CIRQUE DU SOLEIL
Cirque du Soleil
This month we’re taking a look at the general history of Cirque du Soleil’s filmed live releases. In 2015, Cirque du Soleil partnered with NBC to produce The Wiz Live! in the hopes the musical would become a Broadway production. The made-for-television special was not filmed in front of a live audience, though Cirque du Soleil has a long history of releasing filmed live productions.
Founded by two street performers in Quebec in 1984, Cirque du Soleil has grown into one of the largest, and most influential, entertainment companies in the world. With their creative and immersive theatrical circus-inspired productions, the Canadian company has been credited with bringing a European sensibility to American circus, producing spectacular shows that are universally accessible. Cirque du Soleil employees over 4000 people, and has been enjoyed by millions of people on every continent around the world, save for Antarctica.
For such an influential company, it is surprising to discover how little has been formally written (at least publicly) about Cirque du Soleil’s history. To date, there has been one official “history,” Cirque du Soleil: 20 Years Under the Sun: An Authorized History, written by Tony Babinski in 2004. The book is a stunning publication with incredible images from the company’s two decades performing around the globe. Much like Cirque shows themselves however, the book is limited in words and narrative.
Another source, with far more detailed information, is a fan site Cirque Fascination. Created by Ricky Russo, who writes under the pseudonym Richasi, the site has been providing online articles and the monthly “Fascination Newsletter” which features news, updates, features, and “all things Cirque du Soleil,” since 2001.
Cirque du Soleil have been capturing their content for screen almost since the beginning, and over their thirty year history have released over forty film, television, and home entertainment products, including behind-the-scenes specials, film adaptations, and documentaries.
Twenty-one of these releases are captures of live performances. Cirque du Soleil shows have been captured in cities all around the world, released on VHS, DVD, and television, and online. In discussing the positive impact of video releases on sales at the box office, Cirque du Soleil CEO Daniel Lamarre has been quoted as saying “…when we put our shows on video it entices people to come to the show.”
To begin with, Cirque du Soleil filmed and released productions from an in-house division called Télémagik. Taped productions, including La Magie Continue (1986), Le Cirque Réinvente (1988), Nouvelle Experience (1990), and Saltimbanco (1994), were released on Canadian television. These titles were also released on VHS to the North American market, and occasionally in Europe.
A few early productions also aired on Japanese television. Cirque du Soleil partnered with Japanese network Fuji Television in the early 1990s. Jean David wrote
“Fuji Television, the country’s biggest private TV network, became our privileged partner. The media giant had vast experience in producing shows of all sorts: variety, opera, and theater. The Japanese can’t get enough of big American-style shows. And Fuji television capitalizes on their viewers’ interest.”
Télémagik was renamed Cirque du Soleil Images, sometimes referred to as CdSi, in 1997.
Two years later, in 1999, Cirque du Soleil partnered with Columbia/Tri-Star, now Sony Home Entertainment, to film Quidam in Amsterdam. Quidam was released internationally on television, and also on DVD, the first Cirque du Soleil show to be released in that medium. The DVD contained bonus features, including behind-the-scenes footage. The European release also included A Baroque Odyssey, a documentary celebrating Cirque du Soleil’s 10th anniversary.
In 2001, seven Cirque du Soleil shows were released on DVD under the Columbia/Tri-Star label, including La Magie Continue, Cirque Réinvente, Nouvelle Experience, Saltimbanco, Alegria, Quidam, and Journey of Man. A Baroque Odyssey was also released, and a special 90-minute version of Alegria was aired on television.
2001 also saw the release of Dralion on DVD. Filmed before a live audience over four days with fourteen cameras in San Francisco, the DVD bonus features included a making-of documentary entitled “In the Heart of Dralion,” and the option to watch 4 different numbers from a selection of 4 different camera angles.
Dralion also aired on North American television, and was awarded three Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special, Outstanding Costumes, and Outstanding Direction.
In April 2004, American television network Bravo hosted a “Cirque Week” where several Cirque du Soleil productions received multiple airings over the course of a few days. Productions included Quidam, Saltimbanco, Nouvelle Experience, Varekai, Alegria, Le Cirque Reinvente, Dralion, and the premiere of Cirque’s original made-for-television variety/sitcom series Solstrom.
