This article is part of my Cirque du Soleil Information Primer Articles Series.
Resident Shows of Cirque du Soleil
Resident shows are in contradiction to the Cirque du Soleil touring show, performed at one specific location/venue throughout it's run. A resident show does not come to visit people around the world, you have to pay it a visit yourself and travel to the location of the resident show, if you want to see it live. The venue is usually specially constructed and build from scratch for the Cirque du Soleil show and only that show is performed at that venue location.
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This allows Cirque to do things that are impossible with a touring show on the road that need to be packed up and moved to another city every couple months. Good examples of resident shows that take special advantage of their fix location are "O" with the big swimming pool as the stage and "KA" with the stage that is vertical and capable of rotating 360 degrees.
| Mystère (1993-..., 25.December 1994, Las Vegas) Location: Treasure Island hotel & casino in Las Vegas, NV Director: Franco Dragonè Director of Creation: Gilles Ste-Croix Music Composer: René Dupéré Set: Michel Crête Costumes/Props: Dominique Lemieux Lighting: Luc Lafortune Sound: Jonathan Deans Trainer/Choreographer: Debra Brown  watch 20+ min teaser video  Buy official Soundtrack - Buy Live Album  Get Show Tickets Mystère is French and means "Mystery" Spelling of the name: |
| "O" (1998-..., 19.October 1998, Las Vegas) Location: Bellagio hotel & casino in Las Vegas, NV Director: Franco Dragonè Director of Creation: Gilles Ste-Croix Music Composer: Benoit Jutras Set: Michel Crête Costumes/Props: Dominique Lemieux Lighting: Luc Lafortune Sound: Jonathan Deans, François Bergeron Trainer/Choreographer: Debra Brown watch 3 min video - 22 min video Buy official Soundtrack Get Show Tickets “O” is inspired by the concept of infinity and the elegance of water's pure form. The name “O” also represents the expression “Oh” that humans use when they are struck with awe, excitement, surprise or pleasure. |
| La Nouba (1998-..., 23.December 1998/28.January 1999, Orlando) Location: Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL Director: Franco Dragonè Director of Creation: Gilles Ste-Croix Music Composer: Benoit Jutras Set: Michel Crête Costumes/Props: Dominique Lemieux Lighting: Luc Lafortune Sound: Jonathan Deans, François Bergeron Trainer/Choreographer: Debra Brown watch 4:26 min teaser video  Buy Show DVD - Buy official Soundtrack Get Show Tickets The show name La Nouba originates from the French phrase “faire la nouba,” which means to party, to live it up. It is a world where dreams and reality intertwine as the urban and circus worlds meet on stage. Blending acrobatics, dazzling choreography, whimsical characters and live music, La Nouba stimulates our imagination from beginning to end. |
| Zumanity (2003-..., 31.July 2003/20.September 2003, Las Vegas) Location: New York, New York hotel & casino in Las Vegas, NV Directors: Dominic Champagne & René Richard Cyr Director of Creation: Andrew Watson Music Composer(s): Simon Carpentier, Anna Liani Set: Stéphane Roy Costumes/Props: Thierry Mugler/Normand Blais Lighting: Luc Lafortune Sound: Jonathan Deans Trainer/Choreographer: Debra Brown, Marguerite Derricks, Cal McCrystal watch 9 min teaser video - 8 min promo Buy official Soundtrack Get Show Tickets Zumanity explores the sensual side of Cirque du Soleil and is the first and only Cirque du Soleil show that is designed for mature audiences only. It is provocative, sexual, esthetic, beautiful, lustful and emotional, touching every aspect of human sexuality that each of us wants to experience, but often does not, due to social codes that do not allow the free expression of your inner feelings and desires. Zumanity deals with this conflict in a cabaret-like way and lets people forget about the codes, at least for the duration of the show itself. |
| KÀ (2004-..., 26.November 2004/03.February 2005, Las Vegas) Location: MGM Grand hotel & casino in Las Vegas, NV Director: Robert Lepage Director of Creation: Guy Caron Music Composer: René Dupéré Set: Mark Fisher Costumes/Props: Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt/Patricia Ruel Lighting: Luc Lafortune Sound: Jonathan Deans Trainer/Choreographer: Jacques Heim, Michael Curry (Puppets), André Simard watch 57 min Promo Video - 30 sec trailer - 90 min show 9 min videos 1 and 2 Buy official Soundtrack - Get Show Tickets KA is the story of two imperial twins who lost their parents, discover life and love on their journey to regain back their kingdom from the evil counselor and his son who invented a magic super weapon. They used this magic weapon to assume power of the people who helped them to take control over the kingdom of the twins. It is about the duality of KA, the power that has the ability to destroy and to create, war, love and the struggle in life itself. KA stands for “Life Force” in Egyptian mythology and is one of the five parts that make up a human soul. The other four parts are LB = heart, Sheut = Shadow, REN = Name and BA = Personality. KA is also the word for "Sun" or "King" in Sanskrit (Indian mythology), which is the title of Brahma (Hinduism). Spelling the name: |
