In the book 20 Years Under the Sun, set designer Michael Crete said the story of a battle for power was partially inspired by the murder of Jamie Bulger.
The description of the show's themes given at the official website for the revival production implies that the inspiration for restaging the show was the increasingly bitter and ruthless social, political, and cultural conflicts of the second half of The New '10s/The New '20s, with the show supporting those fighting for progress, equality, and compassion.
The movie:
Executive Meddling: Originally, the story wasn't going to involve a romance — the film company insisted upon one to make it more appealing to audiences. It didn't quite do that (see Audience-Alienating Premise), but it doesn't come across as a Romantic Plot Tumor either.
Playing Against Type: The lovelorn, bitter barman Old Taps is played by Brian Dewhurst, a veteran wire-walker and Non-Ironic Clown whom Cirque fans will recognize as the Great Chamberlain in Nouvelle Experience and Brian Le Petit in Mystère; this film role came between those two, during a period when he was working behind the scenes at the company. Director Franco Dragone had worked with him on both shows and was thus aware of his character acting abilities, but admits on the DVD Commentary that he didn't expect his performance to be as moving as it is. (Dewhurst had done stuntwork for films and TV earlier in his career, but this was his first speaking role.)
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