History Theatre / Zarkana

* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: The cyr wheel/aerial hoop segment takes this conceit to heart.

* NiceHat: Zark's rose-printed top hat.

* GreatBallsOfFire: Kundalini's singing is punctuated with pillars of real flame -- a prelude to the high wire acrobats who perfrom their act as a flaming pendulum swings back and forth over their wire. (A similar act appeared in director Francois Gerard's previous show for Cirque du Soleil, ''ZED''.)

* HairDecorations: Ti-Boss, a member of the troupe who calls out the clowns on their "stupid" hijinks, keeps her hair up with a pair of bows.

* MonstrousHumanoid: Two of the Mutants appear to be half-human, half-another creature. Kundalini, from the waist down, seems to consist of writhing serpents. Tarantula is a spider woman who onstage appears more human than arachnid, but the sand painting suggests her "true" form resembles that of a [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons Drider]] or the [[Series/DoctorWho Racnoss Empress]]. (In her onstage form, she resembles [[Disney/SleepingBeauty Maleficent]] -- though where that villainess's headdress suggests horns, Tarantula's suggests fangs.)

* [[ManInWhite Men in White]] and [[WomanInWhite Women in White]]: The Movers, the musicians, and the handbalancer, reflecting the detail that they are the theater's ghosts.

* AllThereInTheManual: Since the first {{Retool}} changed most of the lyrics to Cirquish, a viewer needed to read up on the premise and characters beforehand (Wikipedia, the souvenir program, etc.) to have any sense of the story. Once the story was effectively been eliminated, this was no longer a major concern.

The final version retains the concept of a haunted theater, but has the two clowns (Hocus and Pocus) elevated to the protagonists journeying through the MagicalLand to help restore it to its former glory, while Zark and the quasi-musical trappings were dropped.

* AllThereInTheManual: Since the first {{Retool}} changed most of the lyrics to Cirquish, a viewer needed to read up on the premise and characters beforehand (Wikipedia, the souvenir program, etc.) to have any sense of the story. Now that the story has effectively been eliminated, this is no longer a major concern.
* CapeSwish: As a lovelorn, melodramatic showman.

* RockOpera: Cirque's publicity materials couched the show as this combined with their traditional format. This became less obvious when the first retool changed the lyrics from English to Cirquish, but even by this company's standards, there was ''a lot'' of singing in this show -- primarily by Zark and the Mutants, whereas in most of the other shows (''Alegria'' and ''Quidam'' being the key exceptions) the singers are simply part of the band and only occasionally join the action. This trope no longer applies as of the 2014 relaunch.

* TheVamp: Kundalini and Tarantula both qualified; nowadays, they would better qualify as FemmeFatale creatures, being alternate forms of a good character.

* LighterAndSofter: Rather than a lovelorn magician's quest to regain his love and the challenges he faces along the way, it's now about two clowns helping to bring a rundown, magical theatre back to its former glory. Characters that were villainous in the original versions are now just CreepyGood.
* ReimaginingTheArtifact: While the original quest storyline and Zark have been dropped, the SatelliteLoveInterest Lia and three of the Mutants, all of whom are played by the same actress/singer, were rethought. Now they are all ''the same character'': Lia is the shapeshifting spirit of the theatre itself, initially appearing in grotesque forms but emerging as beautiful and gentle in the finale as the MagicalLand is restored by everyone's efforts.

* WomanInBlack: Tarantula the spider woman. (So she might be a BlackWidow...)
* WorldOfHam: The show ''was'' initially Creator/CirqueDuSoleil meets RockOpera, so this was bound to apply. It's most obvious in the original versions when one compares the ultra-dramatic Zark with other Cirque central characters, who tend to be much less ostentatious than their supporting casts.

Creator/CirqueDuSoleil's 29th production opened in 2011. It was originally a tour, visiting New York City, Madrid, and Moscow in turn. It returned to New York City for a second summer run in 2012, albeit with a LighterAndSofter retool that included most of the song lyrics getting changed from English to [[Main/SingingSimlish "Cirquish"]]. The plans for the touring rotation to persist were changed when ''Theatre/VivaElvis'', which had struggled at the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, was forced to close. Cirque was asked to bring in another show to occupy the room; with no time to create a new production from scratch (in part because ''Theatre/MichaelJacksonONE'' was being prepared for the Mandalay Bay resort down the street), ''Zarkana'' was relocated to the Aria in late 2012. Another {{Retool}} to further soften the show, a surreal one even by Cirque standards, arrived in early 2014, and went to the lengths of completely altering the ExcusePlot.

