The Legend Lives On - Official Cirque du Soleil 'Immortal World Tour' Discussion

More dates in Mexico: September 1st & 2nd.

Pre-sale: August 2nd & 3rd

So they will play Mexico: August 24th through September 2nd. (No show on 27th)
 
Ágnes;3683800 said:
The show is coming to Budapest/Hungary on 5&6 February 2012. :woohoo:

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Philipp Siegrist, rings acrobat for the Immortal World Tour on the Dancing Machine and Can You Feel It numbers, and an adorable guy, shares with us a nice inside of the show.. His makeup!

Very nice! Enjoy! ;)

 
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Philipp Siegrist, rings acrobat for the Immortal World Tour on the Dancing Machine and Can You Feel It numbers, and an adorable guy, shares with us a nice inside of the show.. His makeup!

Very nice! Enjoy! ;)


He isn't going to lose his job with the Immortal tour is he? I hope not. I am still sad they are getting rid of Can You Feel It and WBSS :(
 
He isn't going to lose his job with the Immortal tour is he? I hope not. I am still sad they are getting rid of Can You Feel It and WBSS :(

He is, and that just breaks my heart everytime I think about it. :cry:

But he's talented, strong, disciplined and has a heart bigger than his muscles hehehe, so, I'm not too affraid for him... So.. for those who'll see the show until September 2nd, cheer for him :)

(and if you have a chance, go meet him after the show... and say hi from me hehehe ;) )
 
He is, and that just breaks my heart everytime I think about it. :cry:

But he's talented, strong, disciplined and has a heart bigger than his muscles hehehe, so, I'm not too affraid for him... So.. for those who'll see the show until September 2nd, cheer for him :)

(and if you have a chance, go meet him after the show... and say hi from me hehehe ;) )

Are they definitely removing Can You Feel It and WBSS? They are two of the biggest parts of the show. The beginning won't be as good without WBSS. How will the medley work? Will it just start with DSTYGE? I'm concerned because they are removing a pretty big act, one that is very Cirque like, and they have already come under some criticism for not having enough Cirque elements. Not to mention that Gone Too Soon has already been cut. It's going to be a very short show and I fear they will get a lot of criticism from fans and critics alike for these decisions, which are obviously cost cutting. The arenas they are playing in Europe are no smaller than the ones in the US after all. Fans who've seen clips on the internet are going to be dissapointed. I don't want to see a show that's only half of what it used to be. And just what is the real story with the Giving Tree? There was so much hype about how it was the centre piece of the show. It looked great and then suddenly after a couple of shows the top part gets cut. Literally. They must have had it planned out logistically before hand, not to mention the expense and time of putting it together and rehearsing with it, so I don't buy that it was a logistical issue. What happened? Was someone injured or something?

I'm not being critical of the show. I'm just a concerned ticket holder. I have tickets for three performances at the O2 including front row premium seats for one!
 
Stella I have a ticket for the O2 too. With all these changes I am so happy I saw it in Vegas. The story I heard about the giving tree was that 1st it was not completed, and then later I heard that it was taking too long to set up for each show. I also heard that they had to cancel shows because it was taking too long to set up certain sets from one show to the other. Who knows. It seems they are streamlining the show, so maybe the end results may not be too bad?

Maybe they will add more cirque elements to the parts they are keeping in the show. The other thing is that you can't please all the cirque lovers and you cannot please all the Michael fans either, so they have to figure out if this show will be more Michael oriented or cirque oriented or a complete blend between the two.

What I am going to do is go to the O2 with an open mind.
 
Are they definitely removing Can You Feel It and WBSS? They are two of the biggest parts of the show. The beginning won't be as good without WBSS. How will the medley work? Will it just start with DSTYGE?

As far as I know yes the cuts are still being made. I agree with you, I really don't get why WBSS is being cut, it doesn't take much machines, it's only dancers, costumes, jumping around.. and it just starts the show, it makes it so dynamic... Anyway, I guess we can't be sure of anything now until they make the first shows in Europe.

As for the Giving Tree, I also heard couple of explanation, it's probably a mix of all those.. got broken, was supposed to get repaired for Toronto, was too difficult to travel, was too dangerous for dancers (they used to dances on the branches.. risky...)

Anyway, they are in Vancouver now, only 13 shows to go before the end of the North American tour, and end of the contract for 13 of the artists... Time will tell what comes for Europe..
 
Stella I have a ticket for the O2 too. With all these changes I am so happy I saw it in Vegas. The story I heard about the giving tree was that 1st it was not completed, and then later I heard that it was taking too long to set up for each show. I also heard that they had to cancel shows because it was taking too long to set up certain sets from one show to the other. Who knows. It seems they are streamlining the show, so maybe the end results may not be too bad?

Maybe they will add more cirque elements to the parts they are keeping in the show. The other thing is that you can't please all the cirque lovers and you cannot please all the Michael fans either, so they have to figure out if this show will be more Michael oriented or cirque oriented or a complete blend between the two.

