History YMMV / CirqueDuSoleil

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: The main "Movie Studio" melody in IRIS sounds like it was borrowed from the soldier song from Bizet's opera ''Carmen''. However, Bizet's music uses the melodic minor scale, and while Elfman's uses the same, it also uses the Dorian (or natural minor) scale at times.

* AudienceAlienatingEra: The explosion of new shows at the TurnOfTheMillennium culminated in this over 2008-11. Of the '''ten''' shows that opened during this period, five were shut down for good by 2013 -- an embarrassing statistic after years of shows easily becoming LongRunners. ''Theatre/CrissAngelBelieve'', which duked it out with ''Theatre/BananaShpeel'' for the dishonor of the worst-reviewed show of the lot, only survived because Criss Angel had a 10-year contract with the hotel. Of the remaining four shows, ''OVO'' is one of the least popular in the fanbase, ''Zarkana'' had to forsake international touring to serve as a hasty substitute for ''Viva Elvis'' in Vegas (and didn't run much longer, to the point that the host resort tore down the theater and converted the grounds to more convention space), ''Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour'' was much less profitable than hoped thanks to high music royalty rates charged by Jackson's estate, and ''ZED'' was forced to close due to the 2011 earthquake in Japan crippling tourism. ''TOTEM'' and subsequent new Cirque tours have been extremely well received, as was ''Michael Jackson ONE'', but many fans still think the company focuses too much on quantity and, now, financial frugality over quality and even the health and safety of the performers (the onstage death of Sarah Guyard-Guillot, who fell to her doom during a performance of ''KA'' in 2013, didn't improve this perception).

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: They are popular enough in Japan that the [[Anime/KaleidoStar Kaleido Stage]] and ''VideoGame/NightsIntoDreams'' are clearly inspired by it, and with ''ZED'', it became one of the first countries outside of the U.S. to get a resident show (its closure was only because the earthquake/tsunami of 2011 caused a decline in tourism and thus audiences). This dates back to the 1992 Japan-only tour ''Theatre/{{Fascination}}''.

* SignatureSong: Two in general "Alegria" the title song of ''Theatre/{{Alegria}}'' and "Let Me Fall" from ''Theatre/{{Quidam}}''. Both of which receive a larger amount of notoriety, having been prominently featured in both ''Theatre/{{Delirium}}'' and the Anniversary event ''Midnight Sun''.

* GenreTurningPoint: The company for circus in general, ''Mystere'' (in tandem with Siegfried and Roy's show at the Mirage) for Las Vegas entertainment.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment:
** If you actually try to focus on the plots of the shows that seem to have one, then almost every performance is one big-lipped alligator moment after another.
** The comedy scenes in ''Volta'' are of a very different tone, taste, and intended audience than the acrobatic scenes that are actually relevant to the main plot.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: If you actually try to focus on the plots of the shows that seem to have one, then almost every performance is one big-lipped alligator moment after another.

%%* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: A perfect example of this trope.

* DorkAge: The explosion of new shows at the TurnOfTheMillennium culminated in this over 2008-11. Of the '''ten''' shows that opened during this period, five were shut down for good by 2013 -- an embarrassing statistic after years of shows easily becoming LongRunners. ''Theatre/CrissAngelBelieve'', which duked it out with ''Theatre/BananaShpeel'' for the dishonor of the worst-reviewed show of the lot, only survived because Criss Angel had a 10-year contract with the hotel. Of the remaining four shows, ''OVO'' is one of the least popular in the fanbase, ''Zarkana'' had to forsake international touring to serve as a hasty substitute for ''Viva Elvis'' in Vegas (and didn't run much longer, to the point that the host resort tore down the theater and converted the grounds to more convention space), ''Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour'' was much less profitable than hoped thanks to high music royalty rates charged by Jackson's estate, and ''ZED'' was forced to close due to the 2011 earthquake in Japan crippling tourism. ''TOTEM'' and subsequent new Cirque tours have been extremely well received, as was ''Michael Jackson ONE'', but many fans still think the company focuses too much on quantity and, now, financial frugality over quality and even the health and safety of the performers (the onstage death of Sarah Guyard-Guillot, who fell to her doom during a performance of ''KA'' in 2013, didn't improve this perception). It remains to be seen if the rebuilding period the company is about to enter post-COVID-19 pandemic will end up being this as well, with one new production (''NYSA'') already cancelled and ''Zumanity'' permanently shut down.

