Delirium (Cirque du Soleil)
Encyclopedia
Delirium was a touring multimedia stage show by Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...

 featuring live music, video projections, and performances by acrobats and other circus performers. The production featured remixes of existing Cirque du Soleil music. The show premiered on February 26, 2006 and had its final performance in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 on April 20, 2008.

Delirium was the first of Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...

's productions designed to be presented in arena
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...

s; all the company's previous stage productions had been toured with their own large, custom-built tent (referred to as the 'big top' or 'grand chapiteau') or were permanent shows performed in specially designed theatres. Delirium, as Cirque du Soleil's first significant experiment with arena venues, eventually helped pave the way for the company's subsequent show-by-show conversion of its older big top productions (e.g. Saltimbanco
Saltimbanco
Saltimbanco is the oldest major touring show of Cirque du Soleil that remains active in some form. Saltimbanco ran from 1992 to 2006 in its original form, performed under a large circus tent called the Grand Chapiteau; its last performance in that form was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on December 10,...

, Alegría, Quidam
Quidam
Quidam is the ninth stage show produced by Cirque du Soleil. It premiered in April 1996 and has now been watched by millions of spectators around the world...

 and Dralion
Dralion
Dralion is a touring production by the Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil. The show combines elements of traditional Chinese circus with Western contemporary circus, complementing the "East-meets-West" theme implied in the title — the name is a portmanteau of "dragon" and "lion"...

) to a more cost-effective arena format.

Set and technical information

Delirium's stage was set up on the arena floor, bisecting it lengthwise. Its two-sided, raised stage allowed for an alley theater
Alley Theater
A traverse stage is a form of theatrical stage in which the audience is predominantly on two sides of the stage, facing towards each other.They can see using "Proscenium arc", named after the mirrors used in Proscenium staging...

-style presentation: the audience sat on both sides of the stage, at times able to look over the central stage to see the spectators on the other side. This presented unique staging challenges in that the most important actions had to be visible to both sides of the audience. However, the show could also be presented as a proscenium
Proscenium
A proscenium theatre is a theatre space whose primary feature is a large frame or arch , which is located at or near the front of the stage...

 show, with the seats on one side of the arena left empty. In this case, the stage was set up closer to the sideline opposite the occupied seats, opening up a portion of the arena floor for additional seating. Despite the extraordinary complexity and size of Delirium's stage, it could be assembled inside an arena in approximately nine hours.

The ends of the stage were flanked by enormous projection screens, where real-time video footage from the stage performance was blended with prerecorded visuals. These end screens also served to block off a backstage area for the performers and technicians. Performers could enter the stage from behind the screens, from below (via several trap doors) and from above (via an elaborate system of motorized lifts). Two semi-transparent screens could slide out in front of the stage to turn both sides of the stage into a massive projection surface, roughly the equivalent in width of four IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...

 screens.

Unlike most other Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...

 shows, where the musicians are situated to the sides or the far upstage area and are frequently hidden from view, Deliriums six musicians were often in plain view, and could be seen interacting with the other performers and various stage elements.

Costumes

As the show's concept incorporated a contrast between stark urbanness and wild imagination, Michel Robidas (costume designer) drew inspiration from clothing from different eras, including the 1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...

, 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...

, and 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...

, for the wanderers of the performance (i.e. the musicians), whereas bright colors and exuberance were emphasized for the acrobatic performers. For instance, a 25-meter "volcano dress" was made from 400 meters of blue organza
Organza
Organza is a thin, plain weave, sheer fabric traditionally made from silk. Many modern organzas are woven with synthetic filament fibers such as polyester or nylon, but the most luxurious organzas are still made of silk. Silk organza is woven by a number of mills along the Yangtze River and in the...

 and represented the sea; this dress incorporated small white and red lights. There were also purple or red and yellow whirling dervish robes, designed to look like tree roots, which started from the chest rather than the waist for a more dramatic effect.

Music

Much of the show's music was creatively adapted from the original scores of other Cirque du Soleil productions, but remixed with a tribal beat and lyrics added or rewritten. The Delirium soundtrack first became available for purchase on June 15, 2006 through the Cirque du Soleil Online Boutique. It features the songs of the show, but not necessarily in the order in which they were performed.
  1. "Cold Flame" (inspired by "Oscillum" from Varekai
    Varekai
    Varekai is a Cirque du Soleil touring production that premiered in Montréal in April 2002. Its title means "wherever" in the Romani language, and the show is an "acrobatic tribute to the nomadic soul"....

