Las Vegas Weekly

April 28, 2009 · 8:25 PM

Cirque sets its sights on Manhattan

By Sarah Feldberg

Cirque du Soleil's Mystere at Treasure Island.

Photo: Gurzinski

O. Ka. Zumanity. Mystére. Love. And yes, Believe. With six of Cirque du Soleil’s 10 resident shows holed up in Las Vegas casinos, there is no better city than Las Vegas to take in Cirque’s over top spectacles replete with well-muscled contortionists and acrobats and lots of custom spandex.

However, according to a New York Times article published Tuesday afternoon, soon Las Vegas won’t be the only city world wide with multiple Cirque residencies. The 24-year-old Montreal-based company is expanding its Manhattan program beyond the annual winter show Wintuk at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden to include an as-yet-unnamed show that will play a “multiple-month run” at the Beacon Theatre on the Upper West Side beginning in early 2010.

But the nouveau circus company’s plans for bringing fanciful entertainment to the island don’t end there. In 2011, the Times reported, Cirque will also launch another Manhattan project, this one to set up shop at the famous Radio City Music Hall during the summer months when Rockettes and Christmas music just won’t do.

“We want something solid and permanent in the entertainment capital of the world, and we are hoping to have a presence in New York for 12 months a year,” said Cirque founder Guy Laliberté.

Of course, we know that Laliberté is still dreaming up the Elvis-centric Cirque show scheduled to debut at ARIA Resort and Casino at CityCenter this December, but “entertainment capital of the world?” Sniff. We’re a little hurt.

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