Quidam

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Quidam is Cirque du Soleil’s ninth show. It premiered on April 23, 1996 in Montreal and had its final performance on February 26, 2016 in Christchurch, New Zealand. It started as a big-top touring show, later moved to arena format in 2010, briefly returned to the big top for three months in Seoul, and then went back to arena tours in Oceania.

The story centers on a bored girl named Zoé who imagines the world of Quidam to escape her routine life. The title character is a nameless man with no head, carrying an umbrella and a bowler hat. Quidam is meant to represent everyone and no one at the same time.

The stage, designed by Michel Crête, is minimalist and looks like a transit hub such as an airport or train station. A key feature is five tall aluminum arches called the téléphérique hanging above the stage, with rails that move performers and props on and off from above. The floor is aluminum with many small holes to let light come through and create effects. The original stage was later reused in Cirque du Soleil’s Bazaar tour in 2018.

Quidam features about 45 performers, including acrobats, musicians, and characters. It blends modern acrobatics with traditional circus acts. The diabolo act won a Gold Medal at the 1995 Festival du Cirque de Demain, and the banquine act won the Golden Clown at the 1999 Monte Carlo Circus Festival.

Costumes by Dominique Lemieux draw on Surrealist art, using gray as the dominant color with touches of warm tones and metallics to reflect an urban, alienated world. Outfits for most performers are based on everyday clothing, though acrobatic costumes are adapted. There are roughly 249 costumes, 500 accessories, and 200–300 shoes. Each performer usually has 2 to 7 outfits with spare options, and costumes last from 6 months to 2 years.

The music was composed by Benoît Jutras and released as albums in 1997, with a 2001 extended edition featuring extra tracks.

Quidam started as a Grand Chapiteau (big-top) tour, moved to arena format in 2010 for North America, briefly returned to the big top for a 2009 UK/Ireland run, then returned to arena tours across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Oceania. In Seoul 2015 it again used the big top for three months before finishing the farewell tour in Australia and New Zealand. Over its 20-year run, Quidam visited 241 cities in 42 countries. Cirque promoted the show with a customized tour bus visiting northeastern North American cities in 2011.