''Zed'' was

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; ) is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Jun ...

's second resident show in Asia. It premiered on October 1, 2008, at the Cirque du Soleil Theater,

Tokyo Disney Resort The (local nickname ''TDR'') is a theme park and vacation resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, just east of Tokyo. The resort is owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company, the Oriental Land Co., a subsidiary of the Keisei Electric Rai ...

, in

Urayasu 260px, Old Urayasu is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 170,533 in 81,136 households and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Urayasu is best known as the home of Tokyo Dis ...

, Chiba,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Inspiration for ''Zed'' was taken from the

Tarot Tarot (, first known as ''trionfi (cards), trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a set of playing cards used in tarot games and in fortune-telling or divination. From at least the mid-15th century, the tarot was used to play t ...

and its Arcana; the main character Zed represents the Fool of the Tarot. The show depicted Zed's journey and his role in uniting two mythical groups, the people of the earth and sky. The production closed permanently on December 31, 2011.

History

Due to the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami On 11 March 2011, at 14:46:24 Japan Standard Time, JST (05:46:24 UTC), a 9.0–9.1 Submarine earthquake, undersea megathrust earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region. It lasted approx ...

, shows from March 11 through April 20, 2011 were cancelled. The artists and staff of ''Zed'' were temporarily relocated to

Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

where they continued training at Cirque du Soleil's resident show '' Zaia''. The major benefit of relocating there was that the team was able to partner with the crews of '' Koozå'' (which was also relocated from Japan) and ''Zaia'' at the Macau training facilities. The troupe was able to start performances again on April 23 after a thorough safety inspection of the theatre and facilities had been undertaken. On Sunday, July 24, 2011, it was announced to the cast and crew of ''Zed'' that

The Oriental Land Company The , also known as Oriental Land is a Japanese leisure and tourism company headquartered in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan where it also owns and operates the Tokyo Disney Resort. The company operates in three segments, divided as theme parks, hotels, ...

and Cirque du Soleil had come to an agreement to permanently close the production on December 31, 2011. The closure was due to the business environment that arose from the impacts of the

. ''Zed'' had reached its one-millionth guest faster than any show in Japan, and had seen great success with over 1,000 performances. On April 17, 2020, Cirque du Soleil released a 60-minute special of ''Zed'' through its #CirqueConnect channel on YouTube
CirqueConnect

Set and technical information

Cirque du Soleil spent three years constructing the Cirque du Soleil Theatre Tokyo for its resident show ''Zed''. The theatre, which is located at the

, was exclusively designed for ''Zed''. The roof was formed by polyhedrons and was made to look similar to the circus tents seen at Cirque du Soleil's Grand Chapiteau touring shows. The form was designed to capture the sun's light from any angle. François Séguin, set designer, drew inspiration for the set design from the

astrolabe An astrolabe (; ; ) is an astronomy, astronomical list of astronomical instruments, instrument dating to ancient times. It serves as a star chart and Model#Physical model, physical model of the visible celestial sphere, half-dome of the sky. It ...

. The atmosphere of the stage was intended to evoke the

High Renaissance In art history, the High Renaissance was a short period of the most exceptional artistic production in the Italian states, particularly Rome, capital of the Papal States, and in Florence, during the Italian Renaissance. Most art historians stat ...

and the beginning of the Mechanical Age. Finishings of the stage included many brass and copper components representing mechanical gears. Above the stage, a globe showed the meridians and lines of latitude, while the

Milky Way The Milky Way or Milky Way Galaxy is the galaxy that includes the Solar System, with the name describing the #Appearance, galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars in other arms of the galax ...

and

phases of the moon A lunar phase or Moon phase is the apparent shape of the Moon's directly sunlit portion as viewed from the Earth. Because the Moon is Tidal locking, tidally locked with the Earth, the same Hemisphere (geometry), hemisphere is always facing the ...

appeared on the stage floor. Also seen throughout the stage and show was the "Zed Alpha"—a 26-letter alphabet created for the show. Due to safety concerns arising from the

, Cirque du Soleil ordered a inflatable air bag from Canvasland located in Levin,

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. The nylon cushion measured and weighed . The design included an air mattress base and inflated tongs; this allowed the artist to fall safely in any position without bouncing off. The new device was used in the high wire act, ensuring additional safety in the event of any new earthquakes and aftershocks.

