Iris (Cirque du Soleil)

This article is about the Cirque du Soleil production. For other uses, see Iris (disambiguation).
Iris
Logo for Cirque du Soleil's Iris
CompanyCirque du Soleil
GenreContemporary circus
Show typeResident show
Date of premiereSeptember 25, 2011
Final showJanuary 19, 2013
LocationDolby Theatre, Los Angeles
Creative team
Writer and directorPhilippe Decouflé
Director of creationJean-François Bouchard
Set designerJean Rabasse
Costume designerPhilippe Guillotel
ComposerDanny Elfman
ChoreographerDaphné Mauger
Lighting designerPatrice Besombes
Props designerAnne-Séguin Poirier
Projections designersOlivier Simola
Christophe Waksmann
Sound designerFrançois Bergeron
Acrobatic performance designersBoris Verkhovsky
Shana Carroll
Acrobatic rigging and equipment designerPierre Masse
Artistic guideGuy Laliberté
Make-up designerNathalie Gagné
Other information
Preceded byZarkana (2011)
Succeeded byMichael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour (2011)
Official website

Iris was a resident Cirque du Soleil show based in Los Angeles, California. It premiered on September 25, 2011, after preview performances which began on July 21, 2011.[1][2] The cost for production of the show was nearly $100 million, which included the cost of renovating the Dolby Theatre in which the show was housed.[3] Iris was written and directed by French director-choreographer Philippe Decouflé.[4] The show explored images from the history of cinema and featured elaborate choreography, acrobatics, and a variety of contemporary circus acts.[5] The name of the show, Iris, comes from the camera diaphragm as well as from the colored iris of the human eye.[6]

In November 2012 it was reported that Iris would end its run at the Dolby Theatre on January 19, 2013 due to disappointing ticket sales.[3] It was later reported that Cirque du Soleil looked into the possibility of taking Iris to other cities in the United States.[7]

Scenes from Iris would later be incorporated into Cirque du Soleil’s first musical Paramour which debuted on Broadway in New York City on May 25, 2016.[8]

  1. ^ Bryan Chan (2011-09-14). "Cirque du Soleil performers before and after photos". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2016-04-03. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  2. ^ "Cirque du Soleil prepares for first L.A. rehearsals of 'Iris' at Kodak Theatre". Los Angeles Times. 2011-04-28. Retrieved 2011-05-01.
  3. ^ a b David Ng; David Zahniser (November 30, 2012). "Cirque du Soleil's extravagant 'Iris' will close Jan. 19". Los Angeles Times.
  4. ^ "Iris Creators". Cirque du Soleil. Archived from the original on 2015-09-19. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
  5. ^ Maçek III, J.C. (2013-04-04). "A Cirque Du Soleil Performance in Hollywood Evokes Memories of the Circus of Hollywood". PopMatters.
  6. ^ "A new Cirque du Soleil production exclusively at Kodak Theatre Summer 2011". Cirque du Soleil (Press Release). 2010-09-22. Retrieved 2011-03-26.
  7. ^ "Sun Setting On Cirque Du Soleil's 'Iris'". CBS Local 2. 2012-12-01.
  8. ^ Paulson, Michael (April 13, 2016). "After Two New York Flops, Cirque du Soleil Bets Big on Broadway". The New York Times.