    )
  2. "Slipping Away" (inspired by "Ombra" from Dralion
    Dralion
    Dralion is a touring production by the Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil. The show combines elements of traditional Chinese circus with Western contemporary circus, complementing the "East-meets-West" theme implied in the title — the name is a portmanteau of "dragon" and "lion"...

    )
  3. "Someone" (inspired by "Patzivota" from Varekai
    Varekai
    Varekai is a Cirque du Soleil touring production that premiered in Montréal in April 2002. Its title means "wherever" in the Romani language, and the show is an "acrobatic tribute to the nomadic soul"....

    )
  4. "Too High" (inspired by "Spiritual Spiral" from Dralion
    Dralion
    Dralion is a touring production by the Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil. The show combines elements of traditional Chinese circus with Western contemporary circus, complementing the "East-meets-West" theme implied in the title — the name is a portmanteau of "dragon" and "lion"...

    )
  5. "Walk on Water" (inspired by "A Tale" from La Nouba
    La Nouba
    La Nouba is a Cirque du Soleil show, which, like most Cirque du Soleil shows, is a circus-like performance featuring acrobats, gymnasts, and other skilled performers. The show's creation was directed by Franco Dragone, who also directed most of Cirque du Soleil's earlier shows. Its title derives...

    )
  6. "Alone" (inspired by "Querer" from Alegría)
  7. "Climb" (inspired by "Le Rêveur" from Varekai
    Varekai
    Varekai is a Cirque du Soleil touring production that premiered in Montréal in April 2002. Its title means "wherever" in the Romani language, and the show is an "acrobatic tribute to the nomadic soul"....

    )
  8. "La Nova Alegría" (inspired by "Alegría" from Alegría)
  9. "Lifeline" (inspired by "El Péndulo" from Varekai
    Varekai
    Varekai is a Cirque du Soleil touring production that premiered in Montréal in April 2002. Its title means "wherever" in the Romani language, and the show is an "acrobatic tribute to the nomadic soul"....

    )
  10. "Bridge of Sorrow" (inspired by "Nostalgie" from O
    O (Cirque du Soleil)
    O is a water-themed stage production by Cirque du Soleil, a Canadian circus and entertainment company. The show has been in permanent residence at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, since October 1998...

    )
  11. "One Love" (inspired by "Pokinoï" from Saltimbanco
    Saltimbanco
    Saltimbanco is the oldest major touring show of Cirque du Soleil that remains active in some form. Saltimbanco ran from 1992 to 2006 in its original form, performed under a large circus tent called the Grand Chapiteau; its last performance in that form was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on December 10,...

    )
  12. "Let Me Fall" from Quidam
    Quidam
    Quidam is the ninth stage show produced by Cirque du Soleil. It premiered in April 1996 and has now been watched by millions of spectators around the world...

  13. "Time to Go" (inspired by "Mountain of Clothes" from Alegría: The Film)
  14. "Time Flies" (inspired by "Mer Noire" from O
    O (Cirque du Soleil)
    O is a water-themed stage production by Cirque du Soleil, a Canadian circus and entertainment company. The show has been in permanent residence at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, since October 1998...

    )
  15. "Sans Toi" (inspired by "Querer" from Alegría)


The lead vocalists on the CD are Dessy Di Lauro, Elie Haroun, Jacynthe Millette-Bilodeau
Jacynthe Millette-Bilodeau
Jacynthe Millette-Bilodeau is a Canadian pop singer who records as Jacynthe. She records material in English, French and Italian, and has had Top 40 hits on both the anglophone and francophone pop charts in Canada....

 and Juliana Sheffield.

Filmography

A film version of Delirium was given a very limited theatrical release, only in theaters on October 15, 18, and 19, 2008, in the U.S. and Canada.

Tour

Delirium toured in arenas instead of under the grand chapiteau. This allowed it to play in many cities for much shorter periods of time.

