Puerto Rico Will Be Cirque du Soleil’s First-Ever Destination-Culture Based Residency

Cirque du Soleil is coming to Puerto Rico with a limited-series residency show built entirely on Puerto Rican culture, a first for the internationally renowned entertainment company.

The residency, running 30 performances from Feb. 12 through April 4, will not be presented anywhere else in the world and will offer a unique, tailor-made experience, according to Cirque du Soleil Chief of Staff Florent Bayle-Labouré. Ticket sales open to the general public Oct. 9, after a presale for Banco Popular customers beginning Oct. 7.

The show will run Fridays through Sundays at the Coca-Cola Music Hall in the T-Mobile District, with Thursdays reserved for buyouts by large groups and companies. Only 2,500 of the theater’s 3,800 seats will be used for the show.

“We wanted the show to have more of an intimate feel,” said Federico Stubbe Jr., CEO of PRISA Group and president of its new events firm, PRISA Presents, Cirque’s local partner.

(For the backstory behind the show, PRISA’s next-level tourism bet, and the facts pointing to an industry inflection point, see this CB accompanying story here.)

What sets Le Lo Lai apart is that it was conceived from the start around the culture of the audience it will play to, something the company has never done before.

“Ultimately, we are hoping that the people of Puerto Rico will discover their own culture through a slightly different lens. It is a different view of Puerto Rico through acrobatics, dancing and live music on stage,” Bayle-Labouré said in an exclusive interview with Caribbean Business.

The company, known for blending high-level acrobatics with theater, music, color and immersive visual storytelling, rarely features a live band in its limited-series shows, Bayle-Labouré said, adding to the novelty of an already first-of-its-kind production.

Over 75 minutes, the show will follow the simple story of a musician who returns to the island after traveling the world and reconnects with it through its music and heritage.

With Puerto Rican identity as its main theme and the power of music as its second, the company brought in Cucco Peña as musical director for the whole initiative.

Local talent

Peña, one of Puerto Rico’s most prominent musical directors, has worked as an arranger, producer or musical director for artists including Marc Anthony, Celia Cruz, Ricky Martin, Chayanne and Franco de Vita. Bomba, salsa, plena and reggaeton are among the musical styles that will be woven into the show’s immersive audiovisual story.

For costume design, the company recruited Puerto Rican-bred fashion designer Joshuan Aponte. Choreography is in the hands of Danny Lugo, who has worked with artists such as Luis Fonsi, Maluma and Carlos Vives, while screenwriter and librettist Paloma Suau serves as cultural advisor.

Because Puerto Rican pride is central to the project’s creative design, it was important for the company to work closely with local talent, hiring dancers, technicians, musicians and more, which Bayle-Labouré described as another first for the Canadian company. Of the show’s 33 artists, 10 are Puerto Rican.

The company also identified PRISA Group and the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC) as key allies in bringing the project to life, noting that their contributions were essential to the ideation process.

Both contributed significantly to the project, with total investment surpassing $10 million, according to Bayle-Labouré. Paco López, of No Limit Entertainment, is also among the collaborators.

Inspiration for the show

That ideation process started more than a year ago, while Bad Bunny’s 31-show residency was in full swing and the entire island scrambled for tickets. Bayle-Labouré also cited Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show in February as part of the inspiration.

The company’s market research included a trip to the island in January of this year, when crowds packed the streets of Old San Juan for the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián.

“We saw the rich culture, the energy of the people and we wanted to explore that pride that Puerto Ricans are known for. That’s why we decided to look into Puerto Rico as our next limited-series destination,” he said.

Bayle-Labouré noted that the Puerto Rico residency is one of the most technically ambitious limited-series shows the company has attempted to date. Cirque has created productions for specific destinations before, including a new summer show in Andorra every year since 2013, AMORA in Malta and a Tribute Series honoring Quebec artists in Trois-Rivières, and it recently signed a partnership to bring shows to Vietnam.

What sets Le Lo Lai apart, he said, is that it was conceived from the start around the culture of the audience it will play to, something the company has never done before.

The production is in development, with workshops under way to test new technical elements, Bayle-Labouré said, adding that casting will be completed in the coming months. While the initial series has a defined run, those involved are already looking beyond its final performance, hoping to establish a long-term, multi-year partnership.

Its success could determine not only what comes next for Cirque du Soleil in Puerto Rico, but whether destination-specific productions like this one become a larger part of the island’s entertainment offering.