SOB's Favorite Shows Of The Noughties: #14 - The Beatles Love (2007, Love Theatre, Mirage, Las Vegas, NV)
Introduction: Hard as it is to comprehend that we're already 119 months into this "new" millennium, we are fast approaching the end of its first decade. While we have yet to agree on what exactly we should call the '00s, I'll take a cue from the fine folks at The Times of London and the BBC and henceforth refer to them at the Noughties. With that small introduction, I'm pleased to present my list of plays and musicals that wowed me the most during that time. Out of the hundreds and hundreds of shows I've seen over the last ten years, I give you my countdown of my 25 personal favorite shows of the Noughties. What was there not to love about the excellent
The Beatles Love? Talk about a mind-blowing, sensory overload event that more than effectively serves as the ultimate showcase for the catalogue of
The Beatles.
Barely settling down long enough to let you catch your breath, the Fab Four's tunes are magically brought to life, incorporating the themes and emotions behind each one. I was entranced throughout the entire production, but renditions of "Rock And Roll Run," "Help" and "Revolution" certainly epitomize who these four lads from Liverpool were and what they came to represent.
This was by far the best
Cirque du Soleil production I have yet to witness. It's in a class all by itself and serves as the best reason why I wouldn't mind returning to Vegas.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post. I paid my own way for this performance.Labels: Cirque du Soleil, Las Vegas, Musical, SOB's Favorite Shows Of The Noughties, The Beatles, The Beatles Love
Leaving Las VegasAlthough it may have seemed like I was in Las Vegas all last week, I was actually safely ensconced in my own bed back home a week ago Wednesday evening.
Fortunately, I didn't suffer any altercations
this visit, but what's with all the lazy people on escalators and moving sidewalks, or for that matter all those using
scooters when they really don't need to? I was practically run over a couple times!
I'm someone who enjoys walking at a brisk, if not rigorous, pace. Seems like no matter where I turned, lethargic and hopelessly slow people were in my way. I practically had to slug my way through just to walk beyond a snail's pace.
But I digress.
I wanted to share the best top shows I've
ever seen in Las Vegas, and fortunately for those of you who may be traveling there, each of them is still playing for your maximum enjoyment and pleasure.
You should note that my short list does
not include any singing or stand-up acts or magicians.
Nor does my list include any Broadway shows, past or present. For the most part -- the surprisingly lackluster
Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular notwithstanding -- given Vegas' propensity for cutting shows down to 90 minutes or so, I'd rather spend my bucks to see the real deal on the Great White Way. (It should be noted here that
according to Variety,
Phantom and
Monty Python's Spamalot are bucking a
recent trend by doing great business along Vegas' strip.)
I'd much rather see shows I can't see anywhere else -- in other words, a true splashy, glitzy Vegas spectacle. And yes, with these shows being tantamount to a royal flush, I would agree with
San Jose Mercury News Karen D'Souza that in most cases, Sin City trumps the aces currently showing on Broadway (hat tip to
Man In Chair!).
So here's my top three:
1 - The Beatles Love - Love Theatre,
Mirage
**** (out of ****)In the excellent, mind-blowing
The Beatles Love, I found that all you need is love. Providing the ultimate in sensory overload, this wild ride transports to another time and place. As an exquisite showcase for the catalogue of
The Beatles, the Fab Four's classic tunes are brought to life in a most magical way by
Cirque du Soleil.
2 - O - "O" Theatre,
Bellagio
**** (out of ****)O,
Franco Dragone's revolutionary, jaw-dropping and awe-inspiring Cirque du Soleil spectacle was on my
personal top five list of all shows I saw during the 2000-01 Theatrical Season. With performers scampering across the stage one moment and high-divers plunging into the very same space the next, this show makes a theme park water ride seem dull and boring.
O is still playing at one of Vegas' most prestigious hotels.
3 - KÀ - The KÀ Theatre,
MGM Grand
Sure,
Wicked talks a good game about defying gravity, but with its continually evolving stage, the performers in this Asian-tinged spectacle called
KÀ really do. Yes, it's another Cirque du Soleil show, but it's the first to tell a story. When I say it revolves around a pair of twins as they face the opposing forces of good and evil, I mean that quite literally. While the storyline could be stronger,
KÀ remains awesome to behold.
