Nutter Urges City to Get Baked For Cirque Du Soleil
May 13, 2008 –
Mayor Michael Nutter on Thursday made a surprising request of those attending Cirque Du Soleil's new show, "Kooza," which made its South Philadelphia premiere last week: that every man, woman and child get utterly toasted beforehand. "We are thrilled to have Cirque in town once again, as they always put on an amazing show," he grinned, rubbing his beet-red eyes at a welcoming ceremony outside the company's elaborate Washington Ave. tent. "But if you're seeing it straight, honestly, you're missing out. So I'm asking that you please, please hit that bong before coming down here."
 Mary Trainor, 45, of Mount Airy, said that she would certainly consider Nutter's plea. "To tell you the truth, I haven't smoked the 'wacky weed' since college," she tittered. "But with all those clowns and acrobats and whatnot, it does seem appropriate. Although I'm not sure about the kids." Center City resident Jessica Hillenbrand, 36, agreed. "I've seen [Cirque Du Soleil] before, and it was pretty incredible," she said. "But a nice, fat joint would probably make it that much better. I think this is one of the best ideas the mayor's had so far."
Public-health advocates, too, seemed willing to go along with the pot-hazed request. "Normally, we're staunchly against all forms of drug use," said Vaughn Jackson, director of Partnership for a Drug-Free Philadelphia. "But Mayor Nutter has a point–it is Cirque Du Soleil. You kind of do have to get baked for it." Nutter, true to form, said that he was merely acting in the best interests of city residents. "I really can't stress this enough–if you're nice and blazed up for the show, your head will damn near explode. Trust me–it's awesome."
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