For one month starting May 30, the extravagant Cirque du Soleil traveling performance troupe is unfurling a show called "TOTEM" under a set of big-top tents on the Camden waterfront. According to Cirque's marketing materials, the mythical fantasy traces "the evolutionary progress of species," exploring Man's dreams and infinite potential. One could say that in Camden, the show's theme reflects its setting: a surreally scenic stretch of parking lots -- where thriving factories once reigned -- whose potential Camden's men (and women) desperately want to maximize.
 
Few argue that Cirque, one of the largest special events to grace the waterfront in decades, doesn't represent a boon for the impoverished city. But the difference is this: In Camden, economic reality often falls so tragically short of fantasy that it's difficult to foster optimism.

"It's not that I don't want Cirque," says Andrew Adams, who oversees the waterfront district for the District Council Collaborative Board, a local non-profit that deals with neighborhood issues. "I'll take it over the WXTU concert every day of the summer. However, it doesn't do anything in terms of development. [Before some waterfront events, attendees] bring in their own food and their own beer and it becomes a mess that we clean up."

Adams is sounding a common complaint leveled at the Cooper's Ferry Partnership, a community development organization that negotiated the contract between Cirque and the Camden Parking Authority, a state agency that owns the land being leased by the circus. Though Cooper's Ferry doesn't operate any of the waterfront destinations, it does help develop and market them. To the chagrin of many Camden citizens, most of these amenities make small payments in lieu of taxes and fees to the city, and while they do bring approximately three million visitors to the waterfront each year, the perception is that they don't do enough to encourage those visitors to circulate their money by patronizing locally owned businesses steps away.

Fortunately, evidence indicates that Cirque will be different. Administrative personnel have hired as many as 250 hourly workers to set up, break down and clean up, while also handling other responsibilities such as serving food and maintaining costumes. They're recruiting members of the county sheriff's department to provide security in their off hours. The production is paying for its own insurance and utilities, and contributing what may amount to $15,000 to the public coffers in the way of permitting fees. Its contract with the Parking Authority guarantees a lease payment of at least $50,000, which will be directed toward general operating expenses, and the authority will use performance parking revenues to cover lot maintenance and traffic management throughout the run. 

In all, according to Cooper's Ferry Chief Operating Officer Joe Meyers, taxpayers shoulder none of the expenses and the Parking Authority receives an "absolute windfall." In addition, he says, the non-cash benefits to the city may prove priceless. 
"I believe the arrival of Cirque gives a signal to the marketplace that the city can host events of this size and recruit events like this in the future," he says.

TOTEM, being advertised by Cirque as a "Philadelphia Greater Area" performance, draws a sell-out crowd of 2,600 and only makes stops in major cities like London, Amsterdam, Miami and San Francisco. Cirque staff have promised to consider the city for future shows -- open locations with ample parking, waterfront promenades, transit access and proximity to a large metro area like Philadelphia are preciously rare. 

But Andrews cautions that Cooper's Ferry may be trying to walk too high a wire by planning so many events at once. Sunday, June 30 marks the final performance of TOTEM. That's the same day the riverfront hosts the Juan Bautista Puerto Rican Day Parade*, a Camden Riversharks baseball game, the aforementioned WXTU concert -- infamous for its Confederate flag-draped attendees in addition to its rowdiness -- and regular business hours for fixed attractions. 

"You have a lack of planning," cautions Andrews. "Let's say a fight breaks out or there are unruly people drinking. If you're taking your kids to Cirque, it's going to tarnish the image of the city. I think there's a lack of coordination between waterfront entities."

Of course, it's also exciting that so many organizations have chosen Camden for their events. The responsibility of coordination falls to Cooper's Ferry, who says it does foster communication amongst waterfront and city stakeholders, and encourages relationships between visiting attractions and the local business community. At the Cirque team's request, Meyers' staff connected employees with local vendors, facilitating marketing and ticketing partnerships between the circus and the waterfront's tourist attractions. Cirque has even arranged for offers and contests with ten Camden city and county universities, shopping centers, grocery stores, radio stations and cultural institutions, including the riverfront's underutilized Battleship New Jersey.

Jack Willard, senior vice president of sales and marketing for the battleship, says Cirque personnel have proved more than cooperative, giving the battleship free tickets to raffle to members and a family ticket discount for visitors. He's also negotiating a Battleship coupon for Cirque audiences, and says Cirque can provide him with invaluable exposure and reassurance to people who don't ordinarily visit Camden.

"People still call and ask me if it's safe to come down here," he says. "When they're here [for Cirque], we'd love to give them some incentives to come back. Everybody wins -- most importantly the guests."

Cirque started as a street performance troupe and now houses its international headquarters in a rugged section of Montreal -- TOTEM publicist Francis Jalbert says their executives always try to benefit their host cities while they're in town. 

"The culture of Cirque is to try to give back to communities, to help them enhance their environments," he says. "We come from the streets. We come to Camden to bring this joy and maybe help its revitalization."  

Cirque will give away 200 tickets to city organizations that mentor at-risk youth, and, according to Cirque's economic impact report, its American big-top tour stops infuse beaucoup de bucks into regional economies. On average, the tour (whose equipment is carried by 65 semi-trucks) spends $80,000 to feed around 120 performers and administrative professionals, and somewhere in the vicinity of $1.4 million for expenses like local consulting fees, fuel, equipment rental, advertising and transportation, plus up to $800,000 for site improvements.  

The report also notes a "significant increase in sales for businesses" from all touring staff, but in this case the beneficiary is likely to be Philadelphia rather than New Jersey -- that's where staff is staying. This puts greater expectations on attendees to individually find the pizza joints, smoothie shops and delis that are scattered throughout Camden's downtown and waterfront area. And it provides an even greater incentive to Cooper's Ferry to attract a long-awaited full-service restaurant or two -- to be ready for the next time Cirque comes to the "Philadelphia Greater Area." 

"We need more restaurants," says Camden County Freeholder Lou Cappelli. "We need more amenities. But step one is getting people to come."

*Since this story was reported, the San Juan Bautista parade was rescheduled to June 23 to avoid any conflict with other events taking place on the waterfront.

TARA NURIN is a freelance writer based in South Jersey. Send feedback here.