Since three of Cirque du Soleil's five current Vegas shows reign supreme on my top three list -- and yes, I've seen
many other non-Cirque shows in Vegas, and no, don't bother seeing the other two -- it's worth noting that the
troupe is already working on an Elvis-themed show along the lines of
The Beatles Love that will make its debut at the all-new MGM Mirage
City Center in late 2009. The new spectacle will essentially recreate the experience of seeing The King perform. If any organization can pull it off, it's Cirque du Soleil.
Viva, Las Vegas, indeed.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for KÀ tickets.Click here for O tickets.Click here for The Beatles Love tickets.Related Stories:Mystère (The SOB Review) (September 13, 2007)
Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular (The SOB Review) (September 12, 2007)
The Beatles Love (The SOB Review) (September 11, 2007)
Becoming SOL (September 10, 2007)
Which British Hits Will Be Broadway-Bound? (September 20, 2006)
Critics: True Spectacle for the Senses and Beatles' Fans (July 1, 2006)
The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil Opens in Vegas Tonight (June 30, 2006)
Broadway's Gamble on Vegas No Sure Bet (June 6, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2000-01 (May 23, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Cirque du Soleil, Elvis Presley, KA, Las Vegas, Monty Python's Spamalot, O, Phantom The Las Vegas Spectacular, The Beatles
Mystère (The SOB Review) - Mystère Theatre, Treasure Island, Las Vegas, NV**1/2 (out of ****)Now that I've seen all five of the famed
Cirque du Soleil shows currently playing to packed houses in Las Vegas, it may surprise you to know that the longest-running of the bunch is the very last one I've seen. It also rates as the least among them.
Mystère has been playing for nearly 15 years at the
Treasure Island Las Vegas. While it certainly possesses many of the key characteristics that now define the sensuously surreal circus based in Montreal,
Mystère comes across merely as Cirque du Soleil 101. It shows its age, yet serves as a pretty primer for anyone not already acquainted with its robust selection of shows.
With its stern ringleader (Marek Haczkiewicz) and affable clown (Brian Dewhurst), this Cirque du Soleil spectacle certainly has the most circus-like feel of any of the company's Vegas selections. And thanks to the hilarious antics of Dewhurst and François DuPuis (as a larger than life baby) -- complete with audience participation -- it's one of the more roundly amusing offerings.
There are also two key trademark Cirque du Soleli performances that are unlike the other four Vegas shows. One is from Paul Bowler, who becomes one with a giant aerial cube in the air, twirling within it as it dangles high above the stage until he lands with it, only to spin the box in a dazzling, illuminating display. The other is downright -- or should I say upright? --
Busby Berkeleyesque as a half dozen performers captivate from above with their synchronized highwire bungees that's nothing short of jawdropping.
The rest is a healthy mix of amazing acrobatics, including two hair-denuded brothers maneuvering their bodies in a painful looking hand and body balancing act performed on a rotating dome. Is it mesmerizing? Sure, but if you've seen other Cirque du Soleil shows, you're likely to find this a retread.
Back in the day, I have no doubt that
Mystère was groundbreaking. It undoubtedly helped set the standard by which Cirque du Soleil is judged today. And to the company's credit, they've continually built on each successive hit.
Yet, aside from the humor and a couple of the aforementioned high flying acts, to see it
after each of its younger Vegas siblings is a bit of a letdown. Even many of its cast members appear to be getting soft around the middle, no doubt contributing to some of the reckless lack of precision I witnessed during
Mystère's Korean plank trampoline routine.
There is just no comparison to the more superior and fantastic
O, which uses death-cheating water trickery, or
KÀ, a gravity-defying epic story -- both of these shows employ many similar acts that are significantly better and demonstrate the extraordinary evolution of Cirque du Soleil. And as I noted a couple days ago, each of those pales in comparison to the excellent, mindblowing production of
The Beatles Love.
Given the pricey tickets, I can really only recommend you see this show if you haven't seen the others, and that's with the caveat that money is not an issue. After all, why would you want an old-school
Sony Walkman if you could have an
iPod for about the same price?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for ticket information.Related Stories:The Beatles Love (The SOB Review) (September 11, 2007)
Flashback: Best of 2000-01 (May 23, 2006)
Labels: Cirque du Soleil, Las Vegas, Musical, Mystère, Special Theatrical Event
Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular (The SOB Review) - Phantom Theatre, The Venetian, Las Vegas, NV** (out of ****)The enduring wonders of
Andrew Lloyd Webber's
The Phantom Of The Opera have always eluded me. Actually, they've confounded me.
