Banana Shpeel
| Banana Shpeel | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Company | Cirque du Soleil |
| Genre | Contemporary circus |
| Show type | Touring stage show |
| Date of premiere | November 19, 2009 (Chicago) |
| Final show | October 10, 2010 (Toronto) |
| Creative team | |
| Writer and director | David Shiner |
| Director of creation | Serge Roy |
| Set designer | Patricia Ruel |
| Composer | Simon Carpentier |
| Costume designer | Dominique Lemieux |
| Lighting designer | Bruno Rafie |
| Choreographer | Jared Grimes |
| Sound designer | Harvey Robitaille |
| Other information | |
| Preceded by | Ovo (2009) |
| Succeeded by | Viva Elvis (2010) |
Banana Shpeel was a touring stage show created by Cirque du Soleil which premiered on November 19, 2009, at the Chicago Theater. The vaudeville-based show was directed by David Shiner, who also created Koozå. The show only lasted for a very short time, only playing in Chicago, New York City, and Toronto. The show was eventually cancelled in 2010, due to the many complications and poor reviews it was receiving.
Banana Shpeel was plagued with misfortunes, including original cast members and show creators being removed from the project. Prominent Broadway actors, Michael Longoria and Annaleigh Ashford, were written out of the production, along with original composer Laurence O'Keefe. The show premiered to scathingly poor reviews from both amateur and professional critics, who found the show drenched in insipid humour and lacking in cohesion.
After its try-out run in Chicago during November 2009-January 2010 at the Chicago Theatre, the show moved to the Beacon Theater in New York, originally scheduled for additional performances for March to April 2010. The show's opening was delayed as it underwent a huge revision process, delaying the show's opening in New York from February 5 up to February 29, and was subsequently delayed twice more to March 17, and finally to April 29. The show had undergone rework, adding in new acts, actors, characters, and storyline. The changes included the removal of composers Scott Price and Jean-François Côté, who were replaced by Cirque composer Simon Carpentier. The two lead clowns, Daniel Passer and Wayne Wilson, were fired from the production, but were hired soon after. Thanks to the resultant delays of the retool, Ovo and Banana Shpeel were dueling shows in New York. Ovo would open first and receive much better reviews.
After much delay and misfortune, the show finally began its run in New York City on April 29, 2010. Once again, the show garnered an impressive array of bad reactions from the general public and media outlets. Neil Genzlinger of the New York Times wrote, "Should I feel guilty that, for me, the most satisfying moment of Cirque du Soleil’s Banana Shpeel came when a clown was riddled with mock machine-gun fire?".Banana Shpeel was scheduled to run at the Beacon Theater until August 29, but the company shortened the run to end on June 27.
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