Long Live the King!

Cirque du Soleil’s newest spectacular and seventh resident production - Viva ELVIS™ – delighted audiences with a special performance in January to celebrate Elvis Presley’s birthday earlier this year, followed by an official world première on February 19th. Conceptual planning for this tribute to the life, music and times of the King of Rock ’n’ Roll first began in 2005, closely followed by show design, theatre design and construction on a tight deadline. Each of the main scenes has a completely new set and scenery needs to be flown, driven, lifted or lowered on stage to a precisely coordinated schedule.

There are over 225 axes of movement in Viva ELVIS, all controlled by five Nomad portable control desks. Major components of the automation system include custom-built tracks and trolleys, hoists with SIL3 positioning technology, eight motorized LED panels with anti-sway technology and radio-controlled scenic stage trucks that follow micro-accurate laser guidance making continuous correction during motion possible. Stage Technologies also automated the ‘Got A Lot of Livin’ To Do’ scene with a 4-friction drive system and the ‘Jailhouse Rock’ scene with a 6-friction drive system, moving 57,000lbs and 90,000lbs respectively.

eChameleon automation software made its debut on Viva ELVIS and a new feature that allows the live recording of joystick motion was especially useful for the automation programmers. eChameleon has deeper functionality but has retained its simplicity and fast operation time, making it ideal for new users and experienced operators alike.

Thumbnail credit: Finale - picture Julie Aucoin costume Stefano Canulli, courtesy Cirque du Soleil