The following colorboxes indicate the region of each performance:  Europe  North America

2006 schedule

Montréal, QC - From 26 January 2006 to 29 January 2006 (show première)

Albany, NY - From 3 February 2006 to 4 February 2006

Bridgeport, CT - From 7 February 2006 to 9 February 2006

Buffalo, NY - From 13 February 2006 to 14 February 2006

Columbus, OH - From 17 February 2006 to 18 February 2006

Toronto, ON - From 20 February 2006 to 21 February 2006

Detroit, MI - From 23 February 2006 to 24 February 2006

Indianapolis, IN - From 27 February 2006 to 28 February 2006

Kansas City, MO - From 3 March 2006 to 4 March 2006

Oklahoma City, OK - From 7 March 2006 to 8 March 2006

Houston, TX - From 10 March 2006 to 12 March 2006

Memphis, TN - From 15 March 2006 to 16 March 2006

San Antonio, TX - From 19 March 2006 to 20 March 2006

Little Rock, AR - From 22 March 2006 to 23 March 2006

Dallas, TX - From 27 March 2006 to 28 March 2006

Birmingham, AL - From 30 March 2006 to 31 March 2006

Atlanta, GA - From 2 April 2006 to 3 April 2006

Jacksonville, FL - From 6 April 2006 to 7 April 2006

Tampa, FL - From 9 April 2006 to 10 April 2006

Raleigh, NC - From 12 April 2006 to 13 April 2006

Tallahassee, FL - From 15 April 2006 to 16 April 2006

Orlando, FL - From 18 April 2006 to 19 April 2006

Fort Lauderdale, FL - From 21 April 2006 to 23 April 2006

Charlotte, NC - From 28 April 2006 to 29 April 2006

Columbia, SC - From 2 May 2006 to 3 May 2006

Greensboro, NC - From 6 May 2006 to 7 May 2006

Nashville, TN - From 9 May 2006 to 10 May 2006

St. Louis, MO - From 12 May 2006 to 13 May 2006

Minneapolis, MN - From 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006

Des Moines, IA - From 19 May 2006 to 20 May 2006

Montréal, QC - From 16 June 2006 to 18 June 2006

Toronto, ON - From 23 June 2006 to 24 June 2006

Pittsburgh, PA - From 29 June 2006 to 1 July 2006

Atlantic City, NJ - From 7 July 2006 to 8 July 2006

Baltimore, MD - From 14 July 2006 to 15 July 2006

Worcester, MA - From 21 July 2006 to 22 July 2006

Hartford, CT - From 29 July 2006 to 30 July 2006

Charlottesville, VA - From 1 August 2006 to 1 August 2006

Cleveland, OH - From 3 August 2006 to 5 August 2006

Milwaukee, WI - From 19 August 2006 to 20 August 2006

Grand Forks, ND - From 23 August 2006 to 23 August 2006

Winnipeg, MB - From 25 August 2006 to 27 August 2006

Denver, CO - From 30 August 2006 to 2 September 2006

Las Vegas, NV - From 8 September 2006 to 9 September 2006

Phoenix, AZ - From 11 September 2006 to 12 September 2006

Los Angeles, CA - From 15 September 2006 to 17 September 2006

Fresno, CA - From 19 September 2006 to 20 September 2006

San Jose, CA - From 22 September 2006 to 24 September 2006

Los Angeles, CA - From 27 September 2006 to 29 September 2006

Seattle, WA - From 3 October 2006 to 4 October 2006

Vancouver, BC - From 6 October 2006 to 7 October 2006

Calgary, AB - From 10 October 2006 to 12 October 2006

Edmonton, AB - From 13 October 2006 to 15 October 2006

Portland, OR - From 19 October 2006 to 20 October 2006

Omaha, NE - From 24 October 2006 to 25 October 2006

Louisville, KY - From 27 October 2006 to 29 October 2006

East Rutherford, NJ - From 3 November 2006 to 4 November 2006

New York, NY - From 8 November 2006 to 9 November 2006

Uniondale, NY - From 11 November 2006 to 12 November 2006

Philadelphia, PA - From 17 November 2006 to 18 November 2006

Hampton, VA - From 21 November 2006 to 22 November 2006

Ottawa, ON - From 24 November 2006 to 25 November 2006

2007 schedule

Detroit, MI - From 24 January 2007 to 27 January 2007

Grand Rapids, MI - From 31 January 2007 to 2 February 2007

Moline, IL - From 7 February 2007 to 8 February 2007

Minneapolis, MN - From 9 February 2007 to 10 February 2007

Fort Wayne, IN - From 14 February 2007 to 15 February 2007

Chicago, IL - From 17 February 2007 to 19 February 2007

Kansas City, MO - From 21 February 2007 to 23 February 2007

