Legendary Vegas personality recently Robin Leach blogged about the changes soon to come to Viva Elvis, the Cirque du Soleil show at Aria at CityCenter. While reviews have tended to be positive for the show one must wonder if this move hints at trouble on the Cirque du Soleil homefront. Have tickets sales floundered? Are Elvis' heirs unhappy with the show? the official press release gives a few answers.
"Cirque du Soleil and MGM Resorts International have always had an active and open relationship about their projects. As for all Cirque du Soleil productions, we constantly review all aspects of our shows, including the creative positioning and the business results. These discussions have been ongoing for Viva Elvis, and we have decided to modify the show to make it less of a biographical representation of Elvis and more of an acrobatic Cirque du Soleil spectacular production."
"As a result of the recent tragedies in Japan, Cirque du Soleil has had to make a difficult decision to close its permanent show Zed by the end of this year. But in making that difficult decision, an opportunity presented itself to enhance Viva Elvis. Zed features some of the most impressive acrobatic acts ever presented onstage, and we truly wish to continue bringing these performances to our audience. In the last weeks, we have reviewed the possibilities and have decided to fully integrate these beautiful acts in Viva Elvis and to present them to the millions of people who visit Las Vegas annually."
"Cirque du Soleil is a creative-driven organization and wants to ensure that this integration is done well and fully respects its artistic objectives. To do this, the partners have agreed that Viva Elvis will take extended dark dates beginning in January 2012. This integration is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter. We will also take this time to review all marketing strategies to reposition Viva Elvis. We are sure that like us, you will be excited to re-discover Viva Elvis."
"I would like to specify that we expect to have the same total amount of artists onstage, and the financial investment both in the creative integration and new marketing initiatives are still under complete evaluation."
It seems that Viva Elvis isn't Cirque enough. While this may come as a blow to Elvis fans it could bode well for fans of the traditional acrobatic Cirque we've all come to know and love. Regardless, one thing is clear. Viva Elvis will be changing, so grab your tickets for the current show while you can.
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