Cirque du Soleil’s 'Luzia' bids farewell to Catalonia with 150k-strong audience

The company "exceeds expectations" and recovers pre-pandemic attendance figures

One of the performances from 'Luzia' in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat on March 16, 2022 (by Gemma Sánchez)
One of the performances from 'Luzia' in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat on March 16, 2022 (by Gemma Sánchez) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

May 16, 2022 01:47 PM

Cirque du Soleil's latest show, 'Luzia', said goodbye to the Catalan public this Sunday "exceeding [audience] expectations”, as its attendance figures were similar to those from before the pandemic.

According to Charlie Wagner, the production’s publicist, more than 150,000 spectators came to see the 70 performances that the Canadian company showcased in their marquee in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, just outside Barcelona.

The show was "well-received" by the public and marked the return of Cirque du Soleil to Europe after the two-year hiatus caused by Covid.

Wagner emphasized that the Catalan audience was "wonderful and welcoming" and said that they hoped to see them again in the shows they plan to do in the coming months across Spain, as well as at the show 'Corteo' which the company plans to do in Mallorca this August.

'Luzia', takes viewers on a trip through a dream of Mexico. The name, coming from a fusion of the Spanish words 'luz' and 'lluvia', meaning 'light' and 'rain' respectively, highlights its focus on these elements.

This manifested itself in a blanket of artificial rain, which the company has admitted was a "big technical challenge".

A suspension bridge over 14 meters long, a swimming pool under the stage, a rigorous disinfection process and a special system to keep live electric cables separate were key for the display to work.

In the show, a parachutist lands, thirsty, in a land of memories, where he finds a great magic key that allows him to enter a magical world, halfway between fantasy and reality. Thus begins the journey of 'Luzia', where viewers are transported through the essence of Mexican culture through multiple shows of acrobats, tightrope walkers, jugglers, clowns and contortionists.

All this aims to highlight the richness of Mexican landscapes, the speed of the Tarahumares tribe and diverse animal life.

After Barcelona, ​​'Luzia' will continue its tour of the continent, stopping in Alicante on July 14 and Madrid on November 5.