Chapter Text
Travel Las Vegas - Jan. 1992
New Show Coming Soon
The Suncatcher Hotel and Casino to premiere newest Cirque Du Soleil creation, Neon
Las Vegas Must Sees - May 1992
Neon: A Love Story to Las Vegas
Neon, the newest show to hit the Las Vegas strip, premieres to a sold-out audience. First reviews promise a stunning experience. Featuring high flying aerialists, a risky high wire routine and a comical clown who follows the main character around on his journey through the city. All this combined with an unbelievable light show, beautiful costumes and clever callbacks to the city’s vibrant history, it is without a doubt a Must See.
Las Vegas Review - May 1992
Neon Nightmare
Don’t waste your time. Neon, the newest show sweeping the strip, paints a not so pretty picture of Las Vegas. We want visitors to enjoy their stay, not regret taking the trip. The city deserves more than this slanderous storytelling.
Las Vegas News Network - June 1993
Showstopping Proposal
Cirque Du Soleil performers fall in love both on stage and off.
Last night’s ‘Neon’ audience was given a real treat as they got to watch as Aerial Strap artist Owen Strand propose to partner Gwyneth Morgan at the end of last night’s show. No word on how long the pair have been together or if a wedding date has been set but Cirque du Soleil did release a statement of congratulations to the pair.
We are very excited for Owen and Gwyn and we’re thrilled to be involved with planning the surprise proposal.
Las Vegas News Network - Dec. 1994
A Future Star
Cirque Du Soleil’s real life love story gets a new chapter. Owen Strand and Gwyneth Morgan welcome their first child, a boy, Tyler Kennedy Strand. Mother and Baby, TK, as he was fondly referred to by his father, are doing well.
Gwyn's POV
New York City, 2002
TK loves the lights. Gwyn watches him as he sits on the floor, leaning as far across the coffee table as he can as he stares wide eyed up at the TV screen. The fuzzy picture of the VHS tape doesn’t do the show justice. She knows she had lived it. Mesmerized and unblinking, she hears TK gasp as one of the acrobats drops in and out of view and the neon lights flicker. Just as it looks like the trapeze artist is about to fall, another captures her hands, and they swing to the safety of the platform. He always tells her this is his second favorite part of the show.
“Again TK?” She asks, taking a seat on the couch behind him.
“But I love it.” He answers his eyes never moving from the screen.
“But it’s so,” she pauses, searching for the right word, “dark.”
“No, it’s not, look at all the lights.” Later, when he’s older, he’ll understand she means that the story is dark, not the stage but that didn’t matter to him at seven years old. All that mattered to him was that the lights sparkled and the stage was filled with familiar faces. “Besides, it’s almost time for you and dad.”
Gwyn’s smile drops. She has to tell him. It was time. But how could she possibly tell him? Especially now as he watches them fall in love on screen. She stares at her younger self as she spirals around the stage on the aerial straps. She would swoop just close enough to Owen’s character to reach for him but not close enough to touch.
She shakes her head. She can’t do it now; it’ll have to wait. She takes a seat on the couch and reaches forward and ruffles TK’s hair. He flinches away, hands covering the messy brown locks.
“Mom!”
“Sorry Sweetheart, it’s hard to resist sometimes.”
“It’s okay, but you have to watch.” He takes only a moment to look back at her with a wide smile.
Gwyn can feel it in her muscles as she watches. On screen her she is being lowered to the stage. She remembers locking eyes with Owen as she lands and moves towards him, the intensity of the moment darkness where the lights go out before slowly blinking back to life.
They never stood a chance of not falling for each other.
“I want to be in this show when I get older.” TK mutters.
Gwyn has to tear her own eyes away from the screen as she scrambles to process what he had said. “I don’t know if this show will still be on stage when you’re old enough to be a part of it sweetheart, but I’m sure there will be an even better one you can be a part of.”
TK whips around to look at her, shock and heartbreak in his innocent eyes. “No, it has to be this one!”
Startled by his reaction, she places a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Why TK?”
“Because people in this show fall in love.” He says and points to the screen. “See, that’s when you and dad fell in love!”
A whirl of emotions hits her. “My sweet boy, this is not the only way to fall in love, everyone falls in love differently.”
He shakes his head, his smile returning. “But this is the best way.”
Oh, how she couldn’t even disagree.
Gwyn watches the screen as the two figures begin to twirl around the stage together, her in an elaborate costume and Owen in his simple street clothes, that had become tattered and stained with splashes of bright colors as the show had progressed. She can’t imagine being on the stage again. The strain it took on her body, the odd schedules they had had to keep. Of course, she knows she wouldn’t take back the time she had spent on the show. It had given her lifelong friendships, it had given her TK, it had given her Owen, although their time together would soon be coming to an end. She knew though that he’d always be a part of her life.
“You okay mom?” Gwyn startles out of her memories. TK is standing in front of her with a sweetly concerned expression.
“I’m okay, come on, let’s watch the rest of the show.” She holds out her arms and TK happily crawls into them. She hugs him tightly to her side and kisses the top of his head.
She would tell him tomorrow.
Las Vegas News Network - March 2002
A Devastating Update
Cirque Du Soleil Couple that stole hearts in the early 90's files for divorce.