What I am going to do is go to the O2 with an open mind.

I am so happy/completely jealous you get to go to London. I am imagine it will be very emotional knowing Michael should have been there :(

Truly, I am thrilled for you and please come back and tell us all the details. I saw the show 5 times and I am excited to hear the changes. I am very optimistic the changes will be for the better :)
 
Michael Jackson show continues to conquer the box office

‘The Immortal’ returns to Southern California, still dominating the touring world.

When Cirque du Soleil titled its new Michael Jackson show "The Immortal World Tour," the name wasn't just symbolic. Its second appearance in Southern California this year, Tuesday and Wednesday at the Staples Center, is only the beginning of a large, seemingly endless life for this glitzy tribute to the King of Pop.

The Quebec-based company has graduated from humble beginnings as an itinerant New Age-y tent circus into a worldwide live-entertainment juggernaut that can craft multi-media events of unparalleled size and sophistication.

A scene from "Michael Jackson The Imnmortal," which plays the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Aug. 14 and 15. It's the highest-grossing road show in America so far this year.
PHOTO BY OSA IMAGES, TEXT BY PAUL HODGINS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER



‘Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour’

'Michael Jackson the Immortal World Tour'

Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles
When: 8 p.m. Aug. 14 and 15
How much: $50-$250
Tickets: 800-745-3000
Online: ticketmaster.com

Cirque pays special attention to Las Vegas and Southern California, two parts of the world that have been especially good for its bottom line over the last quarter-century.

Its valentine to Hollywood, the permanently running "Iris," revitalized an under-utilized and troubled Los Angeles albatross (the former Kodak Theatre, now the Dolby Theatre) thanks to an investment of more than $110 million and an aggressive marketing campaign.

Cirque's MJ show, which debuted in Montreal last October and opened at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in early December, will have a permanent home there. After the departure of "The Lion King" from the Mandalay Bay at the end of 2011, construction crews began a one-year makeover for a completely different version of "The Immortal" with a larger and more elaborate set. It is slated to open in May 2013.

Meanwhile, the incarnation of "The Immortal World Tour" that began in Vegas is living up to the screeching pre-opening hype. Cirque's investment in the show and its ambitious multi-year plans for it have proven good bets so far.

Soon after it opened in Vegas, the revenue numbers were eye-popping. Pollstar reported that "Immortal" was the highest-grossing live show in the country, with nearly $2 million in tickets sold for each night of its initial run through Dec. 27. According to Pollstar it was the top-earning touring act during the first six months of 2012, playing 95 times in 46 cities and selling 703,793 tickets for a total take of $78.5 million.

We talked to Travis Payne, one of 12 choreographers who worked on "The Immortal" with its director, Jamie King, about the phenomenon of the show, his long association with the late pop star, and how everything came together. Payne collaborated with Jackson for many years and was the principal choreographer for the singer's "This Is It" international tour, which was cut short by Jackson's 2009 death.


The Orange County Register: We saw "The Immortal" when it opened last December in Las Vegas. Has the show changed since then?

Travis Payne: That's the last time I saw it, too. I've been busy. I will see it again in L.A. With a show the size and scale of "Immortal," something is always being retailored. The biggest deal was in the (original show) we had this gigantic Giving Tree. It was the centerpiece of the show. That presented problems in some venues because of the weight, so we changed it.

The Register: It sounds like your attention is split right now.

Payne: We're gearing up for the second show that will live permanently in Las Vegas starting next year. That's huge. (The touring and Las Vegas productions) will be two totally different shows. Jamie King is directing (the permanent show) and I am choreographing with a team.


The Register: What was your biggest challenge when working on "The Immortal"?

Payne: My principal responsibility was to reproduce Michael's classic choreography with a new generation of performers. We're working with songs that everybody knows: "Thriller," "Dangerous," "Smooth Criminal." We wanted to audience to see those songs more or less as they remembered them. It was about paying homage to all this great work, and not to simply recreate it but re-imagine it while keeping all the signature moves and shapes intact.

The Register: What was it like working with kids who weren't around when these songs were new?

Payne: I tried to communicate as much of the back story behind the movement as possible, and the reasoning for certain things. Of course, there was a team of coaches as well as more than 60 actors and dancers and singers and musicians. It was a huge machine. The schedule had to be very clever for us to be able to have the dancers that we needed when we needed them, in the midst of their make-up sessions and physical fitness classes. It's like putting on a ballet, a musical and a rock concert all at once.

The Register: MJ's talents as a dancer and choreographer are often overlooked. What was the essence of his genius in that area?

