Cirque Du Soleil Coming To Cincy's Coney Island!

Hello Coaster Fans Who Are Busy Plotting Next Years Coaster Trips Already,

I thought this was pretty big win for Coney Island, Ohio:

http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/ovo/tickets/cincinnati.aspx

I'm a huge fan of Cirque and even better it's at Coney Island under a Big Top!!

I hope this gets Coney Island the much needed attention it deserves! Coney Island is definitely a hidden gem in Ohio that seems to have been forgotten since Kings Island was created.

I have taken a few friends from up here in Northern Ohio who have never heard of the place or think of the other Coney Island. It's always been a great time down there!

Hope you can make plans if you never been there...very worth the trip, and just a great little park with a lot of potential (don't mind the floods every now and then)!

-RollerCoasterGod

Wow, Cirque du Soleil seems very...well, um, upscale for CI-Cin. Not that I don't think it's a good thing, or that it won't help the park. Still, I'm kind of surprised they nabbed this.

I do love Old Coney. I always thought they could truly benefit from having a marquee attraction at the park, but not in a million years would I ever have thought of Cirque. Hope it's a hit.

That's very cool. One of my aunts lives only a couple of miles from Coney Island, so that may be a trip worth taking...

I'm not sure I understand what's so shocking about this. They set up in the flats in Cleveland one year while it was in mid-decay. Cincy has more culture than people give it credit for as well, in terms of the arts.

I think the shocking part is not that it's in Cincy, but that its at Coney Island. Cirque Du Soleil and Coney Island do seem like a bit of an odd couple. But I hope it works for them.

I'm surprised at the "surprise" here about CdS pitching the Grande Chapiteau at Coney Island. Anyone with the slightest knowledge of CdS would know that their touring shows will set up anywhere that there is a sufficient parking lot. Everything from the Santa Monica Pier, Boston's Suffolk Downs, Orange County's not yet constructed "Great Park", and just about any large Fairgrounds site, etc.

The real surprise is that Cincinnati, as Red-America as it is, would allow something so French-ie.

Freedom Fries forever!

As RPM said, it's not that it's in Cincy, but specifically at Coney. I don't know about Suffolk Downs, but I can tell you that Santa Monica Pier is just a tad (speaking in astronomical terms, about 1,000,000 miles) more upscale than CI.

ok, allow me to rephrase:

The CdS experience is typcially, self contained. Once a suitable site is found, CdS brings in everything they need for their operation, including tent, foods, equipment, stadium, seating, and even the bathrooms. NOTHING from the outside side is incorporated into the CdS operation, except a sufficiently large enough parking lot.

Case in point, Atlanta's production of Verekai was held in a "to be constructed" big Box retail center. The parking lot was already in place, but the stores weren't even halfway finished. Didn't matter to CdS. There was parking, a flat space for the tent, and the ability to get cars to/from a highway access. The site was a mess, but didn't matter as once you were inside, you were in their world.

so, again, CdS really doesn't care where they plop le Grande Chapiteau, as long as it's not in the middle of a housing project. Upscale or Down market is irrelevant, as CdS doesn't use any of the surrounding infrastructure. It's all them, behind a perimeter fence.

CW is on the money. If you've got a big-a** parking lot, and are willing to rent it for cheap, Cirque will roll in for a few weeks and do their thing, and then disappear into the night when it is over. The only thing slightly surprising is that Ovo will be running during what is ostensibly the beginning of CI's season.

You can say ass. I'm OK with it. :)

I just saw Drailion in youngstown this past weekend twice and was an excellent show. Love Cirque Du Soleil! It was not my favorite show (still Varekai, Kooza and Alegria), but still excellent.

We always see them a few times when they come into town or around us (Pittsburgh, Columbus, Cincinatti depending). We thought about going down to see OVO but may hold out for now. We are planned to see Quidam, Totem and Alegria again in 2011.

I still have yet to see a Cirque show, and I've even been to Vegas twice. I really want to, just havne't yet. But come April, I may just have to hit the one coming to Greensboro up.

The only one I've seen is the traveling arena show, Delirium. It was really quite good, and very interestingly staged. Just as Blue Man Group's arena show was more oriented toward songs with vocals, so was this. I really enjoyed it.

It's funny, as Delirium really is the "oddball" in the Cirque lineup. It is not like any of the other shows, and although it was still fun, has nothing on the "authentic" shows, especially the tent ones. Another good thing about the tent shows as well is the upcharge "Tapis Rouge" you can do, where prices run $200 or so, but you basically get VIP treatment. Front and center seats, special "Tapis Only" area with free alcoholic drinks, awesome food, and more drinks and dessert at intermission. Perfect for a sexy date, that is for sure. Expensive, but the experience is quite awesome. We have done two so far, and both were incredible.

But if you get a chance Jeff, make sure to see a tent show when you can. The arena ones are good as well, but a little less intimate due to atmosphere. The tent shows create a whole new world once inside. One of the cool things about Cirque. For one, NEVER miss Varekai when it comes back into town, that is simply the best show I had ever seen in my life (cirque or not).

See, it was the difference that compelled me to see it in the first place. I've only seen the tent shows on TV, but they never really appealed to me, and they appeared boring. I've yet to see one of the Vegas shows.

How can you tell if it's boring by watching a video and not ride...oh wait. Nevermind ;).

Has anyone seen Zumanity at NYNY? I heard that one was pretty good as well. I'm heading there in Feb and contemplating getting tickets.

All I've actually heard about it is that it is not a family show. I'd like to see the Beatles or Elvis one. Oh, and everyone says stay away from Criss Angel.

I've seen Alegria and Varekai. Both were great fun. I'm thinking about catching Ovo when it is in Chicago this summer.

Cirque has been through Columbus twice, the 1st time they were downtown and set up the Grande Chapiteau in an empty lot while our Arena District was still under construction. It was nearly sold out it's entire run. The 2nd time they set up at the state fairgrounds and didn't do nearly as well. I see they are coming through again in February, this time at the Schottenstein arena at OSU.

My first Cirque experience was LaNouba at WDW and I loved it. But KA at MGM in Vegas just blew us away. The most amazing gravity-defying stunts and effects ever, and it was enhanced by a larger story line. That's one I wish I could see again. While portable Cirque is great, perma-Cirque is even better.

Coney is well utilized throughout the season as a special events destination for the people of Cincinnati, and Sunlite Pool still brings 'em in. While the amusement park has a quaint atmosphere, and is somewhat reminiscent of the original, it's not the main draw for Coney anymore. I think Cirque should do well there.