Wayne Wilson, whoâs been performing in Cirque presentations for more than 20 years â and sometimes also helping create the shows behind the scenes â will be front and center, performing for a hometown crowd for the very first time. âI donât think I have the words to express how excited I am,â says the longtime performing artist, who grew up in Houstonâs North Shore area, graduated from HSPVA with high honors and was soon tapped for his first Cirque role as a college student in Minneapolis.
He says his friends and family have traveled the world to see him work â going even as far away as China. âBut the first time to be a home? It feels full circle,â he says. âSomething just feels really right about where I am with my career.â
Per his usual role, the now Las Vegas-based Wilson, 41, plays a clown in the new show. Heâs been fascinated with physical comedy since he was a kid watching I Love Lucy and The Little Rascals reruns. Of course, at Cirque, itâs a special kind of clowning. âI donât even wear a nose. Itâs a state of being. Itâs a state of reflecting the audience back to them, so they recognize and empathize with the clown onstage.
âI love doing theater, and I love doing plays,â he adds. âBut with these shows, you really get to put a piece of yourself within the work unlike any other medium.â
Wilson also works in the wings, helping to develop shows like Songblazer as associate show director and comedic concept designer. âI just love the creation of these shows,â he says. âCirque du Soleil is a beacon for creativity. If you can dream it, they have the tools and resources to help you build it.
âIn one show, I wanted to have a pogo stick â 15 feet in the air,â he recalls, still a bit amazed. âAnd before I knew it, they built a harness and Iâm on a winch jumping up and down.â
Songblazers may have the audience jumping around, too. Especially country fans. âItâs a love letter to country music,â says Wilson.
The 24th Cirque du Soleil presentation in Houston will go up at Sugar Landâs Smart Financial Centre for 16 performances, from Aug. 1 to Aug. 11. It boasts a live soundtrack with new music as well as dozens of classic songs from the genre going back generations. âAs the crowd grooves to beloved country tunes, they will be entranced by the breathtaking skills of Cirque du Soleil artists, honoring the rich tradition of country music while embracing its evolving spirit,â gushes a Cirque rep. Universal Music Group Nashville presents the show, along with Cirque.
âIâm proud of the work weâve done,â says Wilson, âand I proud of the family Iâve built throughout the years. And I really canât wait to bring all of them to my motherâs house.â
Indeed, he says his mom, now in Humble, will host a large barbecue for family, neighbors and her sonâs Cirque pals. âI think Iâm going to rent a van and bring whoever wants to come down to olâ Sheilaâs!â
Houstonâs own Wayne Wilson
Besides lots of new and classic music, âSongblazersâ will feature 'breathtaking acrobatics, awe-inspiring aerial acts and displays of extraordinary strength,â says a show rep.
Cirque du Soleilâs new country-themed show will be presented at Smart Financial Center in Sugar Land.
âSongblazersâ will open Aug. 1 and run through Aug. 11.
Cirqueâs âSongblazersâ is described as âa love letter to country music.â
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