There are a variety of ways to pregame “O” by Cirque du Soleil. A trifecta of dining options with views of the Fountains of Bellagio are directly across the casino floor from “O” Theatre with Le Cirque, Yellowtail and Lago by Julian Serrano opening their doors two hours before the first showtime. The buffet is to the left of the entrance and box office, while to the right the smoke-free poker room offers tableside dining from Noodles, and adjoining Bet MGM Sports Book has a full bar.
A more advanced plan can now include seeing 2022 documentary Cirque du Soleil: Without a Net, which has recently begun streaming on Amazon Prime. Director Dawn Porter, who has since gone on to direct documentaries on singer Luther Vandross and the WNBA, depicts the return of the cast and crew of “O” to Bellagio after a long, life-changing layoff during the pandemic. Not everyone would make it back.
“O” remains a groundbreaking show in a stable of productions that by the time Without a Net was completed had been seen by 215 million people in 70 countries. It’s a story involving vision, talent, training, precision, enthusiasm and inevitable change. In this case it also involves a whole lot of water.
Porter starts out showing a montage of behind-the-curtain action as performers prepare, costumers costume and crew members go into action. We get a bird’s-eye view of the circular pool, the very symbol of “O,” which in turn is named for the phonetic pronunciation of the French word for water, “eau.” Then it’s showtime.
A flashback takes us to March 2020, where we meet cast members we’ll follow to the reopening. We start out at Cirque du Soleil headquarters in Montreal, though, where CEO and president Daniel Lamarre laments the closing of some 44 shows around the world. “It has been very, very difficult because letting people go, letting friends go, that was horrible,” says Lamarre. “For a moment I thought maybe this is the end.”
Cirque’s business is human performance, chief talent officer Marie-Noëlle Gagnon explains. Cast members are rare talents not easily replaced, and the ones who intended to keep performing kept training.
She zooms in on several members: Trapeze artist Emma Garrovillo put a freestanding Lollipop Lyra hoop pole in her living room; acrobat Danut Coseru reallocated performance times to parent time; and synchronized-swimming trailblazer Bill May taught on Zoom.
Still, that all-consuming, artistically satisfying purpose “O” provided would have to be on pause for what seemed like an eternity. Some cast members would gain new partners upon return and some would move on to the next stage of their careers shortly after the pool was filled again. Creator Franco Dragone, who passed away in 2022, makes an appearance in the film.
It’s the scenes of underwater stage production, high-flying artistry and show centerpiece Le Bateau that really whet the appetite for “O,” though. It’s a cuisine of creative expression that must be seen live, and is optimally enjoyable when preceded by fine dining.
Bellagio. 702.693.7068. cirquedusoleil.com
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