The Merchant of Happiness.(Guy Laliberte of Cirque du Soleil)(Brief Article)(Interview)

From his hotel suite, you can see a public bench at the corner of Hyde Park. That's where Guy Laliberte spent his first night in London at 18. By his side were a backpack, two accordions, a mouth organ, spoons and a jew's-harp. He'd left his home in Montreal with less than $1,000 to be a street performer across Europe. A year later he arrived back in Canada--$10 ahead. Nearly 25 years on, Laliberte is one of the biggest theatrical impresarios in the world. He is sole proprietor of Cirque du Soleil, and more than 30 million people have seen his shows. Now, at 42, he wants to make the Cirque an integral part of our daily lives. Laliberte is planning to set up permanent entertainment complexes around the world--which will include a big top--infused with the Cirque magic. The first location will be London, where he spoke with NEWSWEEK's Michelle Chan. Excerpts:

CHAN: Why London?

LALIBERTE: London is the entertainment capital of the world, so that is why we want a home here for Cirque du Soleil. We want [to build] an entertainment complex using traditional businesses--restaurants, hotels, spas--and challenging them with new creative content. Like we did with the Cirque--taking the traditional and twisting it.

Is that what draws people to the Cirque? The timeless quality of circus, repackaged for a modern audience?

Mostly it's the recognition that inside every adult there's still a child that lingers. We say, "Take your time to live your childhood again for a couple hours." I think we tend to forget we were children before. We're happiness merchants--giving people the opportunity to dream like children.

As a child, did you dream of running away and joining the circus?

I had no interest in the circus. The only circus in Canada was the Ringling Brothers type, and I didn't find it funny. My road was more toward street performance, arts, theater. I started a street-performing festival, which was very original for its time. It was just an adventure, and I was planning to go back to school and have a regular life.