Las Vegas News Network - Oct. 2017
Just Part of the Job?
Cirque Du Soleil artist falls during performance, resulting in severe shoulder injury.
TK Strand, an aerialist with Zumanity, took a fall during a show last week, landing awkwardly on his shoulder during a live performance. The show’s medical team could be seen on stage tending to the artist’s injury before EMS arrived on the scene. Strand was wheeled off stage on a gurney but awake and in high spirits, shouting to the audience that “the show must go on”.
Following up we discovered that Strand is doing well and according to his doctors he should make a full recovery.
“I’m just looking forward to getting back to performing. Falls happen; it’s just a risk that comes with the greatest job in the world.” Strand told us when asked for a comment.
Travel Las Vegas - Feb. 2019
Passing on the Past
The Suncatcher Hotel and Casino is a hard pass. Without any modern updates or accommodations, it doesn’t offer the experience visitors are looking for from the glamourous city although it does offer cheap accommodations and a look into Las Vegas’ past if you want to look at it that way.
Travel Las Vegas - Dec. 2019
Closing the Doors
Original Las Vegas Hotel, The Suncatcher, set to close. After very little effort to save the struggling hotel it’s finally been confirmed. No date is set for demolition although there is already interest in the property by big names on the strip, both Caesars and MGM are expected to put in offers on the land.
Las Vegas, Early 2020
Gwyn has never been so grateful for the reckless Las Vegas cab drivers. She couldn’t make the plane from New York to Vegas touch down any faster but when she told the driver, The Sanctuary Theater, as quickly as possible, he hadn’t hesitated to break several traffic laws to get her there in record time.
As they turn down the street that the old theater sits on, she sees it. The root of the problem in all its glory. The Suncatcher Hotel. It still looks magnificent. Its beautiful courtyard, the grand towers, the stain glass windows. Even age and abandonment couldn’t completely diminish the way it sparkled at night.
It passes by quickly and she can’t help but turn and look back at it. From this angle she can see several broken windows, a trash littered street and a heavily graffitied wall.
It is beautiful but maybe a little tarnished in spots.
Still, it should be considered a crime to destroy something so spectacular.
Something so full of memories.
She should have checked in with TK sooner. Should have called the second she’d heard the news of the hotel closing. She knew it would devastate him. It had broken her heart and she had never loved the place the same way he did.
The car pulls to a stop just outside the theater. She pays the man and hurries inside the building, her finger hovering over the call button on her phone in case Michelle wasn’t already there waiting for her.
“Gwyn.”
The woman’s soft voice makes her jump.
“Where is he?” She demands.
“Just this way, he’s doing better but he’s going to need care.”
She follows Michelle and for a moment her mind wanders to when she had last seen her. A show certainly. Michelle and Owen had been in a show together and they had met a few times, when she would take TK to see the performances. They had bonded in a way, both quick to tease Owen for his sometimes over the top behavior, but she hadn’t seen her in years. Wasn’t sure she would have immediately recognized her if she passed her on the street.
But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that she had recognized TK.
All that matters was that she had been there to save him.
Michelle leads them down a hallway to a small office. Inside is dark but she can still make out the silhouette of TK laying across the sofa in the room.
“TK.”
“Mom?”
“I’m here sweetheart.” She moves to embrace him, but Michelle holds up a hand.
“Go slow okay, he’s suffering from withdraw, its, it’s a lot.” She warns.
Gwyn nods, takes a deep breath and approaches slowly. She sits at the opposite end of the couch and gently places a hand on his shin. He flinches away from her and she can just barely make out a tremor in his hands. “What happened TK?”
He just shakes his head and mumbles something under his breath.
“TK?”
“Why does it have to close, why does it have to end?”
“It’s unfair, I know, but it’s going to be okay.”
He just shakes his head again.
Gwyn stands and moves to talk with Michelle.
“He can stay here, my staff is trained to help him, but I can also make some recommendations, it might be best to put some space between him and the city.” She nods in agreement. The Sanctuary Theater’s proximity to The Suncatcher Hotel wasn’t going to help him heal. Certainly not if they were about to start boarding up those broken windows. “I’ve already made some calls, they can take him at this rehab facility in California, they have a 30 day program, it’s supposed to be the best one out there.”
Gwyn give her a gracious smile all while feeling her heart break a little more. California would be so far from her but it was for the best.
“Let me get that number, we’ll leave on the next flight.”
“Mom?” TK mumbles and she quickly returns to his side. He turns on to his back and looks up at her his eyes filled with aching sadness. "Why does everything have to end?" he asks again.
She considers the question for a moment, knowing she needs to provide an answer full of truth but also comfort.
"So something new can begin."
Travel Las Vegas - Jan. 2021
Beautiful Las Vegas Hotel Courtyard Goes Viral
The Suncatcher Hotel, on the brink of shutting down, is suddenly the epicenter of a viral social media trend. Named for its beautiful courtyard of crystal and stained glass sculptures, it has quickly become the must see destination for those visiting the city. The courtyard is apparently so stunning that it’s impossible to take a bad picture. The suncatchers capture the sunlight, creating a glittering effect like a natural Instagram filter.
The hotel has become so popular that the bump in revenue may actually be enough to save it from the wrecking ball.