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Live Entertainment
Lake of Illusions
Wow-ing audiences all summer at Happy Vallley Shanghai, Lake of Illusions is one of the latest mutimedia spectaculars from renowned French producer ECA2, and the first to feature an architectural icon centre stage. To experience the show to its fullest, you really need to see – and feel – it first hand, but allow us to whet your apppetite
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ECA2 brings lake to life in new Shanghai show for OCT
hat “Icon”, a 32m-tall (100ft) leaning tower packed full of lights, water jets, sprays and other effects, sits quietly on the horizon as guests arrive at Happy Valley
Shanghai and make their way down the welcome boulevard. Offset slightly from the 1,000 capacity arena where Lake of Illusions is performed each night after dark, the tower engages neither with the viewing area nor the rest of the park. Yet once night falls, and the lights of surrounding attractions – notably the Fireball wooden coaster and twin S&S towers – are turned off, the Icon adopts a commanding presence as the focal point of the 18-minute spectacular, its reach extending far beyond the immediate 88m-wide aquatic stage. “At the heart of Lake of Illusions is a true 360° icon that
dominates its setting and intrigues visitors,” highlights the show’s producer, Jean-Christophe Canizares, chairman and CEO of ECA2. “Rising from the tranquil stillness of the central lake it leans skyward at a dramatic angle, and can be admired from great distances in every direction. At night, spectators will thrill to the spectacle of the tower as it
seemingly grows wings, with impressive water screens and video effects weaving their magic. Artistically controlled by cutting-edge technology, the effects change and merge through time and space in every dimension: reaching higher, wider and deeper through different planes.” As the audience watches wide-eyed, a dreamlike story
unfolds. Time and space enter an abstract realm. The firmly grounded tower appears weightless and dances to an uplifting original soundtrack. The storyline follows a boy called Yi, who is curious about the distance between sky and earth. He builds a giant sword made of crystal, launches it into the heavens, piercing an opening into the sky. Yi transforms into a magical bird and is an intermediary between these worlds where anything is possible. Launched to an excited crowd on July 10, just one month
after the opening of Shanghai Disney Resort, Lake of Illusions is expected to play an important role in the OCT group's plans to develop Happy Valley Shanghai into a multi-day destination resort within the wider Sheshan National Tourism Resort. Already the main theme park is complemented by a Playa Maya waterpark, just upgraded for 2016, and three hotels are on the way. “We chose a multimedia
night-time show to improve the experience in the park,” highlights Happy Valley Shanghai vice general manager and artistic director, Zhang Ji Bin. “The location of the park is quite a long way from downtown Shanghai, so it was important to have
Happy Valley Shanghai vice general manager and atistic director, Zhang Ji Bin (left) with the park’s manager and marketing director, Yue Feng
42 SEPTEMBER 2016
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