My husband and I are huge fans of the Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas. Nearly 10 years ago on a trip to Sin City, we bought tickets for Cirque du Soleil’s Mystere (at Treasure Island), not really sure what we were dropping a couple hundred bucks on. We were blown away by the evocative music, the incredible acrobatics and the innovative storytelling. So much so, the next day we scooped up tickets for another Cirque du Soleil show – “O” (at the Bellagio). It too, blew us out of the water (pun intended; the water-themed show takes place in an on-stage pool).
A subsequent weekend in Vegas brought Zumanity (at New York-New York), an “R-rated” show for grown-up eyes only. Somehow, in buying last-minute tickets, we ended up in the front row (red velvet love seats!) for this erotic-themed performance, and I wound up on stage! I forget (or I’ve blocked out) the exact reasoning for my being pulled up there, but I do remember wearing some sort of Puritan-style, colonial bonnet and an old-fashioned chastity belt. Needless to say, I got a free drink for being a good sport!
Last month, hubby and I caught our fourth Cirque du Soleil show: The Beatles’ LOVE at the Mirage. Like other Cirque shows, this one combined phenomenal acrobatics, upbeat dance, and entertaining characters — complemented by lights, confetti and many, many other special effects. More than two dozen Beatles’ songs accompany all of the aerial performances and athleticism to create an incredibly fast-paced show.
You certainly don’t have to be a Beatles fan to appreciate LOVE, though if you were around during Beatlemania or know all the words to favorite songs, I think it’s an absolute must-see. During some of the hip-hop dancing scenes, I thought about my nine-year-old daughter who would have loved to have seen the show (it’s definitely appropriate for school-age kids; no R-rated scenes here). Really, the show is for all ages — for anyone who appreciates quality, multi-media entertainment.
My favorite scene was probably during the song, “Help!” where four rollerbladers took to 11-foot-high ramps in an amazing sequence of turns, jumps and twists. I also liked “Revolution/Back in the USSR,” where hippy-type characters evaded the cops by jumping and flipping to crazy heights on trampolines. During “Within You/Without You,” the entire theatre is enveloped in a humongous, billowing bed sheet. In the last scene, giant photos of each of the Beatles appear, and the audience can’t help but sing along to “All You Need is Love.”
Learn more about The Beatles LOVE at the official Cirque du Soleil website.
