Cirque du Soleil is dropping acrobatics in favour of what is being described as a “live-action thriller” directed by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, with a new production in Las Vegas later this year.
Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil will debut a new show in the Luxor on the Strip this October. Die-hard Cirque fans expecting the troupe’s high-flying acrobatic moves might be disappointed as the new production – entitled R.U.N. – is offering something completely different, though it’s likely to be as much of a visually-stunning spectacle as its signature circus shows, complete with mind-blowing stunts.
“R.U.N is very different from the other shows within the Cirque du Soleil portfolio,” the company’s president and CEO Daniel Lamarre said. “With R.U.N, we will reinvent the concept of a thriller, drawing inspiration from action movies and graphic novels.”
This production is more of an immersive “gritty, cinematic story” and what Lamarre calls a “live-action thriller”. Cirque fans will follow two rival families and a runaway bride through “a series of fast-paced chases, combats and stunts through a fictional Las Vegas underworld”. Film director Robert Rodriguez (Sin City, From Dusk to Dawn, Once Upon A Time In Mexico) is in charge of the storyline, and composer Tyler Bates (Guardians of the Galaxy, Atomic Blonde) composed the music.
It’s the first new Cirque show to open in Las Vegas since Michael Jackson ONE launched in 2013. R.U.N. will replace Criss Angel’s Mindfreak at Luxor and will launch on 24 October with two performances per day (7pm and 9.30pm) from Wednesdays through Sundays. Tickets are priced from $69 (£53/€61) and are on sale now.
You can see a list of all Cirque shows currently running in Las Vegas here.
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