The current version retains the concept of a haunted theater, but has the two clowns (Hocus and Pocus) elevated to the protagonists journeying through the MagicalLand to help restore it to its former glory, while the character of Zark and the quasi-musical trappings were dropped.

* LighterAndSofter: Rather than a lovelorn magician's quest to regain his love and the challenges he faces along the way, it's now about two clowns helping to bring a rundown, magical theatre back to his former glory. Characters that were villainous in the original versions are now just CreepyGood.

!!Tropes as of the 2014 retool (many were in previous versions as well):

* AudienceParticipation: Hocus and Pocus dragoon a woman in the audience to serve as the test subject in an ''electric chair'' demonstration. Wackiness ensues! (In the original versions, this act reflected Zark's DarkestHour mood at that point in the storyline.)

* [[ManInWhite Men in White]] and [[WomanInWhite Women in White]]: The circus troupe, the musicians, and the handbalancer, reflecting the detail that they are the theater's ghosts.

* NonIronicClown: Hocus and Pocus, in one of the occasional cases in Cirque where they double as the AudienceSurrogate characters.

* ReimaginingTheArtifact: While the original quest storyline and Zark have been dropped, the SatelliteLoveInterest Lia and three of the Mutants, all of whom are played by the same actress/singer, were rethought. Now they are all ''the same character'': Lia is the shapeshifting spirit of the theatre itself, initially appearing in grotesque forms but emerging as beautiful and gentle in the finale as the MagicalLand is restored by everyone's efforts.

The first two versions were as follows: In a decrepit, abandoned theater, the magician Zark pines for his lost love Lia. His grief proves powerful enough to reveal that the place houses a MagicalLand, and with a troupe of the theater's ghosts (white-clad circus performers) serving as his companions, he ventures through it to find her again. Our hero faces curious, sometimes sinister "Mutants" and a dark night of the soul before finding a happy ending for himself, his true love, and his troupe -- [[Main/RockOpera singing all the way]].

!!Tropes that appear in all versions:

* DisappearingBox: Zark tried to accomplish this trick with Pocus as the person who will disappear in it and Hocus as an assistant. As of the 2014 retool, Hocus is trying to stage a HumanCannonball act when Pocus interrupts him with this act, and eventually the two acts come together...

* {{Mutants}}: The catchall designation for the four (three as of 2014) strange, singing creatures. All are at least half-human, and a tribute to the days of circus freak shows.

* ReimaginingTheArtifact: While the original quest storyline and Zark were dropped in the 2014 retool, the SatelliteLoveInterest Lia and three of the Mutants, all of whom are played by the same actress/singer, were rethought. Now they are all ''the same character'': Lia is the shapeshifting spirit of the theatre itself, initially appearing in grotesque forms but emerging as beautiful and gentle in the finale as the MagicalLand is restored by everyone's efforts.

** The aerial strap performers introduced with the 2014 retool, who previously appeared in the original cast of ''Theatre/Varekai'' and the short-lived Los Angeles resident show ''[=IRIS=]''.

!!Tropes specific to the original versions (2011-13):
* AllThereInTheManual: Since the first {{Retool}} changed most of the lyrics to Cirquish, a viewer needed to read up on the premise and characters beforehand (Wikipedia, the souvenir program, etc.) to have any sense of the story. Now that the story has effectively been eliminated, this is no longer a major concern.
* CapeSwish: As a lovelorn, melodramatic showman.
* TheGrotesque: Poor Pickled Lady...
* NiceHat: Zark's rose-printed top hat.
* PimpedOutCape: Zark's rose-image based one.
* ThePowerOfLove: Zark's magical powers could only be restored once he was reunited with Lia.
* TheQuest: The original premise, as Zark sought to be reunited with his sweetheart.
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Kundalini the snake woman.
* RockOpera: Cirque's publicity materials couched the show as this combined with their traditional format. This became less obvious when the first retool changed the lyrics from English to Cirquish, but even by this company's standards, there was ''a lot'' of singing in this show -- primarily by Zark and the Mutants, whereas in most of the other shows (''Alegria'' and ''Quidam'' being the key exceptions) the singers are simply part of the band and only occasionally join the action. This trope no longer applies as of the 2014 relaunch.
* SatelliteLoveInterest: Lia, who only appeared in the final scene, was this for Zark.
* StageMagician: Zark, who was also a case of MagiciansAreWizards.
* TheTragicRose: Zark's costume was based on this trope. At the end, it became SomethingAboutARose.
* TheVamp: Kundalini and Tarantula both qualified; nowadays, they would better qualify as FemmeFatale creatures, being alternate forms of a good character.

