Al Habtoor Group is set to construct a theatre worth Dh550 million ($150.1 million), expected to be delivered in January 2016, which was announced during a press conference.
The theatre is part of the Metropolitan complex (Habtoor Island) that also includes three hotels under the Starwood brand, owned by Al Habtoor Group. These are a Westin, a St.Regis and a W hotel. The overall cost of the project, including the theatre, is worth Dh4.7 billion. The hotels are expected to be delivered in 2015, after the month of August.
The theatre will host a permanent water show, which will be produced by the Franco Dragone Entertainment Group.
The water show is expected to attract tourists from the region to Dubai, according to Mohammad Al Habtoor, Vice Chairman and CEO of Al Habtoor Group.
The show will be “a destination” and people from across the region will come to Dubai to watch it, Al Habtoor said. The theatre will give “an added value to other landmarks” in the city.
Meanwhile, Al Habtoor hopes that the show, which is expected to attract more than 80 international performers, will have Emirati artists. This seems likely, since previous shows of Franco Dragone Entertainment Group have included performers from the countries they were held in.
The water show will offer live entertainment, and will have special effects to create a giant waterfall, a cascade or rain curtains. It is expected to be the fourth of its type in the world, after Las Vegas, Macau and the future Han Show in Wuhan, mainland China.
The show is expected to project “the soul of Dubai,” and will have Arab-inspired elements, such as Arab music and acrobatics, according to Franco Dragone, founder, artistic director and president of Franco Dragone Entertainment Group. Dragone had previously worked on a show called ‘Story of a Fort Legacy of a Nation,” which was part of the Qasr Al Hosn Festival in Abu Dhabi this year.
The circular theatre will have a large 12-metre deep pool in its center. Performers will dive into a 5.5 meter-deep pool. The theatre will have 1314 seats.
The theatre will treat attendees like “VIPs”, and they will have a “special relationship with the show,” Dragone said.
Gulf News
24 April
