Cirque du Soleil rock opera ‘Zarkana’ to replace ‘Viva Elvis’ at Aria

Elvis Presley sure seemed to be more familiar in Las Vegas than "Zarkana." But that's the name Cirque du Soleil now says is the sure thing it owes Aria.

"We have the luxury today with 'Zarkana' to bring a sure bet," Daniel Lamarre, Cirque's president and chief executive officer, said Wednesday of the touring title that has sold more than a million tickets in other markets.

"We know this show is working, we know this show is successful, and we owe it to our partner to bring a sure bet," Lamarre said.

The underperforming "Viva Elvis" will close at Aria on Aug. 18, and "Zarkana" will open Oct. 25 (with a formal debut Nov. 8), after spending its second summer at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

The Aria theater will not have to be remodeled.

"Zarkana," described as Cirque's version of a rock opera, will be the Canadian company's return to its own in-house, nonbranded content in Las Vegas after the past three of its seven resident titles have been themed to Criss Angel and the music of The Beatles and Michael Jackson ("The Immortal" first visited as a tour but returns as a standing title in May of next year).

"People are not going to compare it" to the other shows, Lamarre said. "I guess that was the first criteria."

"Zarkana" was chosen over "Zed," which Cirque had to close in Tokyo because of the ravaged tourist economy, and the third option of creating a show from scratch.

"Zed" was deemed "a little bit too traditional and not distinctive enough for this market," Lamarre said.

"Zarkana" uses video more prominently than most Cirque productions and is a love story framed around English-language songs by Nick Littlemore.

Beyond that, when CityCenter CEO Bobby Baldwin saw "Zarkana" in New York, "he was probably ready to start talking contract by intermission," MGM Mirage spokesman Alan Feldman said Wednesday.

The board of directors signed off on the deal Tuesday.

"When he saw the show, there was no way we could convince him to do other shows," Lamarre added. "All the visual is very, very modern. It fits very beautifully with Aria and its target group."

Lamarre noted the "Viva Elvis" crew will remain with the new production. Redeploying the cast to other Cirque titles will be "a top priority."

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.