Paramour (Cirque du Soleil)

Paramour
Logo for Cirque du Soleil's Paramour
CompanyCirque du Soleil
GenreContemporary circus
Show typeResident show
Date of premiereMay 25, 2016
LocationVarious residencies
Creative team
DirectorPhilippe Decouflé
Creative guideJean-François Bouchard
Assistant directorsPascale Henrot and West Hyler
Set designerJean Rabasse
Costume designerPhilippe Guillotel
ComposersGuy Dubuc and Marc Lessard
ChoreographerDaphné Mauger
Flying Machine Design and ChoreographyVerity Studios
Lighting designersPatrice Besombes and Howell Binkley
Props designerAnne‐Séguin Poirier
Projection designersOlivier Simola and Christophe Waksmann
Sound designerJohn Shivers
Acrobatic performance designersShana Carroll and Boris Verkhovsky
Rigging and acrobatic equipment designerPierre Masse
Makeup designerNathalie Gagné
Other information
Preceded byToruk (2015)
Succeeded byLuzia (2016)
Official website

Paramour was Cirque du Soleil's first resident musical theatre show at the Lyric Theatre on Broadway, New York City. Paramour was themed to the "Golden age of Hollywood" and followed the life of "a poet who is forced to choose between love and art". It had similar elements to Cirque du Soleil's retired Los Angeles resident show in Iris (which was also themed on cinema) written and created by Philippe Decouflé, and had a 38-person onstage cast with actress Ruby Lewis in the lead as Indigo.[1] Paramour began preview shows on April 16, 2016, with an official premiere on May 25, 2016.[2] It closed exactly one year after its first preview show, on 16 April 2017.

During previews, Paramour got off to a strong start and grossed over $1 million in its first six shows.[3]

The show was directed by French director-choreographer Philippe Decouflé, who was also the director of the cinema themed Cirque du Soleil show Iris.[2] The rest of the creative team was also the same as for Iris apart from the assistant directors, composer and sound designer. Scenes from Iris, such as aerial straps performed by the Atherton twins (who also performed in Iris), were incorporated into Paramour.[2]

The show closed on Broadway on 16 April 2017 after 31 previews and 366 performances. Despite average box office sales, Cirque was allegedly paid $23 million to terminate its contract early,[4] in order to vacate the Lyric and allow for the necessary renovations for the show's successor, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child which had a sold out track record since opening on the West End.[5][6]

Paramour reopened in April 2019 in Hamburg, Germany.[7]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Paulson, Michael (April 13, 2016). "After Two New York Flops, Cirque du Soleil Bets Big on Broadway". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Paulson, Michael (April 25, 2016). "Cirque du Soleil's 'Paramour' Has Strong Start in Broadway Grosses". The New York Times.
  4. ^ "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child smashing records even before opening". The Sydney Morning Herald. April 15, 2018.
  5. ^ Cox, Gordon (December 1, 2016). "Cirque du Soleil's 'Paramour' to Move Out When Theater Closes for Renovations".
  6. ^ "Paramour Ends Broadway Run April 16 - Playbill". Playbill. April 16, 2017.
  7. ^ Wild, Stephi (May 22, 2018). "Cirque du Soleil Will Bring Hit Broadway Show PARAMOUR to Hamburg Germany". BroadwayWorld.