Review: LOVE at The Mirage

As a first time traveler to Las Vegas, this reviewer thought that it would be crucial to check out one of the most well known franchises synonymous with Sin City. Cirque du Soleil holds a solid reputation as the most entrenched Production Company in Las Vegas culture and for good reason. Combining all of the childhood wonderment from the circus days of our younger years, Cirque du Soleil has managed to blend the highly unique talents of aerial artists, roller skaters, stilt walkers, tumblers, trampolinists, contemporary dancers, break dancers, illusionists and performers of all types and sizes to make a cohesive vision come to life.

In 2006 Dominic Champagne and Gilles Ste-Croix (along with a large creative team) conceptualized and designed a new hit for Cirque backed by the music of the Beatles and loosely based upon the decades the Fab Four's music transcended. Deep in the heart of the Mirage hotel on the glittering Las Vegas Strip, Cirque has performed this show to adoring audiences for ten years.

The prime advantage to having their own home theater is the incredible stage design. Without the concern for travel capabilities, theater design director Anik Patry was able to envision a floor hydraulic system that raises, lowers, shifts, and turns to allow seamless transitions from scene to scene. Aerial artists drop from the ceiling and slide in from the various wings on pulley systems that are automated and give an ethereal air to the show. Every technological advance in theater staging has been utilized in this show, including remote-controlled carting systems that pull on and off set pieces or props. The intertwining of lighting, staging, costuming and a never-ending resource of bungies, ropes, silks, and pulleys wove an undefinable web mystique and beauty throughout the 360 degree space.

LOVE begins by drawing the audience in with the "Nowhere Men"; each simple and relatable in nature, these characters are the "clowns" and unofficial narrators of the show. Slowly, performance swells to an all encompassing cast party on stage with the raucous "Get Back". Blood pumping, bungie jumping, break dancing fun engages the audience with familiar, feel-good tunes. Cirque successfully navigates a rollercoaster of emotions-dancing neatly between top 40 Beatles hits and the more hidden, sinister tracks. Possibly the most moving scenes, however, are the ones that rely on simplicity. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" was particularly memorable as a single aerial artist assisted by one lone dancer on the floor would soar through a sky of LED Starlight. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" was also notably moving incorporating a single dancer partnered by an animated light sketch of her lost lover.

The only part that felt disjointed from the overall ebb and flow of merriment to somber reflection was the inclusion of what appeared to be Klan costumes in the "For the Benefit of Mr. Kite" mashup. While this section of the show relies on its "nightmarish, macabre" setting, it felt a bit too insensitive considering the subject matter. While one can respect the history of the scenario the costume was meant to reflect, this reviewer didn't feel that its inclusion was warranted in a family friendly show.

Cirque should certainly be applauded for encouraging so much audience participation in this production. Through the pre-show entertainment with actors in the audience, to the oversized beach balls, and moments where parachutes engulf the stadium seating, the audience was fully immersed as a participant in the show. It was such a genuinely refreshing experience, and the audience is left with a true indication that "All You Need is Love".

If you want to see Cirque du Soleil's LOVE, or find out more information about any of their resident or traveling shows, go to www.cirquedusoleil.com for ticket information.

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