%%* SignatureSong: "Alegria".

* DorkAge: The explosion of new shows at the TurnOfTheMillennium culminated in this over 2008-11. Of the '''ten''' shows that opened during this period, five were shut down for good by 2013 -- an embarrassing statistic after years of shows easily becoming LongRunners. ''Theatre/CrissAngelBelieve'', which duked it out with ''Theatre/BananaShpeel'' for the dishonor of the worst-reviewed show of the lot, only survived because Criss Angel had a 10-year contract with the hotel. Of the remaining four shows, ''OVO'' is one of the least popular in the fanbase, ''Zarkana'' had to forsake international touring to serve as a hasty substitute for ''Viva Elvis'' in Vegas, and ''Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour'' was much less profitable than hoped thanks to high music royalty rates charged by Jackson's estate. ''TOTEM'' and subsequent new Cirque tours have been extremely well received, as was ''Michael Jackson ONE'', but many fans still think the company focuses too much on quantity and, now, financial frugality over quality and even the health and safety of the performers (the onstage death of Sarah Guyard-Guillot, who fell to her doom during a performance of ''KA'' in 2013, didn't improve this perception).

** The comedy scenes in Volta are majorly so. They are of a very different tone, taste, and intended audience than the acrobatic scenes relevant to the main plot. And they add absolutely nothing to the plot.

* BrokenBase: The fandom fractures around a number of issues:
** Are '''any''' shows launched post-1998 -- after director Franco Dragone left the company in the wake of an incredible run of shows that began with 1987's ''Theatre/LeCirqueReinvente'' and ended with the twin triumphs of ''Theatre/{{O}}'' and ''Theatre/LaNouba'' -- worthwhile?
** The company's attempts to reach beyond circus entertainment are usually controversial, not helped by ''Theatre/CrissAngelBelieve'' (magic/illusion) and ''Theatre/BananaShpeel'' (a GenreThrowback to {{Vaudeville}}) getting the company the worst reviews in its history and triggering a DorkAge.
** In a related issue, productions that cross over Cirque's style with another artist's work will get the company accused of selling out: the JukeboxMusical variants (though ''Theatre/TheBeatlesLOVE'' usually gets a pass), ''Theatre/CrissAngelBelieve'', ''Toruk -- The First Flight'' (James Cameron's ''Film/{{Avatar}}''), the live television production of ''Theatre/TheWiz''...

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Cirque is popular enough in Japan that the [[Anime/KaleidoStar Kaleido Stage]] and ''VideoGame/NightsIntoDreams'' are clearly inspired by it, and with ''ZED'', it became one of the first countries outside of the U.S. to get a resident show (its closure was only because the earthquake/tsunami of 2011 caused a decline in tourism and thus audiences). This dates back to the 1992 Japan-only tour ''Theatre/{{Fascination}}''.

%%* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: A perfect example of this trope.

* ComeForTheXStayForTheY: The surreally-staged acrobatics are what the ads emphasize, and rightly so, but the music, comedy, and characterizations provide much of the shows' repeat value.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: The main "Movie Studio" melody in IRIS sounds like it was borrowed from the soldier song from Bizet's opera ''Carmen''. However, Bizet's music uses the melodic minor scale, and Elfman's uses the Dorian (or natural minor) scale.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: The main "Movie Studio" melody in IRIS sounds like it was borrowed from the soldier song from Bizet's opera ''Carmen''.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Cirque is popular enough in Japan that the [[Anime/KaleidoStar Kaleido Stage]] and ''VideoGame/NightsIntoDreams'' are clearly inspired by it, and with ''ZED'', it became one of only two countries outside of the U.S. to get a resident show (its closure was only because the earthquake/tsunami of 2011 caused a decline in tourism and thus audiences). This dates back to the 1992 Japan-only tour ''Theatre/{{Fascination}}''.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Cirque is popular enough in Japan that the [[Anime/KaleidoStar Kaleido Stage]] is clearly inspired by it, and with ''ZED'', it became one of only two countries outside of the U.S. to get a resident show (its closure was only because the earthquake/tsunami of 2011 caused a decline in tourism and thus audiences). This dates back to the 1992 Japan-only tour ''Theatre/{{Fascination}}''.

%%* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: A perfect example of this trope.

* MagnumOpus: ''"O"'' for the company as a whole; ''Alegria'' is a worthy runner-up and holds this position among the tours.
* SignatureSong: "Alegria".
* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: A perfect example of this trope.