Viva Elvis (Cirque du Soleil)


Viva Elvis was the seventh resident of the Cirque du Soleil show on the Las Vegas Strip. It resided at the Aria Resort & Casino and premiered on February 19, 2010. The show closed on August 31, 2012. Cirque du Soleil partnered with Elvis Presley Enterprises to produce this show, similar to how they partnered with The Beatles' Apple Corps to produce the resident show Love at the Mirage.
CKX, the company that owns the rights to Elvis Presley's name, likeness, and music publishing, signed an agreement to have Cirque du Soleil create the Elvis-themed residency show. The gala premiere was originally scheduled for January 2010 on what would have been Elvis' 75th birthday, but was postponed until February 19, 2010. CKX and Cirque du Soleil eventually intended to develop additional touring shows and multimedia interactive "Elvis Experiences" throughout the world.

Closure

Due to low attendance records for Viva Elvis, MGM Resorts asked Cirque du Soleil to replace the show. The show had its final performance on August 31, 2012. On March 7, 2012, Cirque du Soleil announced that following its second Radio City Music Hall engagement, the show Zarkana would be its replacement.

Set and technical information

The Elvis Theater was designed with a conventional proscenium layout reminiscent of an opera house. The stage had 16 platforms, divided into 12 sections which could rise ; the widest section was and was controlled by four large motors located below the stage.
The show's opening scene contained a jukebox made of chrome and gloss black which is wide by high. It also incorporated a 50-foot-tall video screen. Also seen during the opening, a 29-foot-long, blue suede shoe weighed and was made of steel and fiberglass.
During "Got a Lot of Livin' to Do", seven trampolines were utilized. The entire structure took up the entire width of the stage,, and weighed.
The set for the "Jailhouse Rock" scene was based on the technical requirements for a circus art called marche inversée. It had ten tracks that allowed acrobats to walk upside down, attached by their feet, while dancers performed right side up on other levels; the whole structure weighed.

Acts

The acts for Viva Elvis were staged to the music of Elvis Presley.
  • Opening
  • Blue Suede Shoes: Dance number with acrobatics
  • Don't Be Cruel: Dance number with German wheel
  • One Night With You: Aerial frame, performed on a metal-frame guitar
  • "You'll Never Walk Alone": Interlude
  • Saved: Dance number
  • Got a Lot of Livin' to Do: Trampoline
  • Heartbreak Hotel: Interlude
  • Love Me Tender: Singing duet
  • Return to Sender: Dance number with horizontal/parallel bars
  • Are You Lonesome Tonight?: Aerial pas de deux
  • Western Medley: Gun twirling and Lassos
  • Burning Love: Band interlude
  • Bossa Nova Baby: Balancing on chairs
  • King Creole: Dance number with diabolo
  • Jailhouse Rock: Dance number with acrobatics
  • It's Now or Never: Chinese poles
  • Can't Help Falling in Love: Interlude
  • Love Me/Don't: Duo cerceaux
  • Viva Las Vegas: Dance number
  • Suspicious Minds: Acrobatic dance duet
  • Rock Medley: Banquine
  • Hound Dog: Finale
  • Such A Night: Bonus Finale

    Costumes

Viva Elvis costume designer, Stefano Canulli, drew inspiration from the iconic Elvis fashion of the 1950s and 1960s and added Technicolor lines to highlight the human body. The wardrobe collection as a whole contained nearly 400 costumes and around 1,500 costume components. Part of this total came from more than 450 pairs of shoes and 150 custom wigs. Cirque du Soleil, for the first time, used flocking to create some of the accessories, thus giving them a velvet appearance. Some of the several wigs used for the show were created using urethane foam, which gave them the appearance of Japanese manga.

Music

The music for Viva Elvis was created in partnership with Elvis Presley Enterprises. The soundtrack album, which was released on November 5, 2010, was released under Sony Legacy Recordings and was produced by Erich van Tourneau.
List of music included in the show :