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Robe BMFLs illuminate new Cirque du Soleil show

The new Cirque du Soleil production “Fuzion” was staged at the King Abdallah Sports City (KASC) stadium in Jeddah for the 2022 Jeddah Season Festival. The show is a tribute to the company’s creative legacy and celebrates its most iconic acrobatic and theatrical performance achievements.

Directed by Mukhtar Omar Sharif Mukhtar with creative direction by Stefan Miljevic, the lighting and set was designed by Mikki Kunttu who used 186 Robe BMFL moving lights, making up half of the lighting rig. The 127 x BMFL Blades and 59 x BMFL WashBeams were Kunttu’s primary lighting fixtures, supplied by lighting vendor PRG Middle East. The production ran for thirty-two 75-minute performances.

The set and lighting design took “big-top shows” as a starting point, working with a similar shaped stage as classic Cirque productions with stage and lighting rigs shaped to accommodate acts like the Wheel of Death combined with the close proximity of a 270-degree audience. Unlike a traditional big-top venue where the rigging, flying and access is restricted by the nature of the construction, the Jeddah venue gave them maximum flexibility with its space and production facilities.

“Fuzion” was the first time Kunttu had used Robe BMFLs to light this style of show (although he’s used them on several other productions). All the BMFLs were positioned at the back of Cirque’s custom circular trusses - commonly referred to as “the piste” - and rigged above their circular stage on LX bars 1 and 2, and they were not used in any sort of conventional way.

Mikki Kunttu worked alongside programmers Matti Leinonen (on lighting) and Alex Hautamäki (mainly on video and some lighting), all three using GrandMA2 consoles. Video content was designed by Olivier Goulet. Leinonen remained in Jeddah to run lighting and video for the Season Festival duration.

Marie-Josée Adam was the executive producer/head of creation. Props were designed by Madeleine Bernatchez and included a disappearing tent comprising 28 x 22-metre-long fabric panels that “evaporated” in seconds. The musical director, composer and arranger was Hugo Montecristo, with music played live by a six-piece band.

One hundred and fifty people in total were involved in the creation and production, with 25 technicians running the show and 39 cast members from thirteen different countries and every continent. “Fuzion” was ten months in development from conception to production, and there was a two-week load-in and installation period at KASC.

(Photos: Mikki Kunttu)

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