Cirque du Soleil will be without its signature big top when it returns to Atlanta later this year, mounting encore stagings of “Dralion” at Philips Arena for a week then moving the show to Gwinnett Arena for a second week.
“Dralion” will be performed at Philips downtown for seven shows Aug. 25-28 before the production heads up I-85 for eight performances at Gwinnett Arena, Aug. 31-Sept. 4, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has learned. Tickets go on sale to the public May 16 but are already available to Cirque Club members, through Sunday. (Join for free at www.cirqueclub.com.)
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey experimented with a two-arena metro stop earlier this year, but a Cirque spokeswoman said its success wasn’t a factor.
Cirque has toured some of its classic big top shows to arenas since 2007, when it formed an arenas division, with “Dralion” joining the ranks last October. Blending Chinese acrobatic traditions with contemporary Cirque theatrics, “Dralion” was staged outside Turner Field in 2000.
“With our arena division, we are able to open new markets and bring the Cirque du Soleil experience to new audiences,” spokeswoman Vanessa Napoli said, adding that it takes nine days to set up a big top and only 12 hours for an arena show. Atlanta traditionally has been one of Cirque’s strongest U.S. markets.
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