Ask Margaret
I, too, loved seeing La Nouba. Its
excitement, state-of-the-art acrobatics
and surprises will no doubt be missed
by many fans.
But don’t despair. Disney’s
animators and Imagineers, plus
Parks, Experiences and Products
gurus, have collaborated with
Cirque du Soleil Entertainment
Group and their creative producers,
choreographers and acrobatic talents
from around the world to replace La
Nouba with an exciting, all new Cirque
du Soleil show called Drawn to Life.
My husband Aaron and I
were fortunate enough to attend
interviews with some of the new
Cirque production’s creators and to
see a sampling of two amazing acts that
are scheduled to be included.
The concept for the new production,
which was written and directed by
Michel Laprise with creative direction by
Fabrice Becker, revolves around the art of
animation, which was aptly described as
“drawing dreams.” Walt Disney’s original
dreams and the heritage of his animated
creations and actual drawings are subtly
honored in true Cirque du Soleil fashion, as
Drawn to Life unfolds.
The show’s creative team put its own
spin on the Walt Disney saying, “If you
can dream it, you can do it” to prove that
if you can draw it, you can do it.
Animators and their collaborators,
who were obviously very personally and
by Margaret Word Burnside
I heard a rumor that
La Nouba, the Cirque du Soleil
show that I loved at Walt Disney
World, has closed. Will another
Cirque show take its place?
Also, what will become
of La Nouba’s theater?
P.I., New Tampa
emotionally involved in the project, were
inspired by Disney’s own pencil drawings.
These black-on-white sketches were
discovered in archives of notes, drawings
and other treasures that had been saved by
the innovative cartoonist himself and will
appear throughout the show, along with
124 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | MAY/JUNE 2020
original new animations, presented in
a variety of larger-than-life formats as
backgrounds.
The animator’s drawing table or
desk, in effect, becomes the stage from
which Drawn to Life’s original story
evolves, as drawings and sketches
seem to come to life before your
eyes. Despite its imaginative, almost
magical whimsy, I had the feeling
that the individuals involved in the
production – from its creators to its
talented performing artists who seem
to bring the creations to life – felt as
Disney did, that “animators must
believe that the characters they create
are real.”
As Drawn to Life’s storyline
progresses, the drawings of a twelve-year
old girl named Julie seem to come alive
after she discovers unfinished illustrations
that her Disney animator father had left for
her. The series of sketches triggers Julie’s
childhood memories, as she embarks on
an illusionary adventure, guided by an
acrobatic “Aerial Pencil” and a variety of
muses that help her on her art driven quest
to animate an imaginary story of her future.
Sixty-five performing artists from
all over the world make up Drawn to
Life’s talented cast. Ten totally unique,
mesmerizing, fast-paced, perfectly
choreographed and synchronized Cirquestyle
dance-like acrobatic acts enhance and
help reveal this celebration of life through
the storyline and its characters.
If you have any questions about the
people, places or things in the Tampa
Bay area, please send them to
“Ask Margaret” at Tampa Bay Magazine,
2531 Landmark Drive, Suite 101,
Clearwater, Florida 33761.
We regret that not all questions
can be answered.