Cirque du Soleil N'est Pas Theatre!

In a victory for the city's theater industry and possibly good ol' fashioned American kitsch, the city's Planning Department has ruled Cirque du Soleil doesn't qualify as "legitimate theater." Therefore, the developer Related Companies won't get a special bonus for building at a lot on the far western part of West 42nd Street. Take that, Canada - you may have better healthcare and be the home of Degrassi and some Americans may go there to avoid fighting in wars no one believes in, but you can't take away money better spent on Madame Tussaud's! Oh, wait, Madame Tussaud's is British - maybe Disney wants to build a huge Chronicles of Narnia Experience there. Anywya, Related says they will look at their plans again, but most people do not think Cirque will happen (at least at that location) because, as the TImes reports, "of the prohibitive size and cost." And Related adds that the property is "not for sale, as of right now." Dunh dunh dunh.

People have been brewing about whether Cirque is legitimate theater for months now; Gothamist always thought what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, therebay negating any reason why Cirque should come - there are like 20 Cirque shows there!

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By Jen Chung in News on February 9, 2006 9:45 AM

Comments [rss]

rikomatic

I've always considered Cirque du Soleil much more theater than circus. I'd much rather Cirque be in the city than, say , Jersey Boys. Making New Yorkers go off to Newark to see Cirque is just cruel punishment.

virid

Gothamist always thought what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas

Zing!

pedro

How about hiring a copy editor Jen.

Larry Littlefield

An offensively bad decision, but (as I feared) the City Planning Commission is now dominated by the present-day tastes of the affluent, while making 50-year decisions.

The developer was going to build a theater -- a place for public gatherings and presentations. A space, in other words, one with a 50-year lifespan, maybe more.

The first TENANT would be Cirque, which some "inferior" people like and other "superior" people don't. Later there would be other tenants. Later Cirque will probably not even exist. The space would remain.

Are some of the Broadway theaters not theaters because they were originally (or at some point) used for vaudeville rather than La Bohemme?

I hereby condemn you young people to have your halftime entertainment be the Rolling Stones even until they are in their 90s (with one original replacement left), rather than the less "legitimate" music your own generation produces.