Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group and Outrigger Hospitality Group stay comin’ in hot wit’ some high-flyin’ news! Dey wen’ make one agreement fo’ bring Cirque’s Hawaii-themed show to da Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel showroom as part of one multiyear partnership. Dis gonna add Hawaii to Cirque’s shortlist of destinations wit’ shows in residence. Dis exclusive show unda development is expected fo’ debut in December 2024.?♀️??♀️
Eric Grilly, Cirque du Soleil’s president of resident and affiliate shows, said he believes it’s very appropriate fo’ dem fo’ celebrate Cirque’s 40th anniversary by openin’ dis show in Hawaii. Grilly and Jeff Wagoner, Outrigger Hospitality Group’s president and CEO, have been plannin’ fo’ dis partnership fo’ about two years, and dey called it “substantial.” Da duo said da show is expected fo’ draw 800 attendees, which could potentially bring more business to da Waikiki area.
Wagoner said dat da permitting process fo’ da state-of-the-art audiovisual system is already underway. Dey also planning fo’ retoolin’ da show’s 20,000-square-foot venue, which formerly housed da long-running “Magic of Polynesia.” Dey declined to disclose da exact dollar amount of their joint investment, but said dat dis is da largest investment Outrigger has made in Hawaii related to entertainment.??
Native Hawaiian Aaron J. Sala, who has a doctorate in ethnomusicology from da University of Hawaii, was retained as da project’s creative cultural producer. Sala will consult in creatin’ da show, which will meld Cirque’s acrobatics and innovation wit’ da natural beauty and unique culture of da islands. Sala said da partnership of Cirque du Soleil wit’ Outrigger, one of da strongest hotel brands in Hawaii, is “an incredible feat.”
Cirque du Soleil is known for havin’ shows all ova da world, wit’ about 4,000 employees of 80 nationalities contributin’ to 31 shows and sellin’ 9.5 million tickets annually. Grilly said it’s not yet known how many jobs dis Hawaii show will create, but said dat it will be significant. Sala said dat showrooms once dominated da Waikiki area, addin’ hundreds of jobs.???
In his research fo’ his doctoral dissertation, Sala came across an anecdote indicatin’ dat Cirque du Soleil also has Hawaii roots. He said he heard dat Cirque’s founder Guy Laliberte, a circus performer, was inspired by watchin’ people in Waikiki and wondered to himself what it would be like to watch a circus of people accomplishing incredible physical feats rather than watchin’ animals. Sala said the “Soleil” part of the name was inspired by a sunset in Kona, where Laliberte has a home.??
Cirque’s Hawaii-themed show will be da first one since da pandemic hit, and it will be a multiyear production wit’ an expected opening date of December 2024. Dey said dat dis show will be representin’ Hawaii’s culture and stories, and da creative team is excited to be combin’ da power of Hawaiian storytelling wit’ da power of Cirque.
Dis new Cirque show will surely be one of da hottest attractions in Hawaii!!
NOW IN ENGLISH
Huge news: Cirque du Soleil is planning a new show in Waikiki with Outrigger Hospitality Group! ??
Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group and Outrigger Hospitality Group have announced their joint venture to bring a Hawaii-themed show to the Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel showroom as part of a multiyear partnership. This is a huge deal as Hawaii is set to become part of Cirque’s shortlist of destinations with shows in residence. The exclusive show, which is under development, is expected to debut in December 2024.?♀️??♀️
Eric Grilly, the president of resident and affiliate shows at Cirque du Soleil, believes that opening the show in Hawaii is very appropriate to celebrate the company’s 40th anniversary. Grilly and Jeff Wagoner, the CEO of Outrigger Hospitality Group, have been planning this partnership for about two years and describe it as “substantial.” The duo also revealed that the show is expected to draw in 800 attendees, potentially boosting the Waikiki area’s business.
Wagoner said that the permitting process for the state-of-the-art audiovisual system is already underway, and they are planning to retool the show’s 20,000-square-foot venue, which previously housed the long-running “Magic of Polynesia.” Although the exact dollar amount of their joint investment has not been disclosed, they describe it as the largest investment Outrigger has made in Hawaii related to entertainment.??
Aaron J. Sala, a Native Hawaiian with a doctorate in ethnomusicology from the University of Hawaii, has been retained as the project’s creative cultural producer. Sala will consult on creating the show, which will combine Cirque’s acrobatics and innovation with the natural beauty and unique culture of the islands. Sala said that the partnership between Cirque du Soleil and Outrigger, one of the strongest hotel brands in Hawaii, is “an incredible feat.”
Cirque du Soleil is known for its shows worldwide, with about 4,000 employees from 80 different nationalities contributing to 31 shows and selling 9.5 million tickets annually. Grilly said that it is not yet known how many jobs this Hawaii show will create, but it will be significant. Sala also mentioned that showrooms once dominated the Waikiki area, providing hundreds of jobs. ???
In his research for his doctoral dissertation, Sala came across an anecdote indicating that Cirque du Soleil also has Hawaii roots. He heard that Cirque’s founder Guy Laliberte, a circus performer, was inspired by watching people in Waikiki and wondered what it would be like to watch a circus of people accomplishing incredible physical feats rather than watching animals. Sala said that the “Soleil” part of the name was inspired by a sunset in Kona, where Laliberte has a home. ??
Cirque’s Hawaii-themed show will be the first one since the pandemic hit and will be a multiyear production with an expected opening date of December 2024. They said that the show will represent Hawaii’s culture and stories, and the creative team is excited to combine the power of Hawaiian storytelling with the power of Cirque.
This new Cirque show is sure to be one of the hottest attractions in Hawaii! ??♀️?️?
