Cirque du Soleil to perform to Michael Jackson music

BY STEVE BYRNE and BRIAN McCOLLUM
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS

A tour featuring the music of Michael Jackson and the big-top performance art of Cirque du Soleil will be hitting Detroit in 2011.

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“Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour” was announced this morning by the Cirque franchise, which earlier this year had indicated plans to work with the Jackson estate.

Tickets for the show -- to play Joe Louis Arena on Oct. 15, 2011 -- will go on sale to the public at noon Saturday. Seats run from $50 to $250.

Detroit will be an early stop on a lengthy North American tour that is scheduled to kick off in Montreal. The show marks the most significant Jackson-related tour since the star's death last year, and will likely be a hot topic on the 2011 pop landscape.

The event, to feature 60 performers, was described in a news release as "once-in-a-lifetime electrifying production (that) will combine Michael Jackson music and choreography with Cirque du Soleil creativity to give fans worldwide a unique view into the spirit, passion and heart of the artistic genius who forever transformed global pop culture.”

Tapped as director is Jamie King, an in-demand concert producer whose ornate scenes and choreography have adorned tours by acts such as Britney Spears (Circus) and Madonna (Sticky & Sweet) -- shows that elicted frequent comparisons to Cirque du Soleil.

This isn't the first foray into pop music for Cirque, which has become a Las Vegas institution and touring staple since its 1984 founding: The company's acclaimed "Love" show, an extravaganza based on the music of the Beatles, has been the resident show at the Mirage in Vegas since 2007. "Viva Elvis" debuted at the Aria Resort & Casino earlier this year.

Cirque's productions come with a distinct fantasy ambiance, combining dance, acrobatics and music in elaborately staged sequences.

Cirque Club members and MichaelJackson.com subscribers gained exclusive access to purchase presale tickets online beginning at 10 a.m. today.


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