| LOVE (2006-..., 02.June 2006/30.June 2006, Las Vegas) Location: The Mirage hotel & casino in Las Vegas, NV Director: Dominic Champagne Director of Creation: Gilles Ste-Croix, Chantal Tremblay (Assoc.) Music Composer: The Beatles, Sir George Martin, Giles Martin, Neil Aspinall Set: Jean Rabasse Costumes/Props: Philippe Guillotel/Patricia Ruel Lighting: Yves Aucoin Sound: Jonathan Deans Trainer/Choreographer: Hansel Cereza, Dave St-Pierre, Geneviève Dorion-Coupal, Daniel Ezralow, Margie Gillis, Michael Curry (Puppets), Daniel Cola/André Simard watch 10 min gala - watch 50 min preview Buy official Soundtrack - Get Show Tickets The Beatles “Love” starts with the last live performance of The Beatles on the roof at the Apple Studios in London on January 30, 1969. The Beatles songs itself inspired the acts of the Cirque performances, particularly their lyrics and their historic backgrounds or meanings to the individual members of the band. The title “Love” is derived from The Beatles single “All you need is Love”, which is also the song for the shows final and closing. |
| WINTUK (2007-..., 01.November 2007, New York City) Location: WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY (Seasonal Show, only performed during the Winter, Nov-Feb) Director: Robert Lepage Director of Creation: Fernand Rainville Music Composer: Simon Carpentier, Jim Corcoran Set: Patricia Ruel Costumes/Props: François Barbeau/Patricia Ruel Lighting: Yves Aucoin Sound: Jonathan Deans, Leon Rothenberg Trainer/Choreographer: Daniel Cola warch 9 Minutes Teaser Video Buy official Soundtrack - Get Show Tickets Wintuk is a whirlwind winter adventure about a boy—Jamie—and his quest to find snow. Jamie lives in an imaginary city where the arrival of winter has brought intense cold, but no snow! He interacts with a cast of high-energy urban street characters, including acrobats, dancers and talking lampposts. Jamie embarks on a journey to an imaginary North called Wintuk. He is joined by three companions—a female Shaman with magical powers, the girl he has fallen head over heels for and a timid young man called Wimpy, destined to discover his own courage. Jamie's goal: bring the snow back to where it belongs. |
| Zaia (2008-...,26.July./28.August.2008 Macao) Location: Venetian hotel and Casino in Macao, China Working titles "Cosmos" or "Macao I". Resident show at the COTAI ARENA® at the Sands Venetian Macao Hotel and Casino Resort at THE COTAI STRIP® in Macao, China Director: Gilles Maheu Director of Creation: Neilson Vignola Music Composer: Violaine Corradi Set: Guillaume Lord Costumes/Props: Dominique Lemieux Lighting: Axel Morgenthaler Sound: Steve Dubuc Trainer/Choreographer: Martino Müller, Leonid Leykin, Jeff Hall, Rob Bollinger watch 9 Minutes Teaser Video - watch 2:56 min Promo Get Show Tickets ZAIA is the dream of a young girl who journeys into space on a strange, yet familiar voyage of self-discovery. As she travels, she encounters the beauty of humanity and eventually brings it back with her to share with the inhabitants of earth. The title of the show, “ZAIA”, comes from a Greek name meaning “life”. It also sounds close to “Gaia”, which is the name of the living and self-aware, spirit of the earth. |
| Zed (2008-...,01.October.2008 Tokyo) Location: Cirque du Soleil Theatre @ Disney Tokyo Resort in Tokyo, Japan Director: François Girard Director of Creation: Line Tremblay Music Composer: René Dupéré Set: François Séguin Costumes/Props: Renée April Lighting: David Finn Sound: François Bergeron Trainer/Choreographer: Debra Brown, Jean-Jacques Pillet, Serge Lamothe (Playwright), Florence Pot watch 4:20 Minutes Snippet - watch 2:52 min of Premiere Get Show Tickets The name ZED is the name of the lead character of the show, the white fool called Zed. The inspiration for the show comes from the world of Tao, symbols, elements and also various characters, such as Zed. |
| Believe (2008-..., 10.October. 2008 Las Vegas) Location: The Luxor hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV Director: Serge Denoncourt, Criss Angel (Illusions) Director of Creation: Pierre Phaneuf, Christiane Barette (Assoc.) Music Composer: Éric Serra Set: Ray Winkler Costumes/Props: Mérédith Caron/Michael Curry Lighting: Jeanette Farmer Sound: Jonathan Deans Trainer/Choreographer: Wade Robson, André Simard watch 7 min Video - watch 2:47 min trailer Get Show Tickets Believe is the dark and gothic style magic show of Criss Angel in collaboration with Cirque du Soleil that is not like a traditional magic show that people are used to. It is also not like a traditional Cirque du Soleil show either. It is also not like Criss Angel’s TV show “Mindfreak”. “Believe” is the secret word that the legendary magician and escape artist Harry Houdini was giving to his wife at his death-bed before he died in 1926 to enable her to expose charlatans claiming to be able to communicate with the people in the afterlife. Only he and she knew the code word and the self proclaimed mediums did not. |
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| 2009 – Banana Shpeel aka VAUDEVILLE in Chicago (19.November.2009 Chicago) Location: The Chicago Theater in Chicago, Illinois probably also New York City, New York (date still unknown) Cirque du Soleil is putting a contemporary twist on Vaudeville by infusing this classic form of theatre with a modern flair. This brand new type of Cirque du Soleil production will feature comedy, dance and song. Get ready for an exciting fusion of genres, directed by David Shiner – accomplished comedic actor, Broadway creator and director of KOOZA from Cirque du Soleil. Writer & Director: David Shiner
From the official Cirque du Soleil web site:
The Name of the show The meaning of the show name “Banana Shpeel” “Banana *peel”– from Banana Peel, a symbol of traditional slapstick comedy and the Yiddish word “Shtick”, meaning a comic theme or gimmick, derived from the German word “Stück” (Stueck), which translates to “piece” or “thing”. Visit the official home page of the show or the "Creation Journal", which provides weekly updates on the shows production progress, including behind the scenes videos.