Payne: I think he was able to create a movement language that was all his own. He would take his inspiration from different places, whether it was Baryshnikov doing a ballet or urban kids on the street doing hip-hop or even matadors in the bull ring. He admired Fred Astaire, Bob Fosse, Diana Ross. Over the years he remained a student of movement. He had different collaborators along the way. I was fortunate to be one of them starting in 1992. We would bounce moves and shapes back and forth. What I loved about his movement is that there were really no rules. And it was simple enough that his fans could do the moves, but innovative enough to catch your eye.

The Register: What did you learn from working with Michael?

Payne: He was a total perfectionist. Every experience was different, but we were always creating at the highest level. The energy was great. I knew it was a special time. He was great mentor, but he taught by example. I worked hard, but it never felt like work.


http://www.ocregister.com/entertainment/immortal-368193-payne-vegas.html

 
kai chase ?@chefkaichase
MJ's Immortal Cirque Du Soleil show is here in Los Angeles for 2 days. It's a MUST see!


kai chase ?@chefkaichase
Going to see the MJ Immortal Cirque Du Soleil show tonight. What a wonderful pre-birthday gift. Thank you, #katherinejackson!!

kai chase ?@chefkaichase
Me and my girlfriend Angie are settled in our seats and ready to "rock" to my forever boss and friend...Mr. Michael Jackson!!

kai chase ?@chefkaichase
I had such a great time tonight at the MJ Immortal show. I laughed, I cried, I danced, I sang and I celebrated!

kai chase ?@chefkaichase
...And what's up with "Bubbles?". Was that suppose to be him on stage with MJ?? LOL!!

kai chase ?@chefkaichase
@ANNIEisNOTokay my favorite cirque performance was Human Nature and my favorite part was MJ on LCD screens!
 
Rumor of the show hitting Bercy (France) in April 2013. Hope we get confirmation soon. Salah the lead, is from France :)

Hard to believe it's already been 9 months since the launch...and now it's over for us.
 
Seriously, they cannot cut out WBSS! That's one of Michael's best and most popular songs! It's almost like cutting out Billie Jean!
 
October is coming so I hope UK fans are geared up to see the show!!!!! We need to do something about these airlines, because how come the same price I paid to go to London in June, is the same price showing up for October? Isn't October supposed to be off-peak? What happened to those cheap Fall fares from the US to Europe??
 
I am going to see it in Denmark October 27th in Parken Stadium!

Can't WAIT !
 
Cirque to open Mandalay Bay nightclub ahead of Michael Jackson show


Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte is reportedly opening a nightclub in February at Mandalay Bay ahead of his new Michael Jackson residency show starting there in the spring. It confirms our previous Vegas DeLuxe story, but because there is no official announcement yet, it’s unclear if this will take the place of the long-vacant nightspot Rumjungle.
It would be Cirque’s first standalone nightclub, and Andrew Sasson’s Light Group will manage it as Guy’s partner. Cirque launched Revolution at the Mirage in tandem with the casino resort and its show there, “The Beatles’ Love.”
Guy promises that the Mandalay Bay space will be a unique nightclub: “It’s an opportunity to materialize what we have been doing for 20 years with Cirque’s special projects,” he said.

Guy is known for fantastic, over-the-top parties and premieres he throws at Montreal headquarters and at his summer playground home in Ibiza, where the extraordinary and wild Manumission parties first brought prominence to the Spanish island playground.

If the opening-night celebration of “Michael Jackson: the Immortal World Tour” in Montreal last October is any indication, I can tell you from attending it that Guy’s legendary parties will bring new meaning to Las Vegas being the Nightclub Party Capital of the World.
The new Mandalay Bay nightclub doesn’t have a name yet, but the design calls for it to welcome 2,000 party revelers nightly. It no longer appears that the nightclub first reported here at Vegas DeLuxe will be themed as a Michael Jackson party palace.
So far, Guy has revealed that the roof will be rigged with Cirque technical equipment to allow performers to move up and down from the ceiling and along walls so that “every person in the club gets roped into the show.” Call them integrated performances among guests, dancers and DJs. Apparently, partygoers will even be able to get costumes produced by Cirque to really join the circus.
Guy launched the U.S. tour of “Michael Jackson: the Immortal World Tour” at Mandalay Bay last December. It is currently wrapping up its U.S. run before moving to Europe this fall.
The new permanent Michael Jackson residency is set to open in mid-May. Pre-production is well underway, with director Jamie King moving to Montreal next month for first rehearsals. The cast will move to Las Vegas early next year for the load-in at the reconfigured “The Lion King” theater in Mandalay Bay.
“It will be completely different from the ‘Immortal’ show,” Jamie has told me. “This will be a theater show, not an arena tour production. It will have a completely different feel. Both shows must be different, and they will be. The theater is under construction, and it has much potential. I am excited for the future.”



http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2012/aug/27/cirque-open-mandalay-bay-nightclub-ahead-michael-j/
 
^^This nightclub sounds exciting. I wouldn't be joining in the act, but I would certainly dance, drink, sing, talk and have fun. I am so glad this is happening in Vegas, one of my favorite states.
 
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