One of the things my family loves about visiting Disneyland is that there are a ton of things to do within a short distance of the resort. Hollywood Boulevard remains one of the most popular sights to see and is only about 45 minutes away from Disneyland (depending on traffic, of course).
Hollywood Boulevard is home to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Disney’s El Capitan Theatre, and the Kodak Theatre where Cirque du Soleil has a new permanent show called IRIS.
The Kodak Theatre might sound familiar to anyone who has watched the Academy Awards. The theatre’s connection to Hollywood (and the physical location) makes it a perfect spot for IRIS, which is a Cirque du Soleil show themed to the concept of cinema.
As you would expect from a Cirque du Soleil show, the performers in IRIS are incredible athletes and display amazing feats of physical prowess. This show incorporates many of the classic Cirque elements such as aerialists flying across the stage, contortionists, acrobats (dressed as colorful bugs) spinning each other on their feet, and an over the top trampoline act set on a New York rooftop.
Because this is a permanent show, you will see more elaborate set pieces and bigger stunts than you would see with the traveling shows. The huge New York trampoline set in the second half of the show is an example of this, as it incorporates a moving film strip design (which the performers move through), multimedia elements of projected images, backlit silhouettes, and a New York rooftop complete with a water tower and a neon hotel sign. And this is all just the backdrop for the main act of the trampoline tumblers in the foreground who enact a cops and robbers chase scene.
Overall, you can’t help but be charmed by this show. It’s delightfully fun and upbeat and they’ve done a great job of articulating the cinema theme in each act, making it feel right at home in the Kodak Theatre. If you’re a Cirque du Soleil regular, the physical feats will be familiar, but you’ll still enjoy the Hollywood flair.
Ticket prices range from $43 for the cheap seats in the nosebleed section and go all the way up to $253 for the front row, VIP package (which includes parking, drinks and a few other perks).
Photo via Arik Hanson
We live in los angeles, so we took our kids to see the show. The cirque people always put on a good show and this one is certainly worth the money.
I wish that they had a cirque show in downtown disney at Disneyland like they do at Disney World.