Wednesday, July 12, 2017

The Beatles Love by Cirque De Soleil: A Review



For the past 10 years or so, people have been telling me that I just had to go to Las Vegas, Nevada, and see the Cirque De Soleil production of "Love."  "The music is amazing!"  They would tell me.  "It is outstanding!"  They would say, "I can't believe you are such a big Beatles fan, and you have never seen Love!"  However, when I would ask these people what was so great about it or what it was all about, they would say,  "You just got to go and see it!"

 Truthfully, I might have gone to see the show if it was somewhere else. Vegas just doesn't have anything to offer me besides this show. I don't drink alcohol, I don't gamble, I hate being around drunks, and I dislike large crowds. However, my Dad's Barbershop singing group was having their competition in Las Vegas this year, and I had the opportunity to go.


Currently, the Mirage is decorated in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Sgt. Pepper.   As you walk into the casino, you hear songs from Sgt. Pepper, and there are Pepper decorations. There is even a large Sgt. Pepper display for you to get a photograph next to.  It is very welcoming and inviting.  




There is this nice walkway with jumping Beatles and the Union Jack overhead. The Beatles shop has tons of awesome Beatles things to purchase and enjoy. I began by enjoying the experience before I even got into the theater. To the left of the jumping Beatles is the area that looks familiar because it is where you have seen photographs of Ringo and Paul. It is there that you will see the artwork that honors John and George. These are MUCH, MUCH smaller than I thought they were.

Yours truly with the John artwork.   

There is also a concession stand that sells overpriced Beatles-themed drinks. The theater is in the round, and so there really isn't a bad place to sit.  I have heard people say that, and as someone who does theater, I know that we say that, but it isn't totally true.  However, for this show---there really isn't a bad seat.  Inside of the seats are speakers.  This is extremely awesome because there were times when I could just hear John's voice or Paul's bass right in my ear.  

Ignore my mom and me in this photo and just take notice of the speakers in the seats.


The show is extremely high-energy. There is a lot of acrobatics, which I expected, but there is also a lot of dancing. The story is loosely that of the Beatles. It starts with the bombing of World War II and goes into the 1950s rock' n roll, Beatlemania, and the later 60s psychedelic and protest periods. It ends with the breakup of the Beatles.      

The story is told through a variety of ways.  Extreme skating, ballet, gymnastics, acting, and acrobatics are all incorporated with amazing lights and video screens.  The music is 100%  Beatles.   Everything is Beatles music from the four guys themselves.  And what really amazed me was how good the music sounded. I think this is the best the Beatles have ever sounded. It was a very clear and fresh sound.    It is hard for me to grasp that this is music that is over 50 years old. The music is something to be proud of.  I was so happy to see many young children in the audience because the Love show is a great way to spread the love of the Beatles and their music to the next generations. They are going to remember the visual images along with the music for the rest of their lives.  


Ringo and Paul with the Love cast in 2016


What didn't I like?  I was trying to make sense of the characters and the stories they portrayed in the songs, and I failed miserably at it.  I still have no idea why a scared-looking guy was holding flowers throughout the whole show.  I am not sure if the Sgt. Pepper guy was a friend or an enemy.  Why was one guy trying to pour tea all the time? I am not an avant-garde person and I think I need things to be spelled out for me more. I bought the program for the show, and it helped me understand things a bit, but I still don't think I fully got the show.

Something else I didn't understand. There were video screens in the four "corners" (for lack of a better word) of the stage that appeared from time to time.  They showed the Beatles animated. For example, once you would see Paul, Ringo, and George in animated form, walking in Sgt. Pepper suits.  Where was John?  Every Time these screens came out, it showed Ringo, Paul and two George's. Was this a mistake?  Did Yoko refuse to give them the rights to John's image?  What is the deal with that?

This doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it. I loved the music and all the energy of the cast. The dancing and acrobatics were really great to watch. There was so much going on that I think you would need to see the show at least 10 times from different seats to get the full effect of everything.  The show is great for any one--fan or not. There were some Beatles references that only the die-hard Beatles fans are going to catch (a reference to Revolution #9 didn't slip by me!), but there is so much to see that even people who only know a few Beatles songs will enjoy it.



On Saturdays at 1:00pm at the Love Theater, you can see a free show called the "Magical Technical Tour." It is just a half-hour long. You sit in the theater, and they show you a few of the behind-the-scenes things that make "Love" happen. You don't get to see any of the performers, but you do get to hear the music, the lights, and the stage. It was really neat to see. They also show bits and pieces of the Love documentary on these huge screens, so that was cool as well. If you are in Las Vegas and are available on a Saturday, it is worth checking out.


If you can't make it to Las Vegas for the actual show, the CD and DVD documentary are always available, but it is worth your time and effort to see it at least once.


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3 comments:

  1. Fantastic review, as always, Sara !!

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  2. Did you buy the video, it shows how Mr. martin & son put the show together and at end shows the remaining Beatles & wives at the premiere show and also shows the wives having their input to the show before it was finished. What they like and not like.

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