Brooke Webb, artistic director for the pop culture phenomenon known as Cirque du Soleil, wants fans of the performance art extravaganza to come for the music as well as the acrobatics as the outfit's touring show, Alegria, launches its run at Frisco's Dr Pepper Arena this evening.
"The music is the heartbeat of this production," says Webb. "We have the most thrilling soundtrack to this show. It's already sold over 45 million copies and won several Grammy nominations."
The soundtrack was actually released back in 1999 (along with a documentary film), but Webb insists that the music remains fresh and compelling. "There is something magic about the compositions because people come out whistling and humming the tunes," she says.
The current touring production of Cirque du Soleil (which runs through Sunday), although provided the Spanish word for joy, is known for its dark lighting and intense musical themes.
"In the 25 years since Cirque has been around, they keep pushing the
boundaries of imagery," says Webb. "It's theater. It's opera. It's
music. It's everything."
Hard to argue with Webb's enthusiasm
seeing that the over 90 million people have seen some version of the
company's productions, and the gross profit of Cirque is said to be
over $800 million.
Actually, that is a lot of joy.
"It is an empire," admits Webb. And seeing that she herself has seen this production almost a thousand times, she ought to know.
