Report: Cirque du Soleil Back from the Dead
Bloomberg is reporting that Cirque du Soleil Survives the COVID-19 shutdown…
Want a little more good news, guys? Cirque du Soleil Survives and should make a return to Walt Disney World.
And, while it may take some time, the new owners (and some of the same staff), expect to make a full recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bloomberg’s Sandrine Rastello posted:
Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group emerged from court protection with new owners, a focus on the world’s biggest cities, and a plan to open U.S. shows as early as next summer.
Cirque’s Las Vegas-based shows and a new production at Walt Disney Co.’s Florida resort are likely to resume first, according to Chief Executive Officer Daniel Lamarre, who kept his job after the restructuring. While some touring shows may get back on the road next year, the Montreal-based company targets 2022 to return to levels seen before the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We need to have the vaccine distributed on a scale that people will feel good to come in our places,” Lamarre said in an interview Tuesday. “We have to be back to a certain normalcy.”
And while normalcy is still a ways away, today’s news is much better than the last time we posted about Cirque.
Opening of Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Drawn to Life’ at Disney Springs Now Pushed Back to 2021
Looking Forward “To Drawn to Life”
Last February, MickeyBlog.com was excited to be seeing preview information for Disney’s collaboration with Cirque du Soleil, “Drawn to Life.”
Set your imagination in motion with Drawn to Life—a love letter to the art of Disney animation.
In this first-ever collaboration between Cirque du Soleil, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Walt Disney Imagineering, journey into a world where an animator’s desk becomes the stage and drawings come alive. The show is a celebration of life, accentuated by the delightful, mesmerizing movements of Cirque du Soleil’s acrobatic mastery.
There was even some behind-the-scenes footage:
Tough Times Don’t Last?
However, after numerous delays, “Drawn to Life” and all of Cirque du Soleil was in trouble.
Bloomberg added:
The live performance company filed for creditor protection in June after the pandemic forced it to shut down all of its 44 shows. The restructuring saw first-lien creditors wind up with virtually all of the equity; while shareholders including TPG and Quebec’s pension fund had their equity wiped out. The new owners are injecting $375 million into the relaunch.
Finally, keep it here as we’ll update this developing story as we learn more.