for a company like
us," said Kelly. "We want to focus on customer satisfaction."

INFO: Tickets for "Quidam" go on sale April 14 at 9 a.m. The
show will open at the Santa Monica Pier on September 25. For
tickets to "Quidam" or ticket information on "Saltimbanco"
(currently touring in Europe), "Alegría" (touring in Asia),
and "Mystère" (in Las Vegas) call (800) 678-5440. For
information on Cirque’s tours, shows or hiring, see Cirque du
Soleil’s web site at http://www.cirquedusoleil. com