The Las Vegas spectacular KÁ aired on Arte TV in France and Austria in late 2007. According to Wikipedia and IMDb listings, German network ZDF later re-aired the program in parallel with a new German-language documentary, KÁ Backstage, which included night-vision footage of stage hands preparing sets behind the scenes. The parallel screening “allowed viewers to switch between the channels with the same timeline.” The documentary is separate from the earlier 2005 KÁ English-language making-of release KÁ Extreme.
In 2009 a special 12-disc set, Anniversary Collection 1984-2005, was released on DVD. The set included La Magie Continue, Cirque Reinvente, Nouvelle Experience, Saltimbanco, A Baroque Odyssey, Quidam, Allegria, Dralion, Journey of Man, Varekai, La Nouba, and Midnight Sun.
Throughout the first decade of the 2000s, Cirque du Soleil continued to release, and re-release DVDs from their catalogue. Most DVDs were initially released in the North American market before receiving select international releases. Only a handful of these, Dralion, Varekai, Corteo, Kooza, Amaluna, and Kurios, were released on region-free discs. Nearly all the DVDs contain special features with behind-the-scenes documentaries, production stills, interviews, and music.
In 2010, CEO Daniel Lamarre stated that DVD sales were decreasing in general, and that the Cirque du Soleil was wary of releasing new titles into a declining market. While Toruk — The First Flight was released on region-free DVD in 2016, it is only available to purchase at the tour.
In 2013, Cirque du Soleil moved into digital streaming by partnering with Gravitas Ventures to make some of the the Cirque du Soleil catalogue available on iTunes and Hulu.
More recently, in June of this year, Cirque du Soleil formed a new partnership with theatre streaming network BroadwayHD. Eight titles including Nouvelle Experience, Saltimbanco, Dralion, Alegria, Kooza, Amaluna, and Toruk were made available to stream. Unfortunately, all of the bonus features which had been available on the DVD releases of these releases have not been made available in the online streams.
Given the large scale of Cirque du Soleil productions, it is curious that, with the exception of Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away, no filmed live shows have been released in the cinema. Worlds Away, released in 2013 was a film that incorporated acts from various Cirque productions into a new narrative. The film was released in 3D and described by the New York Times film critic as “no substitute for the real thing, [but] it is at least an effective advertisement.” The film is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
A lack of movie releases is soon set to change. On November 13, Fathom Events will be screening Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities in select cinemas in North America. Kurios is also available on region-free DVD, but like Toruk, is only available from the site of the touring production.
Next month, we’ll take a closer look at key filmed live Cirque du Soleil productions including Cirque du Soleil Tournee, Dralion, Toruk, and O.
Founded by two street performers in Quebec in 1984, Cirque du Soleil has grown into one of the largest, and most influential, entertainment companies in the world. With their creative and immersive theatrical circus-inspired productions, the Canadian company has been credited with bringing a European sensibility to American circus, producing spectacular shows that are universally accessible. Cirque du Soleil employees over 4000 people, and has been enjoyed by millions of people on every continent around the world, save for Antarctica.
For such an influential company, it is surprising to discover how little has been formally written (at least publicly) about Cirque du Soleil’s history. To date, there has been one official “history,” Cirque du Soleil: 20 Years Under the Sun: An Authorized History, written by Tony Babinski in 2004. The book is a stunning publication with incredible images from the company’s two decades performing around the globe. Much like Cirque shows themselves however, the book is limited in words and narrative.
Another source, with far more detailed information, is a fan site Cirque Fascination. Created by Ricky Russo, who writes under the pseudonym Richasi, the site has been providing online articles and the monthly “Fascination Newsletter” which features news, updates, features, and “all things Cirque du Soleil,” since 2001.
Cirque du Soleil have been capturing their content for screen almost since the beginning, and over their thirty year history have released over forty film, television, and home entertainment products, including behind-the-scenes specials, film adaptations, and documentaries.
Twenty-one of these releases are captures of live performances. Cirque du Soleil shows have been captured in cities all around the world, released on VHS, DVD, and television, and online. In discussing the positive impact of video releases on sales at the box office, Cirque du Soleil CEO Daniel Lamarre has been quoted as saying “…when we put our shows on video it entices people to come to the show.”
To begin with, Cirque du Soleil filmed and released productions from an in-house division called Télémagik. Taped productions, including La Magie Continue (1986), Le Cirque Réinvente (1988), Nouvelle Experience (1990), and Saltimbanco (1994), were released on Canadian television. These titles were also released on VHS to the North American market, and occasionally in Europe.
