MONTREAL/HANGZHOU, China — As the coronavirus pandemic ripped around the globe, Cirque du Soleil, a circus troupe formed by Quebec street performers that become a global powerhouse, saw most of its operations grind to a halt in barely 48 hours. The company, which gained international renown for extravagant shows featuring acrobats, jugglers, firebreathers and musicians, was forced to shut down productions in China, Italy and the United States, among other countries. This month, it filed for bankruptcy protection and is close to reaching a restructuring deal.."I never thought in my life that I would wake up one day and basically in 48 hours we end up with no shows, no revenues," CEO Daniel Lamarre told Reuters. "It was very tough because from hour to hour I was learning that one country was shut down and then the other country was shut down."

Source: International New York Times July 16, 2020 01:07 UTC