--> -- '''From the souvenir program'''

The current version retains the concept of a haunted theater, but has two clowns serving as the protagonists journeying through the MagicalLand, with both the character of Zark and the quasi-musical trappings dropped entirely.

!!This show contains (or contained, prior to the second retool) examples of:

* AllThereInTheManual: Since the first {{Retool}} changed most of the lyrics to Cirquish, a viewer needed to read up on the premise and characters beforehand (Wikipedia, the souvenir program, etc.) to have any sense of the story. Now that the story has effectively been eliminated, this is no longer a concern.
* AudienceParticipation: Hocus and Pocus dragoon a woman in the audience to serve as the test subject in an ''electric chair'' demonstration. Wackiness ensues! (In the original versions, this act also reflected Zark's DarkestHour mood at that point in the storyline.)
* CapeSwish: As a lovelorn, melodramatic showman aware of the audience, Zark did this a lot.

* CostumePorn: Particularly for Zark, his troupe, and the Mutants.

* DisappearingBox: Zark tried to accomplish this trick with Pocus as the person who will disappear in it and Hocus as an assistant.

* EvilLaugh: Two of the Mutants, Kundalini and Tarantula, have evil laughs -- though, since the second retool, they aren't so much evil as darker forms of a good being (Lia).
* FacelessEye: Myriad floating eyeballs provide a backdrop to the "funeral", the transitional segment that leads into the climactic banquine act.
* GrayRainOfDepression: Pre-second retool, the curtain went up on Zark and the crumbling theatre as a gray thunderstorm was in progress beyond its walls.

* TheGrotesque: Poor Pickled Lady...

* {{Mutants}}: The catchall designation for the four strange, singing creatures. All are at least half-human, and a tribute to the days of circus freak shows.
* NiceHat: Zark's rose-printed top hat.

* NonIronicClown: Two -- Hocus and Pocus.
* TheQuest: The original premise, as Zark sought to be reunited with his sweetheart.
* PeopleJars: The Pickled Lady floats in one.
* PimpedOutCape: Zark's rose-image based one.

* PlantPerson: Mandragora, a Mutant. In the original versions, the [[AllThereInTheManual press material (and from there Wikipedia)]] explained that she embodies the flowering ivy growing in the old theater.

* ThePowerOfLove: Zark's magical powers could only be restored once he was reunited with Lia.

* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Kundalini the snake woman, pre-second retool. She's still menancing, but not really evil.
* RockOpera: Cirque's publicity materials couched the show as this combined with their traditional format. This became less obvious when the first retool changed the lyrics from English to Cirquish, but even by this company's standards, there was ''a lot'' of singing in this show -- primarily by Zark and the Mutants, whereas in most of the other shows (''Alegria'' and ''Quidam'' being the key exceptions) the singers are simply part of the band and only occasionally join the action. This trope no longer applies as of the 2014 relaunch.
* SatelliteLoveInterest: Lia, who only appears in the final scene, was this for Zark. She remains in the show, but rather than being TheArtifact, she's the "true", most beautiful form of the shapeshifting singer.

* SeriesMascot: Tarantula, once the show reached Vegas. There are even cute little plush dolls of the villainess sold in the gift shop!

* StageMagician: Zark was also a case of MagiciansAreWizards -- he'd lost his powers as a result of losing his lover.

* TheTragicRose: Zark's costume was based on this trope. At the end, it became SomethingAboutARose.

* TheVamp: Kundalini and Tarantula both qualified pre-second retool; nowadays, they would better qualify as FemmeFatale creatures, being alternate forms of a good character.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: The handbalancer. ''Technically'' he has a shirt, but it's so short it leaves his midriff bare, and his contortions quickly expose the rest of his chest. By his act's end, it's off completely for a few moments.

* WorldOfHam: The show was initially Creator/CirqueDuSoleil meets RockOpera, so this was bound to apply. It's most obvious when one compares the ultra-dramatic Zark with other Cirque central characters, who tend to be much less ostentatious than their supporting casts.

* ActingForTwo: The female singer in the original versions; after appearing as the three onstage Mutants, she reappeared as Lia the lover in the finale. The 2014 retool changes this -- rather than four separate characters, the Mutants and Lia are different forms of the same being.

