For instance, one attendant was dressed as sideshow strongman and passed spinach, Swiss cheese, and bacon frittatas from platters placed atop a barbell-like prop. To handle the passed hors d'oeuvres, Cirque du Soleil tapped caterer Elegant Affairs, which worked on the Banana Shpeel event and provided a range of bites served by costumed waitstaff from Model Bartenders. The result included stations from more than half a dozen food and beverage partners that included comfort food eatery Cafeteria, Japanese and sushi restaurant Nobu, Brazilian steak house Churrascaria Plataforma, Brazilian cachaça brand Leblon, French Champagne house Pommery, and Nespresso.
With food presentation representing such an important element of the event, Khalil and her team started contacting companies a year in advance, looking to collaborate with restaurants and brands not only flexible enough to work within the creative concept, but that were also indicative of the city's varied culinary landscape. Additionally, food stations were incorporated into the overall design. Key to this was continuing the look and feel of Zarkana without replicating it-aiming to, as Khalil put it, "stay in the same universe, like a prolongation of the show." As such, there was no main performance or central stage at the party, but rather a collection of entertainers into which the producers integrated costumed waitstaff. "At the same time, our events are really about creating buzz, acting as a marketing tool to get the word of mouth and create a kind of hype that people will be talking about." And because we're going to be in New York for quite a while, the idea was for us to do an event that was going to support the largeness of the show," Khalil said. " Zarkana is the biggest show we've ever done, on all levels-stage size, production, everything. Looking to create an extension of the fantastical visuals and circus-style aesthetic of the new acrobatic show, the Canadian entertainment company's internal team-led by event director Yasmine Khalil and projects manager for events Marie-Josée Adam-built a dramatic setting, replete with big top-like draping, roving entertainers, and prop-laden lounges. This time the event followed a premiere performance at Radio City Music Hall. A little more than a year after the New York debut of Banana Shpeel and its opening night party at the Roseland Ballroom, Cirque du Soleil introduced another big production, Zarkana, and returned to the storied theater district venue on June 29.