soleil

MONTREAL - It used to be that a shapely lion-tamer's assistant was about as sexy as the circus got. But Cirque du Soleil, the Montreal troupe that has wowed international audiences with its family-friendly shows, is about to change that with a new adults-only ''erotic'' show in Las Vegas.

The R-rated Zumanity is being billed as ''a provocative exhibition of human sensuality, arousal and eroticism.'' In addition to traditional theatre seats and bar stools, couples will be able to purchase tickets for two-person love seats and sofas to enjoy the show more intimately. Fifty dancers, acrobats, clowns and musicians are rehearsing in secret at the Cirque du Soleil's Montreal headquarters in preparation for the Aug. 14 premiere.Cirque officials, who are vague about the show's precise contents, will offer the Montreal press a sneak preview of a couple of acts next week. In Las Vegas, where Cirque du Soleil already has two hugely successful permanent shows, Mystère and O, the secrecy has only added to the anticipation. The show is headed for a permanent run at MGM-Mirage's New York-New York hotel and casino.

''Zumanity show remains shrouded in mystery,'' read a Las Vegas Sun headline last month. Tony Sacca, host of the TV show Entertainment Las Vegas Style, said the new show is raising eyebrows in a city that is regaining its reputation as Sin City.'' I think it's going to be very suggestive,'' he said after attending a Zumanity news conference hosted by a drag queen. ''I've got a feeling it's going to be non-gendered when it comes to which is a girl and which is a guy. It could be two girls, two guys, female impersonators, the whole realm.'' Mr. Sacca said he finds the Cirque's new direction unusual, but added the company ''has a pretty good batting average.'' The Cirque has yet to experience a flop. Since its creation in 1984, Cirque du Soleil has entertained more than 37 million spectators, performing in 90 cities around the world. Guy Laliberté, the former fire-eater who founded the company and is now chief executive officer, is among Canada's richest men with an estimated net worth last year of $700-million. The closest thing to a setback came last December, when the Cirque was forced to abandon plans for a series of hotel-entertainment complexes around the world, citing a downturn in the hospitality business.

Lyn Heward, president of the Cirque's creative content division, said instead of branching out into hotels, the company has decided to diversify the nature of its live shows. She is not worried the Cirque's traditional audience will be alienated by a little raunch. ''Any time you're taking a new direction with your brand, in whatever business you're in, you're taking a risk,'' she said. ''We're taking a calculated risk. We know what our demographics are, we know what the clientele of the New York-New York hotel casino is. It's generally speaking a younger group.'' Felix Rappaport, president and chief operating officer of New York-New York, said he was impressed by the early rehearsals during a recent trip to Montreal. ''They want this show to make people laugh, smile, feel romantic, cry perhaps,'' he said in an interview from Las Vegas. ''It really is meant to be a very emotional show and certainly in no way, shape or form will it be salacious or smutty.'' Nevada liquor laws dictate that while breasts can be displayed during the show, genitalia must remain covered. ''We're not trying to compete with the topless clubs off the strip. We're not trying to compete with anything other than the top echelon of shows in Las Vegas,'' Mr. Rappaport said.

He said one act involves two female contortionists in water, and another features ''one woman and multiple men in kind of a cage apparatus, an acrobatic apparatus.'' He acknowledged the show will hold something for people of various sexual preferences. ''The MC refers to himself as a drag queen. I would prefer to use the word host, or hostess,'' he said. ''When he performed at this press conference he was in his full get-up. Even though he is a man he was dressed as a woman. I think it is meant to be more exotic.''

Zumanity is headed for a specially renovated, 1,200-seat theatre in the casino. Admission is restricted to those 18 and over. Even the fairly tame Zumanity Web site (www.zumanity.com), warns that one must be at least 18 to enter. Erika Brandvik, a spokeswoman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said the new Cirque show is a sign of a renewed focus on the city as an adult destination. The push seen in the early 1990s to present Las Vegas as another Disneyland full of pirate ships and castles appears to be over. ''Within the past 18 months we have seen a proliferation of more exclusively adult-oriented attractions,'' she said. ''Sexier shows are part of it, too, and Cirque du Soleil is famous for pushing the envelope .... don't think it's surprising at all that they decided to amp up the provocative quality of this show.'' And for New York-New York, an adults-only show makes business sense, because children cannot play the slots. ''We're in the gaming business, so quite frankly, if we have all adults in the show and all of those adults eat in our property and gamble in our property and entertain themselves in our property, that's a good thing,'' Mr. Rappaport said.