'Cirque du Soleil' to hold Mumbai show in November: Fadnavis

The world's largest theatrical producer, 'Cirque du Soleil' has announced its first-ever performance in India, to be held here in November, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Monday.

Fadnavis made the announcement after a meeting with its Touring Show's Senior Vice President Finn Taylor in Canada's Montreal, said an official spokesperson here.

Founded in 1984, the Cirque du Soleil's entry to India via Maharashtra stands testimony to the state's focus on tourism and has been made part of the Visit Maharashtra initiative, the spokesperson said.

Earlier this year, Mumbai was the preferred destination for Disney which opened its world-famous production, "Aladdin" at the NCPA Complex here, and prior to that, the city hosted the longest running Broadway show, "Beauty and the Beast" in 2015.

With an annual turnover of S1 billion on sales of 10 million tickets, Cirque du Soleil has produced iconic acts like "KA", "Corteo", "Zumanity", "Kooza", and the classic "Mystere".

The company, founded by two former street performers - Guy Laliberte and Gilles Ste-Croix - is renowned for its unique acts accompanied by their out-of-the-world sets that end up being a gateway to another world for the audience.

--IANS

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