* LadyInRed: Lia, whose dress also invokes SomethingAboutARose in the process.

* EvilLaugh: Two of the Mutants, Kundalini and Tarantula, have evil laughs.

* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Kundalini the snake woman.

* TheVamp: Kundalini and Tarantula both qualify.

* ActingForTwo: The performer who plays the onstage Mutants (the Pickled Lady is a special effects creation) also plays [[spoiler: Lia the lover]].

* AudienceParticipation: During Zark's darkest hour, when he was considering death, Hocus and Pocus dragooned a woman in the audience to serve as the test subject in an ''electric chair'' demonstration. Wackiness ensued.

* {{Mutants}}: The catchall designation for the four strange, singing creatures. All are at least half-human. This is a tribute to the days of circus freak shows.

* PlantPerson: Mandragora, a Mutant. The [[AllThereInTheManual press material (and from there Wikipedia)]] explains that she embodies the flowering ivy growing in the old theater.

* ThePowerOfLove: Zark's magical powers can only be restored once he's reunited with Lia.

* SatelliteLoveInterest: Lia, who only appears in the final scene, was this for Zark. Now she's TheArtifact.

* SomethingAboutARose: The finale goes ''nuts'' with this trope after playing TheTragicRose trope for most of the show.

Creator/CirqueDuSoleil's 29th production opened in 2011.

This show was originally a tour, visiting New York City, Madrid, and Moscow in turn. It returned to New York City for a second summer run in 2012, albeit with a LighterAndSofter retool that included most of the lyrics getting changed from English to [[Main/SingingSimlish "Cirquish"]]. The plans for the touring rotation to persist were changed when ''Theatre/VivaElvis'', which had struggled at the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, was forced to close. Cirque was asked to bring in another show to occupy the room; with no time to create a new production from scratch (in part because ''Theatre/MichaelJacksonONE'' was being prepared for the Mandalay Bay resort down the street), ''Zarkana'' was relocated to the Aria in late 2012. Another {{Retool}} to further soften the show, a surreal one even by Cirque standards, arrived in early 2014, and went to the lengths of completely altering the plotline.

* AllThereInTheManual: Since the first {{Retool}} changed most of the lyrics to Cirquish, a viewer needs to read up on the premise and characters beforehand (Wikipedia, the souvenir program, etc.) to have any sense of the story.
* AudienceParticipation: During Zark's darkest hour, when he is considering death, Hocus and Pocus dragoon a woman in the audience to serve as the test subject in an ''electric chair'' demonstration. Wackiness ensues.
* CapeSwish: As a lovelorn, melodramatic showman aware of the audience, Zark does this a lot.
* CityShoutOuts: A subtle example. The first image the sand painter creates is that of Zark arriving in the city the show is being performed in, marking the theater as specifically located in it.

* DisappearingBox: Zark tries to accomplish this trick with Pocus as the person who will disappear in it and Hocus as an assistant. When Hocus attempts it himself and it finally works, Pocus reappears in a cannon...

* GrayRainOfDepression: The curtain goes up on Zark and the crumbling theatre as a gray thunderstorm is in progress beyond its walls.

* {{Mutants}}: The catchall designation for the four strange creatures that confound Zark. All are at least half-human. This is a tribute to the days of circus freak shows.

* TheQuest: The show's premise, as Zark seeks to be reunited with his sweetheart.

* RockOpera: Cirque's publicity materials couch the show as this combined with their traditional format. This is less obvious since the retool changed the lyrics from English to Cirquish, but even by this company's standards, there is ''a lot'' of singing in this show -- primarily by Zark and the Mutants, whereas in most of the other shows (''Alegria'' and ''Quidam'' being the key exceptions) the singers are simply part of the band and only occasionally join the action.
* SatelliteLoveInterest: Lia, who only appears in the final scene, is this for Zark.

* StageMagician: Our protagonist, who is also a case of MagiciansAreWizards -- it's just that he's lost his powers as a result of losing his lover.

* TheTragicRose: Zark's costume is based on this trope. At the end, this becomes SomethingAboutARose.

* WorldOfHam: The show ''is'' Creator/CirqueDuSoleil meets RockOpera, so this was bound to apply. It's most obvious when one compares the ultra-dramatic Zark with other Cirque central characters, who tend to be much less ostentatious than their supporting casts.

