In true Cirque du Soleil fashion, REBEL celebrates the musical heritage of the male superstars whose songs are forever etched in our collective memories. The show is a tribute to the rebellious spirit of rock, a soulful reminder that love—raw or tender, fervent or fiery, whispered in the ear or shouted from the rooftops—has filled songwriters from all eras with the urge to make music. REBEL takes spectators on a glittering, nightlong journey from dusk till dawn, where virility and tenderness go hand in hand, and where the spirit of love—whether gentle or untamed, genuine or impetuous, virtuous or subversive—reigns supreme.

In this rock-infused, nocturnal fairy tale, spectators are taken on a visually striking acrobatic foray in which iconic songs from the past and present—from Jimi Hendrix to Charles Aznavour—are brought to life. The show is a testament to all those who heed the call of their rebellious spirit and, like an open book, choose to not only keep their loves close to their heart, but to wear them on their bodies in the form of tattoos—tangible proof of love lived large.

• SCENEOGRAPHY — Set Designer Simon Guilbault played with volumes and perspectives to create a thoroughly modern scenic environment that takes spectators from one place to another, from nightfall to the break of day. Pure lines and curves flow in graphic patterns that keep the focus on—and magnify—the artists on stage. This changing decor creates a geometrically variable space where everything is possible and where the atmosphere can shift from a neon-lit nightclub in a red-light district to a scene by the water on a starry night, all to the rhythm of the music and the beating hearts on stage.
  
  
• MUSIC — For REBEL, Musical Director Jean-Phi Goncalves breathed new life into some of the most beloved songs written by male musical icons, reworked and rerecorded especially for the show. The soundtrack has deep roots in folk, blues and rock music, with electronic undertones that bring these hits in the “here and now.” In this show where eras collide, songs that have slipped into our musical consciousness sometimes mesh with the action on stage, and sometimes play out in striking counterpoint to dramatic effect.
  
  
• COSTUMES — By fusing fashion with streetwear and by blurring the lines between the male and female forms, Costume Designer Nicolas Vaudelet created a coherent and visually stunning realm, drawing inspiration from the world of vintage tattoos, but with a modern twist. His highly textured, shimmering trompe-l’oeil creations inspired by the classics of high fashion create a retro-romantic rock star look worthy of the kings of pop.
  
  
• LIGHTING — The lighting environment in REBEL was created using a whole panoply of lighting sources including moving lights, spotlights, neon, projectors, TV screens, and even a DEL-clad star-studded sky. Natural light shares the stage with highly formatted lighting effects in tune with the pulsing beats of this nightlong tale.
  
  
• ACROBATICS — In REBEL, acrobatics and dance combine the yin and the yang of passionate love. Acrobatic Performance Designer Edesia Moreno Barata mixes together disciplines such as aerial Cyr wheel, sway poles, roller skating, dance pole, and a high-octane act in which four electric motorcycles roll around inside a perforated metal sphere, like panic-stricken flies caught inside a light bulb. A troupe of ballet dancers personifying a gang of romantic rebels mix urban and contemporary dance idioms to underscore—sometimes in subtle ways, sometimes in broad dramatic strokes—the emotions bubbling on stage.

Creative Team

• Executive Director, Creation — Daniel Fortin
• Show Director — Lydia Bouchard
• Set Designer — Simon Guilbault
• Music Composer — Jean-Phi Goncalves
• Costume Designer — Nicolas Vaudelet
• Acrobatic Performance — Edesia Moreno
• Lighting Designer — Erwann Bernard
• Makeup Designer — Audrey Toulouse

Acts/Performers

• Animation — "Ne Me Quitte Pas" by Jacques Brel
• Russian Swing / Sway Poles — "Vivir Mi Vida" by Marc Anthony
• Aerial Hoop / Cyr Wheel — "Tous Les Mêmes" by Stromae
• Aerial Silk — "Purple Haze" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
• Pole Dancing — "Blowin' In The Wind" by Bob Dylan
• Other — "Loving You" by Johnny Hallyday
• Aerial Straps — "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley
• Dance / Roller Skates — "Dance Me To The End of Love" by Leonard Cohen & "What A Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong
• Dance (Globe Setup) — "I've Got You Under My Skin" by Cole Porter
• Globe of Death — "Faith" by George Michael
• Finale — "Happy" by Pharrell Williams