@Starship I completely agree with you!
"- Create a better storyline for Buster and Scarlett. The storyline of the two characters had a lot of potential, but they didn't really keep the story going throughout the show."
The story line does need more depth, it does have a lot of potential. I was confused during Scarlett's balancing act, did Buster get shot? He fell to the ground but then got up and rushed around while Scarlett was performing...very odd.
"- Completely redo the clown acts and replace them with something much more entertaining and far less inappropriate. One section of the older version of the show had an unnecessarily inappropriate clown act in it."
Yes, yes, and YES! Scenes about Scarlet's dream of being a movie star and the relationship between her and Buster could replace these skits. It will give us a little bit more depth about the two characters.
"- Tighten the transitions between acts and the large group numbers (which I felt were most of the time useless, chaotic, and crowded). "
I couldn't stand the large group numbers, especially where they all dance during the Movie Studio scene in Act 2. I like how they tried to express the chaos of filming in a movie studio with the hidden acrobatics, which personally, I think they should keep if they decide to transfer. But the scene could be way better choreographed and written. I did like the Noir group scene and the Pellicule (Film Strip) group scene.
"- Cut down the # of performers. Iris had 72 performers and not even half actually performed acrobatic numbers in the show (which is the case in most of Cirque's larger shows). Many actors/dancers were hired in the show to perform minimal an extraordinarily useless/unnoticeable roles. The only character I would keep is Violet (the mime who wore the praxniscope dress). That performer is definitely one of the best I've seen in my extensive circus career"
As for the frequently seen characters, I would keep Violet, and the male character who has the whip on his head (don't know his character's name). He is the one who breaks Buster and Scarlett up in the first place, and seems like a antagonist for the story for me personally, but wasn't given much back story and attention.