Canadian Circus to Pitch Its Big Top in Costa Mesa

Cirque du Soleil, the non-traditional Canadian circus troupe, will make its Orange County debut next year at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, not in Irvine, as Irvine city officials recently announced.

Beginning Feb. 22 for at least 10 days, the Montreal-based circus will perform beneath a 2,500-seat big-top tent to be pitched in the shopping mall’s parking lot near Bear Street and the San Diego Freeway, said Benoit Jodoin, Cirque du Soleil production director.

Irvine city officials recently distributed a printed program for their Irvine Arts Festival that listed performances by the circus next spring at Irvine’s Heritage Park. Dates were not specified.

Jodoin said, however, that no circus personnel had ever talked with Irvine city officials.

“We were never even approached by them,” he said. “I don’t know who is responsible for it, but we learned (from South Coast Plaza officials that) we were in the program of the festival.”

Irvine cultural affairs manager Henry Korn said that he had been negotiating with Louis Landry of Jodoin’s staff but acknowledged that no contract was signed.

He said he regretted printing the flyer with notice of the circus, adding “these things happen. All we can say is we’re delighted that the circus is coming to Orange County.”

Cirque du Soleil, which produces all its own programs, will rent the parking-lot space from South Coast Plaza, according to Jodoin and South Coast Plaza operations and administration director Skip Stephenson.

Jodoin said the mall site would offer the circus plenty of parking and high visibility. More performances may be added to the run if public demand warrants an extension, he said.

The popular one-ring circus, which recently performed in Santa Monica, will appear in Costa Mesa as part of a 20-month North American tour.

Tickets range from $6 for children to $33.50 for adults and are now available through Ticketmaster, circus publicist Mark La Font said. Information: (714) 740-2000.