Cirque du Soleil’s first Broadway show, “Paramour”, is a groundbreaking new production that blends the best of Broadway’s musical storytelling with Cirque du Soleil’s riveting acrobatics, now at the Lyric Theater in New York City. “Paramour” has grossed over $1 million for six performances in its first week alone.
Directed by Philippe Decouflé, the show tells the tale of a love triangle in the glamorous Golden Age of Hollywood, dramatically integrating high flyers, contortionists and tumblers into its rendition. As A.J., the director (Jeremy Kushnier) and Joey, the composer (Ryan Vona) fight for the heart of a young poet, Indigo (Ruby Lewis), thrilling aerial chases, costumed drones and even 4-D effects make for world-class entertainment.
This $25 million project, led by the new Cirque Theatrical division, overcame a number of challenges along the way. Higher-than-normal costs in time and money were required for building new performance and training facilities, training for risky acrobatic acts, implementing safety measures and accommodating larger troupes. The cast of 38 is big for Broadway but small for Cirque, with multinational performers from 13 countries. Most of the 22 acrobats had never worked on Broadway before and attended dance workshops in Paris, while some of the actors had never seen a Cirque show and began learning acrobatic choreography in Montreal. It’s apparent in the exciting show that the cast and crew’s heard-earned efforts are paying off.
The musical-meets-acrobatics show is off to a promising start, opening with a sold-out preview performance on April 16. Curtains officially open on May 25.
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