The word “cirque” has become synonymous with epic acrobatics, defying gravity, and, overall, a show that makes memories. However, when Cirque Dreams “Pop Goes The Rock!” rolls into town on Tuesday, February 28th at 7:30 p.m., the show will be as focused on using your memories as it is on making new ones.
“The shows are so visually stunning to begin with… everyone is used to watching the spectacle on stage from these amazing performers. Now they get to see that while they’re hearing songs that spark a memory of a feeling or an impression in their mind,” says Neil Goldberg, founder and artistic director of Cirque Dreams. “For some seasoned theatre goers and tour audiences, we use Frank Sinatra’s “Call Me Irresponsible” and Roger Miller’s “King of the Road,” but the song choices range all the way to Britney Spears’ “Womanizer” and Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful”.”
Cirque Dreams has been around since 1993. Goldberg says, “In the late 1980s, I was producing entertainment for corporate America and there was a large corporation that engaged me to create a variety show for an international conference. The attendees were coming from all over the world, so I had 2 years to put the show together. I was able to start traveling the world…that was my original inspiration when I came back and started the show and formed the company in 1993.” Over time, as the Internet has made it easier for people to see art and culture from around the world with the click of a button, being truly surprised by a live show has become more difficult.
That is not the case with Cirque, though; a truly family-friendly show, the audience is often full of children, parents, and grandparents, all of whom are watching acrobats, dancers, and athletes perform feats of strength and amazement. Even though “Pop Goes the Rock!” has a musical theme, it is still a Cirque show—you can still expect mind-blowing performers. Goldberg says, “There will be performers flying through the air and there will be amazing, world class acrobatics, and that’s going to be blended with the music to give the music a little bit of a different meaning than what the lyrics were originally intended to mean. I think that’s one of the fun parts of the journey and the experience that the audience was going to have. They’re going to hear a word like “jump” or “fly” or “never let me go” and think of something completely new.”
As if the show was not exciting enough, the sets, costumes, makeup, and performers are designed to reflect the environment of a carnival funhouse—further adding to a surrealist tableau. “This Cirque Dreams show rocks. It’s a culmination of everything that Cirque Dreams has created since 1993 and that audiences have come to expect from a show that includes the word “cirque” in it. It’s taken over a year and a half to put together over 20 songs through special arrangements with Sony ATV music and find just the right songs—that span generations!—that will create this amazing entertainment experience for audiences of all ages,” says Goldberg.
It is hard to believe that a show like this could be in a town like Evansville for one night only—it seems like the sets, costumes, and performers would not be mobile enough to justify just one show in each city. “Pop Goes the Rock!” would make sense in Vegas or on Broadway—however, due to the way the show is structured, Goldberg says they are able to bring Vegas and Broadway-style shows to different venues.
“It’s a whole new layer and texture that’s never been brought to the stage. To be able to put it together under the cirque dreams brand… it’s a very big production, and to be able to bring it to places like Evansville for one night, it’s a unique experience. And that’s what our brand is good for. It’s not just like a spectacle on Broadway and in Vegas, to have folks in their own backyard… it’s something the caliber of what they’re seeing on TV,” says Goldberg.
“Pop Goes the Rock!” was not a show that Goldberg came up with overnight; rather, he worked hard to ensure that all of the song choices were appropriate for the acrobatics, and that the inspiration behind it—using nostalgia to build new memories—would be honored. “This is the fourteenth production that we’ve created, and we’re not running out of ideas, but I pay close attention to the fans and the audiences and what they’re watching and seeing. With social media evolving as quickly as it does—YouTube and Facebook— people’s attention spans are becoming so short,” says Goldberg.
“Twenty years ago, I would go to the state school of contortion in Mongolia and I would get on a plane and fly over to China, and I would meet with an amazing acrobatic association… it was a lot more unique and special than it is today. Now you can Google that and within seconds see unusual forms of artistry around the world. In the last few years, the reality television show and talent show craze, there are very, very talented people around the world and they are not just in movies and on television shows. I started thinking how could we take this to the next level, how can we take things that people are used to seeing and want to see but heighten the experience. Music evokes emotions. And Cirque Dreams is a show that’s full of emotions. I wanted to combine those two together and let the audience create their own experience… The show, to date, has been my longest pre-production,” says Goldberg.
Perhaps the most fun thing about the new “Pop Goes the Rock!” show is that no one knows exactly what it will look like yet—even Goldberg says that shows evolve once they get in front of an audience, and as of now, the show is still in rehearsals. By the time it gets to Evansville, it will have only been on the road for two weeks. When asked if he could tell secrets about the show—much to the disdain of those of us with short attention spans—Goldberg declined, saying, “There are a lot of special effects and moments that I don’t want to talk about yet— It’s a surprise!”
Tickets can be purchased at The Centre Box Office or www.ticketmaster.com, and start at $21.00.
