| Zed | |
|---|---|
| Company | Cirque du Soleil |
| Genre | Contemporary circus |
| Show type | Resident show |
| Date of premiere | October 1, 2008 |
| Final show | December 31, 2011 |
| Location | Cirque du Soleil Theater, Tokyo Disney Resort, Tokyo |
| Creative team | |
| Artistic guide | Gilles Ste-Croix |
| Executive producer | Francois Macerola |
| Writer and director | François Girard |
| Creation director | Line Tremblay |
| Set designer | François Séguin |
| Costume designer | Renée April |
| Composer and arranger | René Dupéré |
| Lighting designer | David Finn |
| Choreographers | Debra Brown Jean-Jacques Pillet |
| Sound designer | François Bergeron |
| Acrobatic equipment and rigging designer | Scott Osgood |
| Acrobatic performance designer | Florence Pot |
| Make-up designer | Eleni Uranis |
| Production manager | Michael Anderson |
| Guest creator-dramatist | Serge Lamothe |
| Other information | |
| Preceded by | Zaia (2008) |
| Succeeded by | Criss Angel Believe (2008) |
| Official website | |
Zed was Cirque du Soleil's second resident show in Asia. It premiered on October 1, 2008 at the Cirque du Soleil Theater, Tokyo Disney Resort, in Tokyo, Japan.[1] Inspiration for Zed was taken from the Tarot and its Arcana; the main character Zed represents humanity. It is Zed's journey through this world that allows humanity to discover itself by uniting the people of the earth and sky.
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Due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the artists and staff of Zed were temporarily relocated to Macau where they continued training at Cirque du Soleil's resident show Zaia. The major benefit of relocating there is that the team is able to partner with the crews of Koozå (which was also relocated from Japan) and Zaia at the Macau training facilities.[2] Shows from March 11 through April 20 were cancelled. The troupe was able to start performances again on April 23 after a through safety inspection of the theatre and facilities had been undertaken.[3]
On Sunday, July 24, 2011, it was announced to the cast and crew of Zed, that the The Oriental Land Company and Cirque du Soleil had come to an agreement to permanently close the production on December 31, 2011. The closure is due to the business environment that arose from the impacts of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Zed was the first show to reach its one-millionth guest faster than any show in Japan, and did see great success with over 1,000 performances.[4]
Cirque du Soleil spent three years constructing the Cirque du Soleil Theatre Tokyo for its resident show Zed.[5] The theatre, which is located at the Tokyo Disney Resort, was exclusively designed for Zed. The roof is formed by polyhedrons and is made to look similar to the circus tents seen at Cirque du Soleil's grand chapiteau touring shows. The form is designed to capture the sun's light from any angle.[6]
François Séguin, set designer, drew inspiration for the set design from the astrolabe. The atmosphere of the stage evokes the High Renaissance and the beginning of the Mechanical Age. Finishings of the stage include many brass and copper components representing mechanical gears. The globe above the stage shows the meridians and lines of latitude, while on the floor, there is the Milky Way and phases of the moon. Also seen throughout the stage and show is the "Zed Alpha"—a 26-letter alphabet created for the show.[5]
Due to safety concerns arising from the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Cirque du Soleil ordered a NZ$15,000 ($NaN in 2012) trapeze cushion from Canvasland located in Levin, New Zealand. The nylon cushion measures 12 by 5 metres (39 × 16 ft) and weighs 200 kilograms (440 lb). The design includes an air mattress base and inflated tongs, this allows the artist to fall safely in any position without the ability to bounce off. The new devise is used in the trapeze act, ensuring additional safety in the event of any new earthquakes and aftershocks.[7]
As the inspiration of Zed is the Tarot and its Arcana, many of the characters come from this realm.[8]
The acts of Zed unite the earth and the sky with many highly skilled acrobatic feats.[9][10][11]
Central to Zed's theme is the uniting of the people from the earth and sky. To set them apart, costume designer Renée April chose iridescent colors, pale shades, and a heavy usage of pearl and silver for the people of the sky, and chose an Italian Renaissance color palette (gold, ochre, Venetian blue, turquoise green) for the people of the earth. Zed, who unites this group, is clad in darted, all-white organza, and his outfit is reminiscent of a Pierrot. Djinn, who is part of the earth group, has an outfit made of a stretch silicone material. The neckline has a type of gold leaf appliqué to resemble an Inca or Aztec necklace. The torso, upper body, and arms have tattoo designs printed on the silicone material.[12]
A few additional highlights of the costumes includes these below.[13]
The album for Zed was released on October 13, 2009 and was composed by René Dupéré.[14] The acts associated with each song are in parentheses below.[15]
In 2010, Cirque du Soleil released Zed in Tokyo, a short documentary about the creation of Zed.[16] It was filmed in both Montréal and Tokyo.
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