Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Viva ELVIS’ to open in December in Las Vegas

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If Elvis Presley had lived in Montreal, would his famous catchphrase have been, ‘Merci ... merci, beaucoup’?

Earlier this year, Cirque du Soleil announced that it was planning to produce a new show in tribute to the king of rock ‘n’ roll, in collaboration with Elvis Presley Enterprises. Today, the Montreal-based Cirque said the show will be titled ‘Viva ELVIS’ and that it will premiere in December at its permanent home at the Aria Resort & Casino, which is located in MGM Mirage’s CityCenter complex.

Choreographer Vincent Paterson is directing the show, marking his first Cirque collaboration. In a video interview on the company’s website, Paterson describes the production as ‘an abstract biography of Elvis Presley’ that will incorporate some ‘acting moments’ spoken in English.

While he is most famous for his collaborations with Madonna and Michael Jackson, Paterson also has worked in the performing arts. In 2006, he staged a ‘50s style revival of Massenet’s ‘Manon’ for Los Angeles Opera.

Cirque performers traveled to Graceland to conduct research for the show, which will incorporate some well-known songs from the Presley catalog.

Check out the mini-documentary above, which features more on Paterson’s work on ‘Viva ELVIS.’

-- David Ng

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