# Cirque du Soleil **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 7, 2000, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cirque-du-soleil/18836 "2000-05-07T17:08:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2000, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cirque-du-soleil/18836/1 "2000-05-07T17:08:30Z")
I just caught the last twenty minutes or so of this wild show on Bravo and it had me strangely hypnotized. Looking at their [web site](http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/), it seems they won’t be in my neck o’ the woods until Fall of 2001, so I’m going to have to go to Tower Video and see if they have anything for me to get a bigger bite than I had this morning. Tickets $155 for VIP seats- critiques revues anyone? * * * Manual sig line #27 ---
**Author:** ![Breckinshire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@Breckinshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Breckinshire)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2000, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cirque-du-soleil/18836/2 "2000-05-07T17:52:28Z")
Sure, it sounds like a circus. But there are no tigers or peanuts or cotton candy, or smelly carnies named Hank with small hands. You’re better off investing that $155 into the IPO of my company, Breckinshire Industries. We make transparent plastic toilet seats. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2000, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cirque-du-soleil/18836/3 "2000-05-07T17:57:52Z")
I’ve seen two of their shows live (_Mystere_ and _Quidam_, which is the one you just saw on Bravo), plus have three shows on tape and one on DVD. My wall is festooned with Cirque posters. I’m a bit of a fan. The shows are well worth the ticket price, although I’ve never heard of them being as expensive as you list…their touring shows are usually in the $45 range for the best seats. Whaddaya get for a ‘VIP’ ticket? Oh, and, based as they are in Quebec, their operators have the sexiest accents when you call about tickets… Cirque du Soleil is absolutely amazing, and each new show is better than the last. I eagerly await the chance (and the funding) to return to Vegas and catch _O_, their show at Bellagio. _O_ uses a massive 1.5 million gallon water tank; all performances are in or above the water (on a barge or up near the ceiling; you know circus folks). I know for sure that three shows are out on videotape, _Cirque Reinvente_, _Nouvelle Expérience_, and _Saltimbanco_. _Quidam_ is out on DVD, but I don’t know if it can be bought on VHS, although I’d imagine so. _Cirque Reinvente_ is the oldest and most primitive of the shows; they really hadn’t found their voice yet, although the performances are still pretty good, especially the Mad Conductor. The music is mighty good, too. Think about getting some CDs. The CD from _Quidam_ is an enhanced CD, so you’ll get pictures, video, and the like if you put it in a CD-ROM drive. And, in visiting their website, I see that the DVD for the movie _Alegría_ is available…time to order. hehehe. I’m such a pathetic addict… ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2000, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cirque-du-soleil/18836/4 "2000-05-07T19:38:21Z")
I caught part of their show on a canadian special one night. I was mesmerized. I can only imagine what it would be like to see it in real life. Forget Breckenshire’s transparant toilet seats, buy my IPO of Ujest Inc, we manufacture the Emperor’s Clothing. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2000, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cirque-du-soleil/18836/5 "2000-05-07T21:29:19Z")
The Dralion VIP Package includes: •One of the best seats in the house (Section 100, 101 or 102). •Complimentary preferred parking •Personalized will-call service and a warm Cirque du Soleil welcome •Access to the comfortable Lincoln Suite via an exclusive entrance. Your experience begins one hour before the show •An array of gourmet horse doovers 😉 and variety of refreshments •Beverages and an assortment of desserts during the intermission •A closer look at Cirque du Soleil, provided by our entertaining hosts and a unique exhibit •Priority purchasing from the vast selection of Cirque du Soleil merchandise. No line-ups here •A complimentary souvenir program. Take the experience home with you •An exclusive Dralion gift I figure if I’m gonna go, I’m gonna _ **go** _. * * * Manual sig line #28 ---
**Author:** ![Breckinshire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@Breckinshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Breckinshire)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2000, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cirque-du-soleil/18836/6 "2000-05-07T21:31:42Z")
And monkeys. They got no monkeys! \ ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2000, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cirque-du-soleil/18836/7 "2000-05-07T22:12:18Z")
That’s kind of the reason I don’t go to the traditional circus any more. I’ve been twice in my life and each time I was not amused by the enslaved animals. If I want monkeys, I’ll go to the zoo- at least there, the animals have a reasonable facsimile of a home & don’t live out their lives in leg chains. Oh, and it just plain **stunk**. * * * Manual sig line #29 ---
**Author:** ![KP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a9adbd/32.png) [@KP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KP)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2000, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cirque-du-soleil/18836/8 "2000-05-08T00:03:29Z")
Sorry for being a bit offtopic, but do any of the circus lovers here know if/when the acrobats of the Peking Circus (Not the “Peking Acrobats” - who are now the New Shanghai Acrobats, anyway) are touring abroad again? I have a firm certainty that I’ll find about about it after they return home ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2000, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cirque-du-soleil/18836/9 "2000-05-08T00:18:22Z")
I once flew to Ottawa to see _Saltimbanco_. I am a fan. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kilgore\_Trout\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6de8d8/32.png) [@Kilgore\_Trout\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilgore_Trout_1)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2000, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cirque-du-soleil/18836/10 "2000-05-08T00:49:22Z")
there is an IMAX movie coming out that features Cirque du Soleil… looks interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Breckinshire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@Breckinshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Breckinshire)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2000, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cirque-du-soleil/18836/11 "2000-05-08T01:17:24Z")