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Shows in Finalization Stage
 | 2009-... Viva ELVIS (December.18, 2009 Las Vegas) Location: The Aria City Center Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada Viva ELVIS is a new Cirque du Soleil resident show for the ARIA Resort & Casino at CityCenter in Las Vegas. Preview performances are behind shown between December 18, 2009 and January 28, 2010. Tickets for the preview performances are already on sale for Cirque Club members and will go on sale for the general public on December 15, 2009. The shows theme is the life and the music of the "King of Rock & Roll", Elvis Presley. The initial contract term for this new show is from 2009 to 2015.
 Director: Vincent Paterson Director of Creation: Armand Thomas Set: Mark Fisher Costumes/Props: Stefano Canulli Lighting: Marc Brickman Sound: Jonathan Deans Trainer/Choreographer: Daniel Cola Visit the official home page of the show at the Cirque du Soleil web site at CirqueDuSoleil.com.
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Future/Planned Resident Shows of Cirque du Soleil
 | 2010 - A movie theme show at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, California is currently being created. The new show is planned to run for 10 years |
 | 2010 - A second resident show on Macao's Cotai Strip at a yet-to-be constructed hotel will premiere. I heard that the new show will be directed by René Simard, a famous Quebec artist (from such works as Elvis Story and Génération Motown, both produced in Quebec). Serge Roy will b the show’s Director of Creation and Robert Lemoyne the Production Manager. Director: René Simard Director of Creation: Serge Roy Music Composer: Michel Cusson Set: Stéphane Roy Costumes/Props: Alan Hranitelj Lighting: Alain Lortie Sound: Steve Dubuc |
 | Rumored! Not Officially Acknowledged Yet! 2010 - A show is planned for the capital of China, Beijing in 2010. Details are still unknown. Project might gets canceled. It is also only a rumor at this time and not confirmed yet. |
 | 2011 - Dubai World - Nakheel and Cirque du Soleil agreed in May 2008 to build a theater at one of the hotels at The Palm, Jumeira, a large island housing development Nakheel is building in the Persian Gulf. The 1,800 seat venue is expected to house a permanent Cirque du Soleil show starting in summer 2011. Nakheel is one of Dubai's biggest developers and owns together with the investment company Istithmar World Capital a 20 percent share of the Montreal, Canada based Circus troupe. The acquisition happened in August 2008. The initial deal is 15 years and the creators assigned to this Cirque project are by Guy Caron (Dralion) and Micheal Curry. Nakheel and Istithmar World Capital are both part of "Dubai World", a holding that is owned by the government of Dubai. Director: Guy Caron, Michael Curry Director of Creation: Fernand Rainville |
Return to the Cirque du Soleil Primer article.
Cirque du Soleil Articles in this Series
- Main Cirque du Soleil Primer Article
- Cirque du Soleil - Historic Time-Line 1984 to Present
- The Cirque du Soleil Story - Odyssea - The dreamer's Odyssey
- Cirque du Soleil Touring Shows (Complete List)
- Cirque du Soleil Resident Shows (Complete List)
- Cirque du Soleil Arena Shows (Complete List)
- Cirque du Soleil Special Events & Performances
- Cirque du Soleil Releases for TV and IMAX
- Cirque du Soleil Documentaries (Complete List)
- Cirque du Soleil DVD Releases (Complete List)
- Cirque du Soleil Music Releases (Complete List)
- Cirque du Soleil File Archive (Videos, Audio and Images)
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