Green Bay, WI - From 28 February 2007 to 28 February 2007

Peoria, IL - From 1 March 2007 to 2 March 2007

Madison, WI - From 4 March 2007 to 4 March 2007

Indianapolis, IN - From 7 March 2007 to 9 March 2007

Ames, IA - From 10 March 2007 to 11 March 2007

Oklahoma City, OK - From 14 March 2007 to 16 March 2007

Charlotte, NC - From 21 March 2007 to 22 March 2007

Birmingham, AL - From 24 March 2007 to 25 March 2007

Shreveport, LA - From 27 March 2007 to 27 March 2007

Baton Rouge, LA - From 28 March 2007 to 28 March 2007

New Orleans, LA - From 29 March 2007 to 30 March 2007

Raleigh, NC - From 1 April 2007 to 2 April 2007

Miami, FL - From 5 April 2007 to 7 April 2007

San Antonio, TX - From 20 April 2007 to 21 April 2007

Corpus Christi, TX - From 22 April 2007 to 22 April 2007

Monterrey, MX - From 27 April 2007 to 30 April 2007

St. Louis, MO - From 4 May 2007 to 6 May 2007

Saskatoon, SK - From 10 May 2007 to 13 May 2007

Spokane, WA - From 16 May 2007 to 17 May 2007

Salt Lake City, UT - From 19 May 2007 to 20 May 2007

San Diego, CA - From 23 May 2007 to 25 May 2007

Phoenix, AZ - From 26 May 2007 to 27 May 2007

Little Rock, AR - From 31 May 2007 to 31 May 2007

Nashville, TN - From 1 June 2007 to 2 June 2007

Greenville, SC - From 6 June 2007 to 7 June 2007

Atlanta, GA - From 8 June 2007 to 9 June 2007

Charleston, SC - From 10 June 2007 to 10 June 2007

Richmond, VA - From 12 June 2007 to 13 June 2007

Buffalo, NY - From 15 June 2007 to 17 June 2007

Washington, DC - From 22 June 2007 to 24 June 2007

Manchester, NH - From 26 June 2007 to 28 June 2007

Boston, MA - From 29 June 2007 to 1 July 2007

Rotterdam, NL - From 13 September 2007 to 15 September 2007

Hamburg, DE - From 18 September 2007 to 19 September 2007

Helsinki, FI - From 22 September 2007 to 24 September 2007

Stockholm, SE - From 27 September 2007 to 29 September 2007

Oslo, NO - From 1 October 2007 to 2 October 2007

Mannheim, DE - From 5 October 2007 to 6 October 2007

Manchester, UK - From 8 October 2007 to 9 October 2007

Birmingham, UK - From 10 October 2007 to 12 October 2007

Sheffield, UK - From 13 October 2007 to 14 October 2007

Munich, DE - From 19 October 2007 to 20 October 2007

Vienna, AT - From 22 October 2007 to 23 October 2007

Prague, CZ - From 27 October 2007 to 27 October 2007

Budapest, HU - From 30 October 2007 to 31 October 2007

Cologne, DE - From 2 November 2007 to 3 November 2007

Zurich, CH - From 5 November 2007 to 8 November 2007

Pesaro, IT - From 10 November 2007 to 11 November 2007

Milan, IT - From 13 November 2007 to 16 November 2007

Turin, IT - From 18 November 2007 to 21 November 2007

San Sebastian, ES - From 23 November 2007 to 24 November 2007

Lisbon, PT - From 28 November 2007 to 2 December 2007

Madrid, ES - From 4 December 2007 to 9 December 2007

Valencia, ES - From 13 December 2007 to 16 December 2007

Barcelona, ES - From 19 December 2007 to 22 December 2007

2008 schedule

Oberhausen, DE - From 1 February 2008 to 2 February 2008

Hanover, DE - From 5 February 2008 to 6 February 2008

Bremen, DE - From 9 February 2008 to 10 February 2008

Stockholm, SE - From 13 February 2008 to 14 February 2008

Turku, FI - From 16 February 2008 to 17 February 2008

Zurich, CH - From 25 February 2008 to 26 February 2008

Budapest, HU - From 29 February 2008 to 1 March 2008

Berlin, DE - From 4 March 2008 to 6 March 2008

Nürnberg, DE - From 8 March 2008 to 9 March 2008

Milan, IT - From 11 March 2008 to 13 March 2008

Turin, IT - From 15 March 2008 to 17 March 2008

Birmingham, UK - From 22 March 2008 to 23 March 2008

Liverpool, UK - From 25 March 2008 to 26 March 2008

Paris, FR - From 31 March 2008 to 2 April 2008

Antwerp, BE - From 5 April 2008 to 6 April 2008

Glasgow, UK - From 9 April 2008 to 10 April 2008

Belfast, UK - From 12 April 2008 to 13 April 2008

London, UK - From 18 April 2008 to 19 April 2008 (show finale)

External links

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