Ever-changing Cirque du Soleil seeks Marymoor magic

Other-worldly two-legged creatures who shimmy up tall trees, soar on waxed feather wings and literally hoist themselves forward by their hand straps are set to invade Redmond next week. And the red carpet is out for them.

Roll of drums, trumpet fanfare: Redmond is getting set to host the world-renown circus outfit, Cirque du Soleil, for the first time. And if all goes well, the company's monthlong run of "Varekai" will give the Eastside a taste of world-class circus pageantry — and a lucrative financial ripple-effect. The latest of four Cirque shows to visit Western Washington since 2000, "Varekai" is based loosely on the ancient Greek myth of Icarus. By all accounts, the long-touring spectacle is a crowd-pleasing flow of acrobatic and aerial acts, ethereal music, lavish costuming and limber clowning.

But if the look and sound of it are trademark Cirque du Soleil, the address is new. In recent years the company pitched its gold-and-blue Grand Chapiteau tent in Renton, where it offered such popular attractions as "Alegria," "Saltimbanco" and "Dralion," and the equestrian extravaganza, "Cavalia."

All but the last were staged on a vast, Boeing Co.-owned parking lot. But the Renton site was no longer available after the 2003 run of "Dralion." So the King County Parks system offered an alternative venue.

"We wanted to figure out a way to bring Cirque du Soleil to Marymoor Park, to inaugurate the new recreation, sports and cultural center we've just created," explains Tom Teigen, a King County Parks administrator overseeing the Cirque engagement.

"We thought they'd be a great fit there. They'll generate revenue, generate interest and just be lots of fun for people to see."

The circus folk liked the site, a newly paved 5-acre swatch in a spacious, woodsy park of more than 640 acres, which also hosts an annual summer concert series and other large events.

Teigen checked with officials in other U.S. cities where Cirque has performed on public land (Miami, Charlotte, N.C., Hartford, Conn.), before hammering out the deal for Marymoor to host "Varekai" (and, very likely, future Cirque shows).

"Everyone I talked to told me Cirque du Soleil is such a well-run operation," Teigen notes. "After they're in your park, they leave things in good shape."

They also can be relied on to woo large crowds of adults and kids to a show tent seating up to 2,500 patrons.

King County Parks will benefit financially from the run through user fees paid by the circus.

But the county agency will also earn more by charging a $10 parking fee to drivers of an estimated 800 cars per performance.

Though there may be some carping about the parking tariff, on top of ticket charges for "Varekai" ($24.50 to $70 apiece), Teigen says the car income will help preserve local open space.

"We're hoping people understand this goes directly to the park system," he says. "We felt $10 wasn't the ultimate bargain, but it was reasonable.

"If we get 50,000 cars over the full run of the show, that's significant revenue for us. It costs more than $1 million a year, with lots of volunteer help, just to operate and maintain Marymoor, the most utilized park in our system."

Overall, says Teigen, King County Parks anticipates roughly $400,000 to $500,000 from the entire "Varekai" run. Given its track record in other burgs, he also expects the Cirque du Soleil engagement to spur anywhere from $2 million to $4.5 million in additional local spending.

That will include what Cirque pays for short-term housing and food for more than 50 artists and technicians, plus hotel and restaurant tabs paid by out-of-town visitors attending the circus.

Rosemarie M. Ives, the mayor of Redmond, won't speculate on how much "residual spending" the shows will leverage in her suburban town. But she notes that some local merchants are cross-marketing with Cirque du Soleil in hopes that circus patrons will find their way to the nearby Redmond Town Center mall to dine and shop.

And how likely is it that "Varekai" will sell well? It already has extended its run here. And it was a hit in Portland, lauded by The Oregonian for its "dancing, flipping and glorious mind-tripping."

Judging from the DVD version of "Varekai," patrons are in for the kind of whimsical razzle-dazzle and acrobatic finesse the Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil is known for worldwide.

The show's choreographer, Michael Montanaro, says "Varekai" (the title means "wherever" in the Romany gypsy language) is a bit different in tone and substance from the dozen other current Cirque du Soleil shows on tour or in residence in Las Vegas and Florida. It boasts a unique, enchanted forest set composed of 300 treelike pipes and a bounty of aerial acts (which include soaring stunts on triple-trapeze swings and a circular contraption called a Cerceau).

Montanaro also stresses there are a number of "edge-of-your-seat" thrills, that have "a dangerous feel and look." And he finds the show's storyline especially appealing.

"Varekai" concerns an Icarus-like boy who falls to Earth (by parachute) to go on a magical trek of discovery.

"It is all about rebirth and a new vision and finding himself," Montanaro explains. "Most Cirque du Soleil shows have a bittersweet sense of melancholy. But there's a certain kind of warmth and lightness in this one. It's like a big smile from beginning to end."

If "Varekai" does as well as its new hosts are banking on, there could be smiles all around Redmond, too.