[hijack] Opus, I agree wholeheartedly with you about the way animals are treated in a circus environment, and also prefer the zoo. Thankfully, circuses aren’t really popular anymore, and I haven’t heard of one coming to my area in years. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Strider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Strider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strider)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2000, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cirque-du-soleil/18836/12 "2000-05-08T02:57:23Z")
Well you can call me the crazy guy who got the VIP package. I bought the tickets for my SO for her birthday and it was AWESOME. I had seen Saltimbanco years ago and I loved it and wanted to go back, my girlfriend had seen the ads on TV and thought it would be really cool, and her birthday was coming up so…voila! The gifts they give you are a free program and a cool little CD holder, with Dralion stamped on the cover. It has a weird shimmery blue look to it. Also free beer, wine and soda, and TONS of little snacks. You also got to meet some of the preformers and buy merchandise with no line. Plus it just makes you feel cool. We had our own entrance to the main tent, so we did not have to stand outside in the rain waiting to get in. We also got parking about 10 feet from the entrace. To get to the VIP parking you have to cut in line and drive off to the side and show your tickets to some guy. About 10 cars saw me move over to the side of the line and followed me. Then when the guy told them this was for VIPs only they had to turn around and get back in at the end of the line. It was pretty funny. I personally thought it was worth it and so did my SO. She is still rewarding me for that present. 😉 -N ---
**Author:** ![RTA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@RTA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTA)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2000, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cirque-du-soleil/18836/13 "2000-05-08T03:34:30Z")
Normal circuses are very lame because of their high animal-abuse factor. But Cirque du Soleil strikes me as a bunch of holier-than-thou, Euro-foofoo artistes … if I wanted to see a bunch of fancy-pants mimes, I’d - oh wait, I _never_ want to see a bunch of fancy-pants mimes! But I HAVE seen the Chinese acrobats, and as far as I could tell they are little more than abused animals themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2000, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cirque-du-soleil/18836/14 "2000-05-09T15:30:50Z")
I saw the Cirque du Soleil show _Quidam_ when it came to Atlanta a year or so ago. It was terrific. On Valentine’s Day of this year I saw the Cirque du Soleil IMAX movie, _Journey of Man_. Ho hum, I say, ho hum! The sensawonda of the circus did not transfer to the screen, unfortunately. Then, when I was in Las Vegas earlier this year I saw _Mystere_, which is CdS’s resident show at the Treasure Island casino. It was even better than _Quidam_. Then, two nights later and still in Vegas, I saw _O_, the CdS resident show at the Bellagio. It was easily five times better than _Mystere_! The water tank seemed to add so many possibilities to the production, while removing none that the other shows had. If you’re ever in Vegas, even at $100 a ticket, this is a no-misser. I understand there are resident shows at Beau Rivage in Biloxi and Disney World in Florida (_Allegria_ and _La Nouba_, respectively. If you get near either of those places, check 'em out. The resident shows have an advantage over the touring shows like _Quidam_, because they can use permanent and therefore more elaborate fixtures for the acts (like water tanks, for example). ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Cynical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Mr.Cynical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Cynical)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2000, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cirque-du-soleil/18836/15 "2000-05-09T16:01:30Z")
I am |–| \<---- That close to buying tickets right now. Somebody stop me! ---
**Author:** ![Germ\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Germ\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Germ_Boy)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2000, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cirque-du-soleil/18836/16 "2000-05-09T16:15:12Z")
::sound of me nudging Mr. Cynical that last millimeter:: Go for it, you’ll never regret it!! ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2000, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cirque-du-soleil/18836/17 "2000-05-09T16:30:14Z")
The decline of the Big Top constitutes one of the major cultural advances of the late 20th century. I hate Cirque de Soleil, too. The irritating animal abuse is absent, true, but the vague uneasy and spooky feeling a Sensitive Aesthete like myself always experiences at the circus is cranked up to an unbearable degree. Contortionists and evil clowns and Kurt Weill-type music…I’ll just stay home and have my nightmares, thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2000, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cirque-du-soleil/18836/18 "2000-05-09T16:32:49Z")
“Contortionists and evil clowns and Kurt Weill-type music.” —Now, if THAT’S what SD get-togethers were like, I’d start goin’ again! ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2000, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cirque-du-soleil/18836/19 "2000-05-14T04:27:07Z")
I bought Quidam a few days ago & have watched it every day since. The other’s don’t seem to be available on VHS. Now I have to buy a damn DVD player :mad: * * * Manual sig line #51 ---
**Author:** ![mazirian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@mazirian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mazirian)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2000, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cirque-du-soleil/18836/20 "2000-05-14T08:23:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > Contortionists and evil clowns and Kurt Weill-type music…I’ll just stay home and have my nightmares, thank you. > \*\* Hey, I like my circus scary and depressing, I’ve been to the Great Circus of Moscow! Besides, all clowns are evil, you know that! BTW, thank you for your book recommendation (Donald Westlake). And sorry I’m late, but I didn’t have the heart to drag the old thread up. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cirque-du-soleil/18836.md?page=2)