Cirque du Soleil lifts a stadium at the Forum in Barcelona
Cirque du Soleil returns to Barcelona like never before. The mythical company landed 21 years ago in the Catalan capital with Alegría, a catchy melody assembly that was the beginning of an idyll between the locals and the Québec company. And two decades later, Cirque du Soleil, the greatest symbol of the contemporary circus worldwide, not only presents a new show in the city but also premieres it. It will be on October 10 at the Parc del Fòrum, and the title seems, a priori, a safe goal: Messi10 by Cirque du Soleil. A montage inspired by the great Barça player, in his values and in the world of football and sports that will take place in huge facilities, at this time still under construction, which were presented yesterday.
And the first thing that attracts attention on the esplanade of the Forum where the new show is based is that this time there is not a giant circus tent, but a huge rectangular 17-meter-tall ship has been erected. A white and mysterious hangar in whose interior a longitudinal stage is discovered – 41 meters long by 14 meters wide – that runs through the ship and has two immense stands – with capacity for 3,000 spectators – facing each other, located on the side and side of the stage , as if it were the rival hobbies of a football game that shout and celebrate their respective teams. Of course, the ground of this reimagined soccer field is blue – to make it different, because, explained yesterday the director of production, Tyler Davidson, is a show about football, about the spirit of global football played by Cirque du Soleil, but Not a football match. And on that blue stage there will be 101 balls, some of which are common spherical but others will end up being more than surprising.
Elephantias installations arrived by 23 maritime containers from the headquarters of Cirque du Soleil in Montreal, where they have been creating this show that will unite the worlds of circus and football for two years, and will even feature a professional player on stage. In the reimagined football stadium there will be two huge screens of two tons each that will show Messi and images that have been inspired to tell the story. And suspended from the hangar deck there is already a huge 23-ton grill with hundreds of spotlights, sound devices and special effects. Everything you need for Messi10 by Cirque du Soleil to build a show that pretends to be fun, surprising and inspiring. And it will have two parts … 45 minutes each. A work in which there is no Messi, a 10, “but that all the artists who are on stage represent it, because they are the best version of themselves.”
Matías Loizaga, executive producer of this show that unites Cirque du Soleil with the Argentine company Popart Music and with Sony Music, points out that Leo Messi “permeates through the show, is a celebratory montage of the world of football through his figure , an inspiring show that upholds the values of football, hard work, what you have to do to be someone like Messi. There are no imitators of him, who is present in different ways in this interactive show in which the two stands celebrate the rivalry of the world of football and in which the public is invited to participate. ” For example, he points out, with the Messi of the day, “that he is a spectator who has arrived a few hours earlier at the facilities and has participated in the Messi10 Challenge LaLiga experience, an interactive park mounted next to the large hangar in five tents that each with a different challenge, from head goals to a virtual reality experience or a penalty shot to a robot goalkeeper. The one that accumulates the most points is the Messi of the day, an experience for young and old ”.
Loizaga points out that in the play there will be a lot of humor, including a clown from Figueres, Mateo Amieva, and that music will play a very important role, with songs by Pharrell Williams, Rosalia, White Stripes – Seven Nation Army – or The Fabulous Cadillacs and their Matador. In addition to themes of “the playlist of Messi”, which, he acknowledges, has not yet seen the final result because three weeks ago they finished the first rehearsal in Montreal. Of course, stresses that “Leo has participated in the creation of the script and numbers, we had meetings, gave feedback and opinion and made a couple of requests.” And about the choice of Messi and not of another player to create the show, he says that “it is indisputable that he is the best player in the world and we have found in him not only football achievements but hard work, improvement and values that make him unique, like the good person he is, in addition to the support he has received from his family, which has been one of the things he wanted to be reflected in the work, who is who he is for the support received from the family”.
THE MONTAGE
❏ This unique assembly began at the beginning of August with the landing in Barcelona of 23 maritime containers from the International Headquarters of Cirque du Soleil in Montreal (Canada), where the show has been created in the last 2 years.
❏ For 3 weeks, a total of 267 tons of equipment (technical equipment, clothing, props and acrobatic equipment, among others) have been transported by sea for the construction of this colossal and innovative assembly.
❏ Messi10 has 84 employees on tour in 19 countries, including 47 artists on stage.
❏ Every day more than 100 technicians participate, 60 of which are local professionals (welders, riggers, carpenters, electricians).
STAGE
❏ For the first time Cirque du Soleil designs a different scenario with an exclusive and innovative format: a reimagined soccer stadium.
❏ The scenic structure, which is 41 meters long and 14 meters wide, was designed by Cirque du Soleil in Canada and manufactured in Belgium.
❏ The public will be located in two stands, one on each side of the stage, thus causing interaction with the show and encouraging the feeling of celebration and rivalry that is experienced during football matches.
THE TECHNOLOGY
❏ The latest technology will be very present during the show thanks to an impressive grill of lights, powerful sound and multiple mobile and audiovisual elements.
❏ Messi10 has 2 high-definition screens and large dimensions (of 2 tons of weight each), which measure 2.4 meters high by 11 long. The screens will have more than 1.25 million pixels of high brightness and various lighting fixtures and other special effects.
❏ In total, the show has more than 200 kilometers of cable.
SPACE
❏ The new Cirque du Soleil show will be presented in Parc del Fòrum in a spectacular format: a mobile enclosure that is 65 meters long by 60 meters wide and at its highest point reaches 17 meters high.
❏ This colossal space that houses Messi10 could contain the water of 27 Olympic swimming pools.
‘MESSI10’ IN BARCELONA
❏ Barcelona has been chosen as the first city in the world and the only one in Spain where the new Cirque du Soleil show will be presented.
❏ During your stay in Barcelona, more than 100 people will be hired, including technicians, ushers, security, lockers and bars.
❏ The citadel built for the show covers a total of 40,000 m². The enclosure at the Parc del Fòrum will house the mobile stadium where the show and the Messi10 Challenge LaLiga attraction will be enjoyed.
EXECUTIVE CHAUFFEUR BARCELONA 