CRUISE MSC ENTERTAINMENT DESTINATIONS


to finished piece. Even the shoes are made from scratch, with individual moulds for each artist. Many costumes and props are now made using 3D printers and scanners.


Z SHOW TIME Each show is 40 minutes long and will be performed twice a day, six times a week, with Syma and Varelia running on alternate days throughout a week-long cruise. The venue is the 400-seater


Carousel Lounge, which has been purpose-built at the aft of the ship. Costing an impressive €20 million, the lounge features a 360-degree rotating stage and a 40-metre-long LED screen. If the waves are particularly rough, the show won’t go ahead, but the staging and choreography have been designed to cope with movements at sea. Creative director Daniel Poulin says:


“It’s all about the intimacy of the stage. This is something we don’t usually


There are about 18 steps to each finished face, and the performers have to ensure the makeup will stay on for six hours


have with our bigger venues, but it was key to the choices we made for the MSC ships.” Here’s what guests can expect.


Syma tells the tale of a young sailor who braves the elements to discover a secret island full of surreal and colourful characters such as mermaids, a chief and the ‘strange one’. The show features five acrobatic acts including a flying pole, foot juggling and bungee dancing, a first for Cirque du Soleil. In true Cirque du Soleil style, the costumes are made up of flamboyant


colours, while the props include a custom-made pyramid that is cleverly used in all scenes. In contrast, Varelia is all about the


effects: lights and lasers are used to transform the theatre with graphics, illusions and even roller skating. The story follows a damsel in distress


theme, with twists along the way. The directors describe it as “a medieval tale taking place in the future” with messages of love and inclusion. The plot goes like this: the princess,


Varelia, has been rejected for being purple and is subsequently captured by a villain, Mr Pouprier, who has an obsession with all things purple. A blind hero, along with his raccoon sidekick, sets out to fight the villain and rescue the princess in a dramatic ending. The line’s next two ships – MSC Grandiosa, which launches in November, and MSC Virtuosa in October 2020 – will each host two new Cirque du Soleil shows.


CIRQUE DU SOLEIL IN NUMBERS


5,500 employees


worldwide 1,300


artists, hailing from some 50 countries


35%


of performers have a sports background, including Olympic gymnastics


1984 was the first


Cirque du Soleil tour


17 January 2019travelweekly.co.uk77


PICTURES: BERNARD BIGER; PATRICE LAMOUREUX; IVAN SARFATTI


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