The new hyped Cirque du Soleil show, Toruk: The First Flight, is inspired by James Cameron’s successful flick Avatar – the touring show is making its way to a number of Canadian cities, debuting in Montreal next month.
It’s described as a “live immersive multimedia spectacle” with “cutting-edge visuals, puppetry and stagecraft buoyed by a soaring cinematic score” (The Canadian Press). The mythical tale is set thousands of years before the events depicted in “Avatar,” before any humans ever set foot on Pandora. It’s written as well as directed by Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon.
“I don’t think you can compare a show to a film,” said Jon Landau to The Gazette – he produced Avatar, is partners with Cameron in the production company Lightstorm Entertainment and has been involved in the creation of Toruk, along with Cameron. “I think what it does is raise the bar for arena-based entertainment the way Avatar raised the bar for theatre experiences. And I think that’s very exciting.”
While it’s premiering in LA in November, the tour officially kicks off in Montreal on December 21st.
Photo: Cirque du Soleil
