Later this month, one of Cirque du Soleil’s beloved shows, ‘Bazzar’ (originally created in 2018) is hitting the stage under the big top at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania, starting Sept. 26. The show has gotten a revamp, and Philadelphians will be the first in the nation to check it out and see the “joyful troupe of acrobats, dancers and musicians crafting an awe-inspiring spectacle lead by their maestro.”
To dive a little deeper into what to expect from this rendition of Cirque du Soleil’s talent, artistic director Johnny Kim sat down to talk about what sets this spectacle apart and why a night under the big top might just be what audiences need to feel some connection.
How did you get started in the world of performing and what led you to Cirque Du Soleil?
I started off when I was younger as a concert pianist, and that turned into being an accompanist for singers and musicians. Once I was in high school, I joined show choir and theater, and that’s when I had my foot in the door as far as what performing was like. It wasn’t until I started college that I got into dance more full-time, [plus] I had a gymnastics background from when I was younger…That kind of moved me into performing on stage.
But it wasn’t until 2007 that I ended up joining the circus because I went to an audition with a friend, and I ended up getting the job. I was opened to this whole new world where my gymnastics, dance, and theater background could be implemented, and I kind of joined the circus and never really left… I was in a lot of leadership roles, whether it was being a dance captain or a show captain, and it naturally led me into artistic direction. And after working for Franco Dragone for about five years, I moved over to Cirque du Soleil and then became an artistic director for them.
What does the job of an artistic director look like for something like Cirque du Soleil?
It involves a lot—the artistic department on tour is the biggest department, and so I oversee the entire cast and also my own artistic team. I have to collaborate with technical as well when it comes to lights and sound, plus I have my own costume department. There’s a lot of collaboration involved to make sure that the show is the best that it can be.
The decisions that I make go as far as costume alterations, makeup, design, and how the lighting should be in certain acts. I have a head coach as well who works with me to make sure that some of the acts are up to par, and then I have a dance captain. So I work with a lot of people to make sure that the show is the best that it could possibly be, not just as far as the acrobatic content, but artistically what it looks like and how it’s presented on stage.
When did you start with Cirque Du Soleil?
I actually started in 2017 with the new creation of the show, ‘Volta,’ and ‘Volta’ was also the first show that came to Oaks, PA. So, having ‘Bazzar’ come back is kind of a mini circle for me, just because I was with the first show that was there and now we will be the third production to arrive in Oaks.
What went into this resurgence of ‘Bazzar’?
A lot, actually, to be fair. We were the last big top for Cirque Du Soleil to relaunch, so a lot of staff and artists were already hired for previous shows, and there was a lot of them returning back to ‘Bazzar’. But there was still a huge chunk that we had to replace, so not only were we trying to reopen a show, we were also putting it in the big top—there was a lot of work to be done to make sure that it would fit.
And there was a lot of work to be done as far as the new artists that were there, and then making final tweaks to make it the best show to represent it in South America and see how that was going to work…It took a lot of energy. We spent six weeks trying to put it up on its feet with a lot of new people, myself included, I’ve never done ‘Bazaar’ before. And so not only was it learning the show, but then it was also kind of evolving it to be as best as it could be and as relevant as it could be post-pandemic as well.
When people come out to Oaks under the big top to see it in September, what kind of overview can you give them on what to expect from the performances?
I think they’ll expect a lot of joy, that’s for sure, and what I’ve tried to develop in the last 10 months of being on the road with the show, I started to realize that post-pandemic, despite that we’re always attached to our phones and technology and whatnot, I feel like there’s a lot of people that are yearning for a deep connection or an escape, and that’s what we do.
We come to shows so we can escape our own lives to then go into this fantasy world and just kind of forget everything about our own lives and just jump in. And so having that kind of connectivity has been something that I’ve been really focusing on, so a little bit different to a lot of big top shows. I think people will come to see the show, enjoy it as a spectator, but also enjoy it because there’s a level of connectivity where they’re a part of the show in a way, and you just leave feeling like you were in the show as well if that makes sense.
Our main character, Maestro, has his act in Act Two, and in this day and age, we still have people that shine their phones to take a picture or video of some of the show, and that’s going to be normal. People will do that, but it’s so fun to see that when he gets the audience involved there are a lot of people who put their phones down, and for me to sit back and watch that is exactly what I wanted because it gives you that breath to just kind of step aside from the technology and just be amongst other people and have that human connection. And it just brings so much joy to me when I see that.
Does anything else stand out to you from ‘Bazzar?’
When we talk about ‘Bazzar’, a lot of people do talk about how when it was created back in 2018, [it did] pay homage to old Cirque du Soleil. That’s definitely true in the sense that there are old concepts that have been made in a contemporary way. We’re always trying to do something to where people feel like it’s fresh and new because there’s a massive level of expectation. But the best part for me is that Cirque du Soleil not only creates a lot of beautiful shows, but the main thing that I think is the takeaway for myself is that it celebrates the human spirit and the human capability.
I mean, we’re doing things that people still can’t imagine are physically possible, and we’re doing it and presenting it in such an artistic way. We’re also obviously a company that does this with humans only and no animals, and I think that’s a huge thing to celebrate as well when it comes to what the human body’s capable of doing and what kind of magic we’re able to share.
To learn more, visit cirquedusoleil.com
