History Theatre / NouvelleExperience

* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Antipodisme (foot juggling), in which the performer twirls parasols, etc. with their feet. More serene than speedy, but still extremely impressive.

* BigRedDevil: The Devils, who are not villains but naughty tricksters, are a goofy version of this trope -- red-clad with half-masks that have various permutations of horns and squat or extended noses. While Madame Corporation initially dresses in HeavenlyBlue, she has a red HornedHairdo, and switches to a red version of her costume during the show's second half.

* EinsteinHair: The Great Chamberlain has this, which comes across as an angelic contrast to the devil-red HornedHairdo of Madame Corporation.

* HornedHairdo: Madame Corporation has a devil red horn-like hair style. As mentioned above, she isn't evil, but she ''is'' an intimidating [[TheTrickster trickster]].

* HornedHairdo: Madame Corporation has this. As mentioned above, she isn't evil, but she ''is'' an intimidating [[TheTrickster trickster]].

* CompletelyDifferentTitle: The filmed version originally aired in the U.S. as ''Cirque du Soleil II: A New Experience'', but the video versions use the original title. It was actually Cirque's ''third'' show to be filmed, but the ''La Magie Continue'' special never aired on U.S. television.

* HornedHairdo: Madame Corporation has this. As mentioned above, she isn't evil, but she ''is'' an intimidating {{Trickster}}.

!!!This show contains examples of:

* WorldOfHam: Most Cirque shows are set in this, but the characters/performers in this one took it to heretofore unknown levels for the company. The television ad Mark Romanek directed for it, "Portraits" (viewable at his website), is practically a celebration of this.

* BigRedDevil: The Devils, who are not villains but naughty tricksters, are a goofy version of this trope -- red-clad with half-masks that have various permutations of horns and squat or extended noses. While Madame Corporation initially dresses in HeavenlyBlue, she has red hair styled to look like horns, and switches to a red version of her costume during the show's second half.

* EinsteinHair: The Great Chamberlain has this, which comes across as an angelic contrast to the devil-red hair horns of Madame Corporation.

* TechnicianVersusPerformer: This was the first Cirque show to use director Franco Dragone's artist workshops, in which he worked with the highly-skilled acrobats, dancers, etc. to bring out their inner performers. The characters evolved from what emerged from their respective artists during this process, and as a result the show featured technicians who were equally, simultaneously skilled as performers.

* CoolOldGuy: The gray-haired Great Chamberlain, particularly when he takes to the slackwire for a comic wirewalking act. Performer Brian Dewhurst was a few weeks away from his 58th birthday when the show opened; thus he was performing this role into his early sixties. He also took this act to the ''Fascination'' hybrid tour, playing the ringmaster from ''Le Cirque Reinvente''. (In his ''late'' sixties he took over ''{{Mystere}}'''s clown act, but that's a whole other set of tropes...)

* HandshakeRefusal: The Everyman quickly learns that his friendly offer of a handshake is a ''terrifying'' gesture to the denizens of this land. However, by the midpoint of Act One both sides are more comfortable with each other and he is able to shake hands with one of the Flounes.

* {{Cloudcuckooland}} / MagicalLand: The story's unnamed setting. The Everyman is seen as strange and even frightening by the Flounes -- the prospect of a handshake initially terrifies them. Those who ''don't'' fear him (The Devils and the two emcee characters) are magic-wielding eccentrics; the Great Chamberlain appears to be the sanest of them, and yet ''he's'' the one who decides to try wirewalking on a whim.

* BigRedDevil: The Devils, who are not villains but naughty tricksters, are a goofy version of this trope -- red-clad with half-masks that have various permutations of horns and squat or extended noses. While Madame Corporation initially dresses in HeavenlyBlue, she has red hair styled to look like horns, and wears a red version of her costume in the show's second half (including the finale).

* HeavenlyBlue: Madame Corporation, the Great Chamberlain, Corporation, and the musicians have rich blues as the primary colors in their costumes. The slackwire walker (when played by a man) whom the Great Chamberlain tries to follow in the footsteps of has a costume in tints of sky blue.

* BigRedDevil: The Devils, who are not villains but naughty tricksters, are a goofy version of this trope -- red-clad with half-masks that have various permutations of horns and squat or extended noses. While Madame Corporation usually dresses in HeavenlyBlue, she has red hair styled to look like horns, and when she joins the Devils to lead the protagonist into the DancePartyEnding she wears a red version of her costume.

* NoFourthWall

The plot is similar to ''Reinvente'''s, but slightly more complex and symbolic. TheEveryman has been spirited into a MagicalLand of friendly, clownish "Flounes" and Angels, servants known as Corporation, and naughty Devils. What order there is here is kept by Madame Corporation (a slightly menacing ringmistress) and her right-hand man the Great Chamberlain, who more-or-less guide the confused-but-kind Everyman through a series of adventures and wonders.

The original tour ran from 1990-91 in North America. In mid-1992, several performers and acts from this show were carried over into the Japanese arena tour ''Theatre/{{Fascination}}''. Once that tour was completed, ''Nouvelle'' reopened at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada for a one-year engagement. Its closure at the end of November 1993 was the prelude to the opening of Cirque's first permanent production -- ''Mystere'' -- at the Mirage's new sister establishment, Treasure Island.

The show was filmed in 1991 and won the 1992 Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program (Special). Compare with ''KOOZA'', a much later show directed by David Shiner -- who played the Everyman during this tour's first leg and created his character's clown acts -- and created as a throwback to early Cirque efforts.

* ColorCodedForYourConvenience

** Angels = White and gold

** Corporation and the musicians = Blue

** Devils = Red

* BoleroEffect: The soundtrack album's version of the show's final number, "Bolero". As used in the show, the song does not invoke this specific effect.

** Corporation = Blue

* GreatGazoo: Madame Corporation and the Great Chamberlain; AllThereInTheManual material reveals that they actually control the destinies of the MagicalLand's residents. Luckily, they are benevolent, playful rulers.

* TheFool: The Flounes are a ''race'' of fools.

* MagicalLand: Possibly a {{Cloudcuckooland}}, given that it takes time for the Everyman to be accepted by most of the characters because he's so odd to them. In particular, they're initially frightened by his offer of a handshake.

* CompletelyDifferentTitle: The filmed version originally aired in the U.S. as ''Cirque du Soleil II: A New Experience'', but the video versions use the original title. (Indeed, it was actually Cirque's ''third'' show to be filmed, but the ''La Magie Continue'' special never aired on U.S. television.)

* DancePartyEnding

* TheEveryman

* FieryRedhead: Madame Corporation.

* GreatGazoo: Madame Corporation and the Great Chamberlain.

* NonIronicClown: The Everyman and the Flounes. The Great Chamberlain has aspects of this; in fact, when Brian Dewhurst was hired for this show, the role was strictly character work. It was only later that his long-established comedy slackwire act was incorporated into it.

* MovieMakingMess: The Everyman's film shoot degenerates into this as the audience members have trouble keeping up with his mimed instructions. In the videotaped version, it goes so badly that it ends with him pretending to be DrivenToSuicide!

Cirque du Soleil's fourth show, their first after their North American breakthrough ''Theatre/LeCirqueReinvente'', ran from 1990 through 1993. In the years following ''Reinvente'''s debut the company recruited many new performers, particularly from Europe and Asia. As well, the creative team wanted to deliver a more theatrical show than its predecessor, so the ring and curtain at the back of the performance space were eliminated to create smoother transitions between individual acts, tying them into a larger whole. Thus the show bridged the gap between the EarlyInstallmentWeirdness and the spectacles that would establish the company as an entertainment powerhouse as TheNineties continued.