Apart from the fact that my sightlines were obstructed when I first saw the show nearly 20 years ago, not long after it initially bowed in London's West End, I found the entire proceedings to be a bit of snooze.
Holding out the possibility that jetlag may have gotten the better of me the first time around, I readily accepted a gratis ticket nine years ago on this side of the Atlantic to see it again. It wasn't any better. In fact, I found the plot ridiculous and forgettable.
But since I was going to be in Vegas, I thought how bad could it be to check out the relatively new, truncated 95-minute version of
Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular, which was once again directed by
Harold Prince.
Let's just put it this way: the third time was
not the charm.
When an ornate lighting fixture becomes the most exciting part of a spectacle, a show's in trouble. In this
Phantom, the celebrated chandelier takes center stage (actual center theatre in the specially-designed opera house) very early on through a whiz of special effects that lifts four separate pieces into place as if it were an object from outer space. During those first five minutes when
Paul Kelly's gorgeous scenic adaptation of the original work whirls together with
David Rockwell's breathtaking
theatre design and special effects, the denouement is dazzling to be sure.
But there's still a couple trifles like the score and book that leave me cold. And then there's the acting, which is entirely overwrought. Worst offender was Kristi Holden in the pivotal role of Christine Daaé; not only did she chew Kelly's considerable scenery, but her acting was so over the top that I kept thinking the chandelier would come crashing down at any second.
Fortunately for her and her fellow thespians, Broadway and West End veteran
Brent Barrett offered some degree of gravitas to the proceedings in the title role. Ryan Silverman also added to the production with his tender portrayal of Raoul.
While the edited tuner excised at least nine songs (by my count) from the original production, it certainly sped things along and reduced the number of times I had to look at my watch. However, the result is that Christine becomes something of an enigma in how she inexplicably vacillates between the Phantom and Raoul. It's as if we're missing a reel from a film that's been cut down to accommodate a distracted television audience.
Do I doubt for one minute that most
Phantom Of The Opera fans won't eat this all up? Of course not. Many probably won't even know the difference. In fact, they'll likely love all the special effects. But all the makings of a spectacle does not a spectacular make.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Becoming SOL (September 10, 2007)
Where's Oscar The Cat When We REALLY Need Him? (July 20, 2007)
London: The Show Must Go On (June 29, 2007)
Phantom Sequel: So Much For Writing On Otto-Pilot? (June 17, 2007)
Broadway's Longest Running Hits (March 17, 2007)
The Phantom Of Manhattan? (March 12, 2007)
Is It Just Me, Or...(Part II) (February 21, 2007)
Broadway's Gamble on Vegas No Sure Bet (June 6, 2006)
Wicked Becomes Broadway's 8th Overall Cumulative Grosser Among Current Hits (June 2, 2006)
Labels: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Broadway, Las Vegas, London, Musical, Phantom The Las Vegas Spectacular, The Phantom Of The Opera, The SOB Review
The Beatles Love (The SOB Review) - Love Theatre, Mirage, Las Vegas, NV**** (out of ****)Last night, on the eve of the 9/11 anniversary, I found myself seeking out some inner peace. In the excellent, mind-blowing
The Beatles Love, I found that all you need is love.
Finding myself overcome with a sensory overload I haven't experienced since visiting Nepal eleven years ago, this wild ride transports to another time and place with the most frenetic pacing I've seen since the first 20 minutes or so of
Baz Luhrmann's "
Moulin Rouge!" extravaganza. But just like that exhilarating silver screen opening, this exquisite showcase for the catalogue of
The Beatles ultimately settles down, finally enabling you to catch your breath, even if for a moment.
Classic tunes from The Beatles are brought to life in a most magical way, incorporating the themes and emotions behind each one, whether it's encapsulating the melancholy of "Eleanor Rigby" or the psychadelic sparkle of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds." Since I'm a Beatlesmaniac, I was entranced throughout the entire production, but renditions of "Rock And Roll Run," "Help" and "Revolution" certainly epitomize who these four lads from Liverpool were and what they came to represent.
By far the best
Cirque du Soleil production I have yet to witness -- and I've now seen four of their five Vegas shows with the fifth coming tonight --
The Beatles Love even manages to blow my previous favorite
O out of the water. Nobody does beautiful spectacle
anywhere quite the way Cirque du Soleil does (Disney, why
aren't you paying attention??).
