MACAU - Cirque du Soleil has unveiled its first permanent show in Asia at the Venetian Macao.
The move comes as the Canadian circus group tries to tap a fast-growing market, taking advantage of a move by casino operators to bring Las Vegas-style entertainment to the southern Chinese gambling enclave.
Cirque artists performed excerpts from the $150-million space-themed "Zaia" program Thursday at a media preview in a 1,800-seat purpose-built theatre.
With a past more noted for its massage parlour-cum-brothels and smoke-filled casino rooms, Macau has tried to reinvent itself in recent years with gleaming new casinos built by foreign investors like the Venetian Macao, the Wynn Macau and MGM Grand Macau.
Gaming revenues have surged, but Macau has yet to duplicate the diverse entertainment offerings of Las Vegas that draw a wider range of visitors beyond hard-core gamblers.
"Zaia," from a Greek name meaning life, is the first major permanent entertainment act in Macau. Cirque du Soleil has six permanent shows in Las Vegas.
