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where it could be affected by other people’s creative decisions because it could reflect on the reputation” he says. The amount paid was undisclosed but observers put a $400m price tag on the deal valuing the company at $2bn. That’s some circus. Laliberté’s masterstroke was creating his own acts rather than simply employing guest artists who bring their routines with them. This allowes Cirque’s schedule to remain constant throughout the lifetime of a show rather than being at the mercy of travelling troupes. It also brings the added kudos that its acrobatic displays and stunts can’t be found elsewhere. Varekai’s performers juggle ping pong balls flinging them into the air with their hands, feet and even their mouth. Then they move on to juggling huge hats which are thrown out like frisbees into the audience. Just when you think it couldn’t get more daring, it does, and the acrobats lie on their backs pumping their legs up and down to spin their colleagues who are balancing on their feet. Cirque’s control over its creative output doesn’t stop with the stunts. For example, 80% of the fabric used in the costumes is white when purchased, then dyed in the company’s workshops so that exact replacements are available throughout the show’s life. Plaster busts are moulded from the head of each performer to provide them with precisely fitting masks. Cirque even has a shoemaking team which produces 3,000 pairs of shoes annually. The logistics of staging a Cirque tour are daunting. Each two-and-a-half hour show takes place in a 2500- seat big top. Getting this to the opening night requires transporting 175 crew staff in addition to the 127 tour employees, 1,000 tonnes of equipment, 70 containers, warehouses, four generators and even a school. All in all, it takes eight days to set up Cirque’s self-sufficient village and three days to dismantle it. Re-staging costs alone are $4m. Touring takes its toll on the performers who come from over 30 countries around the world as each show is staged 360 times a year. Laliberté explains that the turnover of travelling employees is quite high as they return home or have children. So to ensure that Cirque has the pick of the best performers, Laliberté spends eight months each year looking for future Cirque stars.
They can progress from the tours to the jewels
in Cirque’s crown - its permanent shows. By being in fixed locations, the length of staff service is longer which balances out the turnover on tours and allows up to 470 shows to be shown each year. And as Laliberté says, they “permit things we cannot do with tour shows.” Cirque’s Vegas flagship is KA, a show with a huge rising rotating stage which is used to depict a barge floating on a calm sea one moment and then rocking wildly the next. In another scene the stage tilts, upright as acrobats leap from poles protruding from it
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Ò I donÕ t want to put Cirque du Soleil in a situation where it could be affected by other peopleÕ s creative decisionsÓ
GUY LALIBERTƒ
catching them not with their hands but between their thighs. Typically, the hotel operator builds and owns the theatres even though Cirque retains full creative control. The two companies then take an even split on box-office receipts. The permanent shows bring in a total of $550m, with each tour taking around $40m per year to give Cirque annual revenues of around $830m. The bottom line is equally impressive. “We have a better break even in the fixed environment because there are not as much costs. There, break even is anywhere between 50% and 75%”, says Laliberté.
Analysts estimate that Cirque’s overall profit
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ABOVE: THE KA BOAT DOCKS IN A SPECTACULAR SHOW AT THE MGM GRAND, LAS VEGAS
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