In a decrepit, abandoned theater, the magician Zark is pining for his lost love Lia. His grief proves powerful enough to reveal that the place houses a MagicalLand, and with a troupe of the theater's ghosts (white-clad circus performers) serving as his companions, he ventures through it to find her again. Our hero faces curious, sometimes sinister "Mutants" and a dark night of the soul before finding a happy ending for himself, his true love, and his troupe -- [[Main/RockOpera singing all the way]].

This show was originally a tour, visiting New York City, Madrid, and Moscow in turn. It returned to New York City for a second summer run in 2012, albeit with a LighterAndSofter retool that included most of the lyrics getting changed from English to [[Main/SingingSimlish "Cirquish"]]. The plans for the touring rotation to persist were changed when ''Theatre/VivaElvis'', which had struggled at the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, was forced to close. Cirque was asked to bring in another show to occupy the room; with no time to create a new production from scratch (in part because ''Theatre/MichaelJacksonONE'' was being prepared for the Mandalay Bay resort down the street), ''Zarkana'' was relocated to the Aria in late 2012. Another {{Retool}} to further soften the show, a surreal one even by Cirque standards, is planned for early 2014.

!!This show contains examples of:

* DisappearingBox: Zark tries to accomplish this trick with Pocus as the person who will disappear in it and Hocus as an assistant. When it finally works, Pocus reappears in a cannon...

* WorldOfHam: The show ''is'' Creator/CirqueDuSoleil meets RockOpera, so this was bound to apply.

* MixAndMatchCritters: Two of the Mutants -- Kundalini is a woman who, from the waist down, seems to consist of writhing serpents. Tarantula is a spider woman who onstage appears more human than arachnid, but the sand painting suggests her "true" form resembles that of a [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons Drider]] or the [[Series/DoctorWho Racnoss Empress]]. (In her onstage form, she resembles [[Disney/SleepingBeauty Maleficent]] -- though where that villainess's headdress suggests horns, Tarantula's suggests fangs.)

* CityShoutOuts: The first image the sand painter creates is that of Zark arriving in the city the show is being performed in, marking the theater as specifically located in it.

* MixAndMatchCritters: Two of the Mutants -- Kundalini is a woman who, from the waist down, seems to consist of writhing serpents. Tarantula is a spider woman who onstage appears more human than arachnid, but the sand painting suggests her "true" form resembles that of a [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons Drider]] or the [[Series/DoctorWho Racnoss Empress]]. (In her onstage form, she resembles [[Disney/SleepingBeauty Maleficent]].)

* SeriesMascot: Tarantula, once the show reached Vegas.

* TheVamp: Kundalini and Tarantula.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: The handbalancer. ''Technically'' he has a shirt, but it's so short it leaves his midriff bare, and his contortions quickly expose the rest of his chest. By his act's end, it's off completely.

In a decrepit, abandoned theater, the magician Zark is pining for his lost love Lia. His grief proves powerful enough to reveal that the theater houses a MagicalLand, and with a troupe of white-clad circus performers serving as his companions, he ventures through it to find her again. Our hero faces curious, sometimes sinister "Mutants" and a dark night of the soul before finding a happy ending for himself, his true love, and his troupe -- [[Main/RockOpera singing all the way]].

This show was originally a tour, visiting New York City, Madrid, and Moscow in turn. It returned to New York City for a second summer run in 2012, albeit with a LighterAndSofter retool that included most of the lyrics getting changed from English to [[Main/SingingSimlish "Cirquish"]]. The plans for the touring rotation to persist were changed when ''Theatre/VivaElvis'', which had struggled at the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, was forced to close. Cirque was asked to bring in another show to occupy the room; with no time to create a new production from scratch (in part because ''Theatre/MichaelJacksonONE'' was being prepared for the Mandalay Bay resort down the street), this show was relocated to the Aria in late 2012.

* AllThereInTheManual: Since the {{Retool}} changed most of the lyrics to Cirquish, a viewer needs to read up on the premise and characters beforehand (Wikipedia, the souvenir program, etc.) to have any sense of the story.

* [[ManInWhite Men in White]] and [[WomanInWhite Women in White]]: The circus troupe, the musicians, and the handbalancer.

* PreviouslyOn: A rare stage version of this trope! The sand painter's images recap the entire show up to that point and then lead into the next act. This made more logical sense in the original two-act version, as there the sand painting act came at the beginning of Act Two, and thus after an {{Intermission}}. Interestingly, the Las Vegas one-act version has the first image be that of the Las Vegas skyline, suggesting that the audience coming to the theatre to begin with is part of the story (rather like the business with the Old Man of Wandering Mountain in ''Literature/TheNeverendingStory'').