Credit
Guy Laliberté and Dominic Champagne for creating this truly magical mystery tour, along with Jean Rabasse (set design), Yves Aucoin (lighting design), Philippe Guilottet (costumer design), Jonathan Deans (sound design, including speakers within each seat) and Francis Laporte (a projection design that incorporated John, Paul, George and Ringo). It would serve Broadway choreographers to take a look or two at Dave St. Pierre's stunning work.
While "Viva Las Vegas" may have been Elvis' ode to Sin City, it's the Fab Four (and the creative team behind
The Beatles Love) who are breathing exciting new life into Vegas. As the show closed with "All You Need Is Love," I found myself wishing for just a little more love. Perhaps I've finally found my reason for returning to Las Vegas.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:Becoming SOL (September 10, 2007)
Critics: True Spectacle for the Senses and Beatles' Fans (July 1, 2006)
The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil Opens in Vegas Tonight (June 30, 2006)
Labels: Cirque du Soleil, Las Vegas, Musical, Special Theatrical Event, Spectacle, The Beatles, The Beatles Love, The SOB Review
Becoming SOLI've often said, "If I never go back to Las Vegas, it's too soon."
However, for me, it's best to never say never, especially since I do public relations in the travel industry where my fellow Americans have made this city the top domestic destination... by
choice.
Alas, Monday is my day of reckoning when I'll once again be traveling to Vegas for work, as opposed to play. I don't gamble, so I don't really have to worry much about my luck. That is, unless I get punched in the head like I did the last time I was there in a completely unprovoked attack directly outside one of the
Strip's top hotels.
Since most of my trip will be spent working, the fanciful idea of being a high roller won't be entertained. However, I do plan on
being entertained by taking in three of Vegas' top shows:
The Beatles Love,
Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular, and
Mystère. Soon thereafter, you can expect to get a full rundown of each show.
And lest I forget, expect to see two additional reviews in this space over the next week: the Off-Broadway world premiere of
100 Saints You Should Know and Disney's
The Little Mermaid during its second-to-last tryout performance in Denver.
This is Steve On Las Vegas, er, Broadway (SOB).
Labels: 100 Saints You Should Know, Broadway, Las Vegas, Love, Musical, Mystere, Off-Broadway, Phantom The Las Vegas Spectacular, Play, The Beatles, The Little Mermaid
Broadway Bares Goes Legit?Thanks to the creative vision of choreographer-turned-director
Jerry Mitchell,
Broadway Bares has become an annual rite of passage for many Broadway stars and gypsies alike, willing to take it all off to the benefit of
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. This year, the June event raised over $700,000.
Now, Vegas is calling with a regular sitdown production called
Peep Show looming, according to
Variety. As entertaining as the annual Roseland Ballroom event is, the caveat is that it's all for a worthy cause.
As ironic as it may seem, doesn't a legit version of this bawdy annual fundraiser make it seem a little less, well, wholesome?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Broadway Bares, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Las Vegas
Critics: True Spectacle for the Senses and Beatles' FansLast night marked the official opening of
The Beatles LOVE, Las Vegas' most-anticipated stage extravaganza of the year (unless you're counting the retooled, dramatically altered versions of
Hairspray or
Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular).
Proving that this was not just any
mere world premiere event, even Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, the surviving members of the all-time über-supergroup, along with wives of John Lennon and George Harrison, were on-hand as
The Beatles LOVE met the critics who converged on Vegas from around the world.
With director Dominic Champagne at the helm,
The Beatles LOVE is currently scheduled to play for the next ten years at The Mirage. And it looks like overall, the 90-minute spectacle has some
LOVEly legs.
Among the most muted critiques I've found was
Variety's Phil Gallo, who sees the spectacle as one that will ultimately be of more interest to The Beatles' fanbase (which is still quite considerable) than to fans of Cirque du Soleil. Gallo notes "
LOVE is an uncommon Cirque show: slow without plodding, graceful yet never breathtaking, comforting in its marriage of movement and song. Its saving grace is the imaginatively assembled score of oft-altered Beatles recordings....It delivers the goods in the manner of the best Vegas shows: The senses are overloaded, spirits are high, and there's an urgency to spread the word. That is, if you're a Beatles fan."
