M83 Announces Cirque Du Soleil Collaboration

M83 Announces Cirque Du Soleil Collaboration

M83 and Cirque Du Soleil have a few things in common. They’re both French pop-culture institutions. They’re both grand and theatrical and slightly ridiculous. They both regularly play American arenas. And now they’re coming together for a project.

According to a press release, M83 mastermind Anthony Gonzalez will serve as composer and musical director for a new production called Cirque Du Soleil VOLTA, which will be coming to Montreal next year, opening up 4/20 at the Big Top in the Old Port. Presumably, the “musical director” bit means the music won’t all be brand-new, which in turn means that we could watch some mimes doing death-defying acrobatics to “Midnight City.” Which sounds pretty awesome?

That press release includes a statement from Jean Guibert, Cirque Du Soleil’s director of creation. (He’s not the creative director. He’s the director of creation.) He says, “We have been following the work of M83 for many years and have always been convinced of the incredible potential of integrating his music to a Cirque du Soleil production.” Meanwhile, writer and director Bastien Alexandre says, “VOLTA is a contemporary show brimming with energy, but it is also deeply human and theatrical. We were seduced by Anthony’s ability to create melodies that are both epic and poetic and transcend the heart and soul. We are honored that he agreed to lend his talent to this project.”

And here’s what Gonzalez has to say about the project:

When Jean and Bastien first approached me, I was immediately excited about the idea of working with Cirque du Soleil. Not just because they are a company known throughout the world, but also because I was deeply attracted by the story of VOLTA, and the spirit that underpins the show. The story of VOLTA is ours. It is a tale of a generation who is calling for change and I was very keen to contribute to telling this story. I’m deeply honored to be part of the Cirque team and it’s a wonderful new challenge in unknown territory for me. Ultimately, it’s challenges like this that I find so inspiring and drive me to make the music that I do.

You can get tickets for the show here.

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