Planning to avoid another circus

Deirdre Newman

Cirque du Soleil will somersault into town on Jan. 16, coming to rest

at a different location on the fairgrounds from its previous

controversial spot.

In 1997, “Quidam” roared into town, replete with booming thunder

and lightning sound effects. The location of that show, in the front

of the Orange County Fairgrounds, caused an uproar among neighbors

and prompted the city to consider suing the fairgrounds and Cirque du

Soleil.

This time, the French-Canadian company is bringing “Varekai” to

the fairgrounds. The show, which pays homage to the nomadic soul,

will be set up off of Mesa Drive, closer to the Costa Mesa Freeway,

and farther away from homes.

Fair officials say they don’t expect a groundswell of complaints

since “Varekai” will be at the back of the fairgrounds, in the same

space that the equestrian show, “Cheval,” occupied two years ago.

“When ‘Cheval’ was here, everything went swimmingly,” said Pam

Highwart, spokeswoman for the fairgrounds.

Cirque du Soleil has been staging fantastical productions since

1984. The shows feature a dazzling combination of acrobats, dancers,

singers, musicians, clowns and actors.

The first time it came to Costa Mesa, in 1993, it put on its show

in South Coast Plaza’s parking lot.

In 1997, when it came to the fairgrounds, nearby residents started

complaining about the noise during rehearsals. They complained about

the show’s bass reverberating through their houses, the sounds of

simulated thunderbolt cracks and loud clapping and cheering from the

audience at the late hour of 11 p.m. They compared it to being under

siege during a war.

“Quidam” opened Jan. 29. That week, after receiving dozens of

complaints during rehearsals and the first week of the show, Cirque

officials met with fair officials to try to alleviate the neighbors’

concerns. They hired a sound consultant and ultimately decided to

eliminate the show’s final thunder crack and shorten the

intermission.

STILL NOT QUIET

A week-and-a-half later, city officials met with Cirque organizers

to encourage them to continue adjusting the sound levels to try to

placate nearby residents. In March, City Council members considered

their options regarding Cirque du Soleil, including litigation. They

opted not to sue, instead urging fairgrounds and Cirque officials to

work together to solve the noise problems.

By early March, Cirque had spent about $50,000 to address noise

issues.

In 1999, Cirque visited Orange County again, but this time was

enticed to set up shop at the Irvine Spectrum during the Christmas

holiday season. Patrons flocked to the center to check out the

colorful circus troupe and the only problems there were with parking.

Cheval came to the fairgrounds in 2002, directed by Gilles

Ste-Croix, former director of creation for Cirque du Soleil. It

featured 30 horses and 30 humans under a big top. It went off without

a hitch, prompting fair officials to consider the spot for Cirque’s

next visit, Highwart said.

Jacques Marois, general manager of Cirque’s touring shows

division, said the new location at the fairgrounds should quell the

controversy that enveloped “Quidam.” Since it’s a different show, the

music and sound effects will also be different, Marois added.

“There’s not the thunder and lightning effect and the music is

different,” Marois said. “It’s more of a new-age, electronic kind of

music.”

A BIT OF NEIGHBORLINESS

Varekai’s set is deep within a magical forest, at the peak of a

volcano. The show has some mind-boggling acrobatic sequences, Marois

said.

Councilwoman Libby Cowan, who toured the affected neighborhoods

back in 1997, said while the location is a better spot for Cirque du

Soleil, she hopes it will still be receptive to working with

residents if there are any complaints.

“I think it’s certainly a better spot than last time,” Cowan said.

“I think it will also take some conscientious effort on the part of

the production to adjust to the sound and decibel levels that are

possible in the circus.”

Marois said Cirque du Soleil wants to be a good neighbor.

“We’re trying not to be a nuisance, but a positive, economic

presence in the neighborhood.”

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers Costa Mesa and may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com.