Cirque Du Soleil of Canada announced on China’s Twitter-like Sina Weibo that the troupe will return to the stage for their first series of post-COVID-19 shows starting on June 3 in Hangzhou, capital of East China’s Zhejiang Province.
“We are coming back! As the benchmark of the global live entertainment industry, Cirque Du Soleil has upgraded the content of its live show and will present an even more stunning performance to audiences within 80 minutes,” the company posted in Chinese on Sina Weibo on Monday.
The live show depicts the story of two fantasy kingdoms from the different perspectives of a hero and a heroine.
The announcement also noted that all the performers, including more than 20 from 12 countries, returned to the troupe in early April for rehearsal and that the theater in Hangzhou will implement a series of epidemic prevention measures to guarantee the safety of audiences.
On social media, some Chinese fans of the circus troupe’s live shows said they couldn’t wait to finally be able to see the show again in person.
But some are still worried about their safety amidst the pandemic.
“I probably won’t watch any indoor performances for the time being due to the risk of getting infected,” one Sina Weibo user commented.
The troupe’s live shows in China were suspended back in January, a public relations manager of Cirque Du Soleil’s Chinese branch surnamed Cui, told the Paper on Tuesday. Currently, the company’s live shows throughout the rest of the world, such as in Las Vegas, are also on hold.
According to reports, the entertainment group dismissed about 95 percent of its employees in March due to the global pandemic. However, Cui denied that this was the case, Chinese news outlet the Paper reported.
Cui said that all the company’s employees are still enjoying official benefits granted by the company such as unemployment compensation and that their accounts and emails will remain valid until they resume work after the global situation improves.
As entertainment sites in Las Vegas begin reopening, Cirque Du Soleil’s live performances in the US will resume, Cui added.
Cirque Du Soleil perform Kooza at Royal Albert Hall. Photo: VCG
