‘Real Housewives’ star will bring sense of wit as ‘Zumanity’ host

Why bother making history if no one is going to notice?

NeNe Leakes is the first celebrity to be billed in a Cirque du Soleil show in the company’s 30-year history, and 1.58 million Twitter followers helps explain why.

The actress best-known for “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” guest stars in “Zumanity” Friday through July 1 as the emcee, the “Mistress of Sensuality” usually played by drag performer Edie (Christopher Kenney).

Cirque officials had been thinking about a guest host to generate new publicity for the 10-year-old title, explains Jerry Nadal, who heads the company’s resident shows division.

Someone remembered that Leakes — who also has done nonreality TV work in “Glee” and “The New Normal” — had attended “Zumanity” as a patron and posed for photos with the cast. Cirque reached out through her management and “she kind of jumped at it,” Nadal says.

Leakes should be a fine fit with the show’s camp humor, based on at least one tweet when she showed up for rehearsals: “Headed 2 a long day of rehearsal 4 Zumanity #pickingupthatcheck #richbitch.”

And her flair for self-promotion will speed along Cirque’s publicity goals, judging by a Web video of her costume fitting with designer Gilbert Chagoury. The outfit he designed not only has a cape, but also “shows off my great legs — if I must say so myself.”

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.