A few early productions also aired on Japanese television. Cirque du Soleil partnered with Japanese network Fuji Television in the early 1990s. Jean David wrote
“Fuji Television, the country’s biggest private TV network, became our privileged partner. The media giant had vast experience in producing shows of all sorts: variety, opera, and theater. The Japanese can’t get enough of big American-style shows. And Fuji television capitalizes on their viewers’ interest.”
Télémagik was renamed Cirque du Soleil Images, sometimes referred to as CdSi, in 1997.
Two years later, in 1999, Cirque du Soleil partnered with Columbia/Tri-Star, now Sony Home Entertainment, to film Quidam in Amsterdam. Quidam was released internationally on television, and also on DVD, the first Cirque du Soleil show to be released in that medium. The DVD contained bonus features, including behind-the-scenes footage. The European release also included A Baroque Odyssey, a documentary celebrating Cirque du Soleil’s 10th anniversary.
In 2001, seven Cirque du Soleil shows were released on DVD under the Columbia/Tri-Star label, including La Magie Continue, Cirque Réinvente, Nouvelle Experience, Saltimbanco, Alegria, Quidam, and Journey of Man. A Baroque Odyssey was also released, and a special 90-minute version of Alegria was aired on television.
2001 also saw the release of Dralion on DVD. Filmed before a live audience over four days with fourteen cameras in San Francisco, the DVD bonus features included a making-of documentary entitled “In the Heart of Dralion,” and the option to watch 4 different numbers from a selection of 4 different camera angles.
Dralion also aired on North American television, and was awarded three Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special, Outstanding Costumes, and Outstanding Direction.
In April 2004, American television network Bravo hosted a “Cirque Week” where several Cirque du Soleil productions received multiple airings over the course of a few days. Productions included Quidam, Saltimbanco, Nouvelle Experience, Varekai, Alegria, Le Cirque Reinvente, Dralion, and the premiere of Cirque’s original made-for-television variety/sitcom series Solstrom.
The Las Vegas spectacular KÁ aired on Arte TV in France and Austria in late 2007. According to Wikipedia and IMDb listings, German network ZDF later re-aired the program in parallel with a new German-language documentary, KÁ Backstage, which included night-vision footage of stage hands preparing sets behind the scenes. The parallel screening “allowed viewers to switch between the channels with the same timeline.” The documentary is separate from the earlier 2005 KÁ English-language making-of release KÁ Extreme.
In 2009 a special 12-disc set, Anniversary Collection 1984-2005, was released on DVD. The set included La Magie Continue, Cirque Reinvente, Nouvelle Experience, Saltimbanco, A Baroque Odyssey, Quidam, Allegria, Dralion, Journey of Man, Varekai, La Nouba, and Midnight Sun.
Throughout the first decade of the 2000s, Cirque du Soleil continued to release, and re-release DVDs from their catalogue. Most DVDs were initially released in the North American market before receiving select international releases. Only a handful of these, Dralion, Varekai, Corteo, Kooza, Amaluna, and Kurios, were released on region-free discs. Nearly all the DVDs contain special features with behind-the-scenes documentaries, production stills, interviews, and music.
In 2010, CEO Daniel Lamarre stated that DVD sales were decreasing in general, and that the Cirque du Soleil was wary of releasing new titles into a declining market. While Toruk — The First Flight was released on region-free DVD in 2016, it is only available to purchase at the tour.
In 2013, Cirque du Soleil moved into digital streaming by partnering with Gravitas Ventures to make some of the the Cirque du Soleil catalogue available on iTunes and Hulu.
More recently, in June of this year, Cirque du Soleil formed a new partnership with theatre streaming network BroadwayHD. Eight titles including Nouvelle Experience, Saltimbanco, Dralion, Alegria, Kooza, Amaluna, and Toruk were made available to stream. Unfortunately, all of the bonus features which had been available on the DVD releases of these releases have not been made available in the online streams.
Given the large scale of Cirque du Soleil productions, it is curious that, with the exception of Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away, no filmed live shows have been released in the cinema. Worlds Away, released in 2013 was a film that incorporated acts from various Cirque productions into a new narrative. The film was released in 3D and described by the New York Times film critic as “no substitute for the real thing, [but] it is at least an effective advertisement.” The film is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
A lack of movie releases is soon set to change. On November 13, Fathom Events will be screening Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities in select cinemas in North America. Kurios is also available on region-free DVD, but like Toruk, is only available from the site of the touring production.
Next month, we’ll take a closer look at key filmed live Cirque du Soleil productions including Cirque du Soleil Tournee, Dralion, Toruk, and O.