Decidedly more upbeat is the
Chicago Tribune's Chris Jones, stating, "One craves more messiness, more heart and above all more social and political context. But taken as a whole (music and all)
LOVE is a remarkable achievement. Much of it is thrilling and brilliantly inventive."
Even more enthusiastic is
Richard Corliss of Time who notes, "
LOVE cannot reach the ecstatic kinetic heights of
Ka, Cirque's martial arts show, or
O, its water ballet. But it does no disservice to the new production to say that it's a Beatles show every bit as much as a Cirque show. The music still enthralls; the visuals ornament it beguilingly. Champagne has come near to achieving the impossible: create a new nostalgia."
A clearly smitten
Charles Spencer of London's Telegraph enthuses, "Everything that was bold and beautiful, fresh and funny, sad and just plain silly about the Beatles comes together in this ravishing and almost indecently spectacular show....But for those of us who grew up with the Beatles -- and the first record I ever bought was 'She Loves You,' aged eight, in 1963 -- this latest piece from Cirque du Soleil is also overpoweringly moving. For it achieves the apparently impossible, allowing you to hear the Beatles with fresh ears."
For The Mirage, which had previously counted on the talents of old-school Siegfried and Roy to attract audiences to its famous property on the Vegas Strip, it looks as though it's not just an apparition: they've really struck gold with its new $150 million production.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil Opens in Vegas Tonight (June 30, 2006)
Labels: Critics' Capsule, Las Vegas, Love, The Beatles
The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil Opens in Vegas TonightFor anyone who's ever been to Las Vegas, it's clear that the one sure-fire way to enjoy box office gold is to involve the renowned Cirque du Soleil. So with solid shows like
O,
Mystère,
Ka and even the very risqué
Zumanity still commanding Sin City's entertainment scene, Cirque du Soleil is about to unveil what promises to be its biggest spectacle yet:
The Beatles LOVE. This highly-anticipated production opens tonight at The Mirage.
Marking the first time the Beatles' music has ever been officially sanctioned for a stage show -- unless you count Yoko Ono's ill-fated
Lennon on Broadway earlier this year --
The Beatles LOVE "celebrates the musical legacy of The Beatles through their timeless, original recordings. Drawn from the poetry of the lyrics, the show explores the content of the songs as interpreted by innovative performances from a cast of 60 international artists....A unique soundscape of The Beatles music has been created for
LOVE using the master tapes at Abbey Road Studios. The panoramic visual and surround sound in the custom-built theatre at The Mirage will envelop the audience who will experience The Beatles as never before."
Tonight's opening itself will be a spectacle, too. Surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will be on hand, as will the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison. With the unbeatable combination of the Beatles and Cirque du Soleil, we'll see whether the critics engage in a
LOVE-fest in their reviews.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Labels: Las Vegas, Love, Opening Night, The Beatles
Broadway's Gamble on Vegas No Sure BetDays after Avenue Q's producers proved victorious in snagging the Tony Award for Best Musical a couple years ago, they stunned the theatrical world by announcing that they were eschewing a national tour in favor of what appeared to be a quick Vegas cash-in at the Wynn Las Vegas. Despite a much-ballyhooed opening only last September, the shortened show has already come and gone.
Now comes word from another major Vegas venue -- the Luxor -- that its direct-from-Broadway hit Hairspray will close this Sunday. Hairspray had only opened this past February.
What went wrong? My contention is that in the effort to make a quick buck, the casinos pressured the productions to shrink their shows into 90-minute performances that could easily move audiences in and out. By selling out, producers of these two bona fide Broadway hits gutted the hearts out of what made them so successful in the first place.
I find it somewhat amusing that the only show left standing for the moment is the full-length, unretouched Mamma Mia! that continues to pack them in at the Mandalay Bay. But woe to the upcoming Phantom — The Las Vegas Spectacular that begins performances at the Venetian this coming Monday, June 12 in a dramatically shortened 95-minute version.
Perhaps audiences realize that shorter isn't necessarily better. What's going on in Vegas proves that abbreviated shows shouldn't count on staying in Vegas.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Hairspray (Las Vegas) tickets.
Click here for Mamma Mia! (Las Vegas) tickets.
Click here for Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular tickets.
Labels: Avenue Q, Billy Elliot The Musical, Broadway, Closing Notices, Hairspray, Las Vegas, Mamma Mia, The Phantom Of The Opera, Wynn
