A Sneak Peek At Cirque du Soleil's One Night For One Drop

We thought it was a big deal, but Cirque du Soleil's one-off, One Night For One Drop, is far bigger than we reported. On March 22, inside the Bellagio's "O" Theatre, performers from all seven Vegas Cirque shows will collaborate in a unique production created to raise money for the One Drop charity. On that night, for the first time, all Cirque shows in Las Vegas will close for the evening. No Zarkana, Zumanity... The sole Cirque show will be this production. And, we were invited for a sneak peek as they continue rehearsals.

The One Drop charity, created by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Lalibert�, is dedicated to generating money and awareness in the issues of access to water and sanitation in developing countries. This special night is not coincidentally on the same date as World Water Day. In the week preceding March 22, one night's revenue from each Cirque production will be donated to the charity. And they are planning more events to coincide with this event.

The show is being directed by Krista Monson from an original script. While the dominant theme is water as the essence of life, the plot also charts the trajectory of Alex The Complacent, an artist who has lost his way and enters a Cirque world to find and reclaim his artistic passion. In the first rehearsal scene we saw, Alex is aided by a mermaid and breaks free of the ties that bind him to his unhappy past. Alex is played by an aerial strap performer who flew right out over the audience. It works perfectly in this theatre.

For the second scene, dancers performed a piece called "Walk to Water" with masked performers invoking the daily difficulties for Third World women who have to travel long distances for their water supply.

We were able to chat with some of the volunteer performers. All are giving up their free time for the cause and the unique opportunity to work in unfamiliar surroundings. Particularly, the performers from shows that don't feature water are learning to cope with the difficulties in working on an aquatic set. Just being barefoot provides challenges for dancers used to drier stages. Think extreme pruning.

There are eighteen acts in the show, including the two described here. Large video projections will be part of the staging and the music sounds like an eclectic mix of styles.

As we told you, this project is big. And so is the entry fee to experience the show and the major festivities later in the evening. Celebrations will continue across the Bellagio property. So, tickets start at $150 for an obstructed view. $500 for a regular seat. The highest price ticket? $250,000. Yep, you'll be mingling with a rather elite strata of society. Mayor Goodman was in the audience for this early preview, so expect to see much city-wide publicity as the night draws near. The buzz for this event is just beginning. If you can find the funds to attend, we have no doubt that March 22nd will be a big deal. For a big cause.

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