The intermission is over at the Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group as the Canada-based circus company has announced the first reopenings for its iconic shows after more than a year of closures amid the pandemic.
Cirque said Mystère will return to its stage at Treasure Island on June 28 this summer, and O at the Bellagio will mark its first performance July 1 in Las Vegas. That will be followed by a touring show for KOOZA opening under a big tent in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, starting Nov. 25.
And LUZIA will reopen at London’s Royal Albert Hall from Jan. 22, 2022. Cirque affiliate show Blue Man Group will also return to the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas from June 24, 2021.
In June 2020, Cirque du Soleil filed for protection from creditors in Canada as its global circus shows remained shuttered during the coronavirus crisis. The live entertainment giant at the time also completed a court-supervised purchase agreement with its existing shareholders — including Texas-based TPG Capital, with a 55 percent stake and China’s Fosun Capital Group, with another 25 percent stake — and Quebec debt holders to acquire and restructure the company’s assets with a combination of cash, debt and equity.
“Almost 400 days have passed since we had to take a temporary hiatus, and we have been anxiously awaiting our return to the stage. I am so proud of the resilience of our artists and employees who persevered during the most challenging times with stages dark around the world for so long. I just can’t wait to see the lights go back on,” Daniel Lamarre, president and CEO of Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, said in a statement.
The canceled shows during the pandemic in Las Vegas included O at the Bellagio, KA at MGM Grand, The Beatles LOVE at the Mirage, Mystere at Treasure Island, Zumanity at New York-New York and Michael Jackson ONE at Mandalay Bay. Cirque du Soleil shows in Austin; Chicago; Houston; New Orleans; Salt Lake City; Montreal; Boston; Tel Aviv; Meloneras, Spain; Munich; Costa Mesa, California; Denver; and the Australian cities of Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth were also canceled.
