Cirque De Soleil Immortal Tour Expected @ London O2

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Cirque du Soleil, the surreal circus company currently playing at the Royal Albert Hall in London, is expecting record profits of $250m (£156m) on revenue of $1bn this year, according to its founder, Guy Laliberté.

The 51-year-old is in talks about hosting a permanent performance at the O2 arena in the east of the city, but has to juggle Cirque's rarity value with the huge demand for its shows.

Mr Laliberté said: "We are working hard trying to find a place in London. We have been looking all over for 10 years. Eventually, we will be at the right place at the right moment with the right real-estate developer. We have looked at the O2. It has been part of the discussion." David Campbell, the chief executive of AEG Europe, which owns the O2, confirmed the talks: "We have looked at it and it's just a question of getting the right business model. It's not imminent but it's not been dismissed."

Cirque is to launch a new tour mixing acrobatics with the music of Michael Jackson; Mr Laliberté hopes for $40m in advance sales, saying: "This has the potential to be one of the biggest deals we have done."

Source: Indpendent

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