Replace Lions with Magic and Tigers with Fantasy and the Circus is redefined.

Premiere: May 5, 1990 (Tour) Nov 8, 1992 (Mirage) Type: Touring Director: Franco Dragone Composer: René Dupéré Location: No Longer Performed Closed: November 21, 1993

Something new was always on the horizon for Cirque du Soleil, and the success of Le Cirque Réinventé lent its hand to an explosion of growth for Cirque du Soleil But, what Cirque did not know was how well the company would continue to grow. In June of 1989, Franco Dragone, Michel Crete, Dominique Lemieux, René Dupéré, Gilles Ste-Croix, Luc Lafortune and Deborah Brown sat down and began an adventure of creation and imagination. For months they toiled to create a show that featured new artists, a new theme and would be the biggest most theatrical piece yet produced by the troupe. When work was complete it was discovered they had a new Expérience to show the masses; and thus, Nouvelle Expérience was born.

The show began its run in Montréal in May of 1990, and took off on a 19-month whirlwind tour of the North American continent. By the end of 1991, Nouvelle Expérience had been to dozens of cities in which 1.3 million people saw the show. Beginning November 1992, and lasting a year, Cirque du Soleil and Steve Wynn's Mirage Resorts signed an agreement that placed a Blue and Yellow big top on the grounds of the Mirage Resort where the show was staged until November 1993.

What tale is behind Nouvelle Expérience? In a protected corner of the universe, in a kingdom all their own, exist a group of creatures called the "Flounes" or Angels (Cécile Ardail, Christophe Lelarge, Patrice Wojciechowski, David Lebel and Isabelle Chassé). The world of the "Flounes" is invaded by characters in red - the Devils - who are the spirit of disobedience. Life comes to their world and spreads like a virus, which they look upon candidly.

Each performance is linked together by one long narrative. The "Flounes" keep the narrative going for the most part, but they too have help in the form of David Shiner, a one-of-a-kind master clown. During most of the spectacle, we see him trying on different emotions, hoping to find what it is he is looking for. However, there is one moment he is allowed to shine - during his infamously funny Film Scene Act. Here, he is the director of a clichéd movie and needs help from the audience. Four people from the audience will "star" in this film - the Heroine, the Hero, the love-betrayed killer, and the stagehand. Watching him "direct" the audience members in the scene is enormously funny!