A Cirque du Soleil performance was reportedly cut short on Sunday night when a performer fell unexpectedly. The accident took place in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the troop’s The Beatles LOVE show. According to a report by TMZ, one person was hospitalized afterwards.
Cirque du Soleil is known for death-defying stunts, but fans tend to assume they have it all under control somehow. On Sunday, fans at The Mirage in Las Vegas learned that the danger is very real when a performer fell from a rope stunt.
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The performer was reportedly a male, attempting a stunt at a great height over the stage. Witnesses guessed that he simply lost control, causing him to fall. Thankfully, sources at Cirque du Soleil said that his injuries were non-life-threatening, and he is being treated at the hospital now.
For the audience, the damage may last longer. People in the crowd said that witnessing the fall was “shocking” and “just awful,” with some even calling it “traumatizing.”
The show reportedly came to a screeching halt after the fall. The audience was asked to leave due to the “medical situation” on stage. It was near the end of the performance, but fans were aware that it was not the grand finale itself.
The Beatles LOVE show is one of Cirque du Soleil’s most popular attractions, held regularly on the Las Vegas strip since 2006. It features re-produced and re-imagined version of classic Beatles songs as the background for Cirque du Soleil’s beloved stage performances. The movements are descried as “interpretive, circus-based artistic and athletic stage performances.”
This is just one of Cirque du Soleil’s shows, however, performed by a rotating cast over the years. The company itself now has various groups travelling all over the world to perform different shows in residencies and tours.
Cirque du Soleil is based in Montreal, Quebec in Canada. It was founded in 1984, its name meaning “Circuse of the Sun.” The company changed ownership several times over the years, but in 2015 a few holding companies partnered to purchase a 90% stake in it, effectively putting it under one roof.
Cirque du Soleil has won seven Primetime Emmy Awards, one Daytime Emmy Award and many other honors in its time. It has a dedicated star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a spot on Canada’s Walk of Fame as well.
Of course, Cirque du Soleil has often dealt with injuries and even fatalities among performers as well. To date, there have been four deaths among employees of the show.