Characters

As the inspiration of ''Zed'' was the

and its Arcana, many of the characters were based on this tradition. * Zed: Inspired by the Fool of the Tarot, Zed is the main character in the show. * Nouit: Representative of the starry sky, she is a singer and the incarnation of the Great Goddess, Mother of the Sky. * Erato: A muse and a beautiful goddess of Heaven. * Abraka: Inspired by the Magician of the Tarot, this character is the father of Earth and is flanked by servants who wear gold and blue Venetian livery. * Kernoon: Inspired by the Tarot card of the

Devil A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...

, this medieval character holds fire in his hands and wears and a large silk coat covered with a hundred orange and red flowers. * Shaman: As representative of the Hierophant (i.e. the Pope) in the Tarot, the Shaman guides Zed on his journey. He wears a transparent copper-colored mesh costume and a tribal headdress. * Djinn: Accompanies the Shaman and is the bringer of light and fire. He is dressed in gold and turquoise blue with shades of green and covered in tattoos. * Clowns: Two clowns named Oulai and Nalai. One is a petty dictator and the other is just lazy. * The People of the Sky: These characters are dressed in turquoise, blue and iridescent colors, resembling dragonflies or elves. The Nymphs, who also belong to this people, look like jellyfish with fiery tails. * The Satyrs: These characters embody the forces of nature; they wear justaucorps and flames that go over their heads like the horns of goat. Some of them as a know name, like Le Corbeau or Le Renard.

Acts

The acts of ''Zed'' featured various

circus skills Circus skills are a group of disciplines that have been performed as entertainment in circus, carnival, sideshow, busking, variety, vaudeville, or music hall shows. Most circus skills are still being performed today. Many are also practiced by ...

: * Vortex: The opening of the show, a vortex effect was created by a large silk sheet that covered the stage plummeting into a hole. * Bungee: Four female performers represented the sky by flipping and twisting off a trapeze with bungee chords. * Lassos: A Chinese troupe manipulated lassos, they would spin the lassos while tumbling through them, this act represented the earth. * Poles and

trampoline A trampoline is a device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric stretched between a steel frame often using many coiled spring (device), springs. People bounce on trampolines for recreational and competitive purposes. The fabric that use ...

: A group of men from the earth tried to reach the women of the sky by jumping from a trampoline and climbing poles. * Solo tissue: A jaw-dropping tissue act, the artist wrapped the silk around her body, she flipped and twisted to unwrap herself. This act represented the air. *

High wire Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...

: A trio of performers walked a high wire precariously, the wire was in the border of the sky world and the earth world. *

Juggling Juggling is a physical skill, performed by a juggler, involving the manipulation of objects for recreation, entertainment, art or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling. Juggling can be the manipulation of one object o ...

: A group of men representing the earth juggled clubs, discs and even fire clubs. * Banquine: A large group of acrobats were flung high in the air by porters, and created high human towers. *

Straps A strap, sometimes also called strop, is an elongated flap or ribbon, usually of leather or other flexible materials. Thin straps are used as part of clothing or baggage, or bedding such as a sleeping bag. See for example spaghetti strap, shoul ...

: Two women, each representing the different worlds performed tricks in perfect synchronisation. * Batons: A world champion baton twirler spun and threw up to three batons at a time, * Hand to hand: A woman of the sky and a man of the earth united in this touching balancing act. *

Flying trapeze The flying trapeze is a specific form of the trapeze in which a performer jumps from a platform with the trapeze so that gravity makes the trapeze swing. The performance was invented in 1859 by a Frenchman named Jules Léotard, who connect ...

: Artists swung between four trapezes, performing flips throughout. Since 2012, this version of the act (along with its music) has been performed in Mystere, another resident Cirque show in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

. * Charivari: The worlds united, and every act came together in this amazing finale.

Costumes

Central to ''Zeds theme was the uniting of the people from the earth and sky. To set them apart, costume designer Renée April chose iridescent colors, pale shades, and a heavy usage of pearl and silver for the people of the sky, and chose an

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...

color palette (gold, ochre, Venetian blue, turquoise green) for the people of the earth. Zed, who united this group, was clad in darted, all-white organza, and his outfit was reminiscent of a

Pierrot Pierrot ( , ; ), a stock character of pantomime and commedia dell'arte, has his origins in the late 17th-century Italian troupe of players performing in Paris and known as the Comédie-Italienne. The name is a hypocorism, diminutive of ''Pierr ...

. Djinn, who was part of the earth group, wore an outfit made of a stretch silicone material. The neckline had a type of gold leaf

appliqué Appliqué is ornamental needlework in which pieces or patches of fabric in different shapes and patterns are sewn or stuck onto a larger piece to form a picture or pattern. It is commonly used as decoration, especially on garments. The technique ...

to resemble an

Inca The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...

Aztec The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...

necklace. The torso, upper body, and arms had

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing processes ...

designs printed on the silicone material. Additional highlights of the costumes included the following. * Nouit was fitted with 14 wings. Her costume was decorated with 400 LED lights. * Abraka's 4 wings spread out over and ranged in color from purple to gold. * Kernoun's yellow and dark brown ochre costume had a hundred cornettes (orange and red flowers) sewn onto it. Many of these were motorized to create a rippling effect.

Music

René Dupéré René Dupéré (born 1946) is a Canadian composer from Mont-Joli, Québec, Canada. Biography Dupéré is best known as the composer and arranger of music for contemporary circus productions by the Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Sol ...

composed the music of ''Zed'', except "First Incantation", "Vaneyou Mi Le", "Fiesta" and "Kernoon's Fire", which were co-written by E.L. Allaire and M.L. Ferguson. The soundtrack was produced, mixed and engineered by Martin Lord Ferguson and Ella Louise Allaire. The album for ''Zed'' was released on October 13, 2009. The acts associated with each song are in parentheses below. # First Incantation ''(Baton Twirling and Opening)'' # Birth of the Sky ''(Bungee)'' # Reaching Up ''(Chinese Poles and Trampoline)'' # Blue Silk ''(Aerial Silk)'' # High Temptation ''(High Wire)'' # Vaneyou Mi Le ''(Banquine, 2nd part)'' # Zed in Love ''(Aerial Straps)'' # Kernoon's Fire ''(Juggling)'' # Mirror of the Two Worlds ''(Combining of the two halves of Zed,'' ''Baton Twirling)'' # The Worlds Meet ''(Hand to Hand)'' # Fiesta ''(Trapeze)'' # Hymn of the Worlds ''(Charivari and Finale)'' Songs not on the soundtrack album: * Animation ''(Pre-show (Music is similar to "''Combining of the two halves of Zed")'')'' * Birth on Earth ''(Lassos)'' * Pendulum ''(High Wire intro)'' * Entr'Acte ''(Intermission, 2008 - 2010)'' * Banquine - Part 1 ''(Banquine, 1st part was replaced during the first year of the show)'' * Babel ''(Banquine, 1st part)'' * Playing the Shaman ''(Clown act 3)'' * Closing of the Storybook ''(Clown act 4)''

Trivia

In 2023, a song from the show; 'The Worlds Meet' was adapted by composer

and former Cirque du Soleil singer Francesca Gagnon, into the song "Where Children Play", featuring Daniel Lavoie.

Filmography

In 2010, Cirque du Soleil released ''Zed in Tokyo'', a short documentary about the creation of ''Zed''. It was filmed in both

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

and

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. The show has also been filmed during its last performances in December 2011.

References

{{Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil resident shows Tourist attractions in Chiba Prefecture Tokyo Disney Resort 2008 establishments in Japan 2011 disestablishments in Japan