Question of the Day - 27 January 2007

We suggest that you get your friend's head examined. Or at least ask him if he knows who the Beatles were.

In our review of LOVE (LVA 7/06), we wrote, "Even if you’re not familiar with all the tunes, LOVE is recommendable as a celebration of an irrepressible and irreplaceable era in cultural history. If you know and love the Beatles’ music, however, this is a must-see and Las Vegas is the only place you can."

That's the bottom line: If, as you say, you're a "huge" fan of the Beatles, it's not like you have a choice of shows. This is the one show on Earth in which Cirque du Soleil invests its choreography, costumes, technologies, money, and imagination into showcasing the characters, images, humor, and all-around ’60s exuberance and magic that the Beatles still embody.

Now admittedly, some people are bigger fans of Cirque's bizarre originality than others, and perhaps your friend is one of the latter. And it's true that this show is 90 minutes of non-stop visual weirdness; it can all get a bit overwhelming and tiresome. However, some amazing stunts, antics, props, parades, and special effects take place in this theater, which are well worth seeing. Besides, if you don't like some of it, close your eyes. LOVE is worth the price of admission for the soundtrack alone.

The show opens with a rousing "Get Back," then follows its own advice and begins a retrospective of the Beatles coming of age and career. "Eleanor Rigby" is set to scenes of WW II in the Beatles' Liverpool. "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" introduces Beatlemania. "Something in the Way She Moves" (set to an aerial ballet) and "Mr. Kite" (accompanied by an epic circus scene in which Henry the Horse dances the waltz on roller blades) recalls the psychedelic sixties.

And the hits just keep on coming: "Help," "Blackbird," "Strawberry Fields," "Octopus's Garden," "Lady Madonna," "Here Comes the Sun," "Come Together," "Revolution Number Nine," "Back in the USSR," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (catch some new lyrics), "Day in the Life," "Hey Jude," and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."

And did we mention that this is all presented in a big new $120 million theater (which used to house Siegfried and Roy, at the Mirage) that boasts more than 6,000 speakers? A speaker is installed in the backrest of every one of the 2,000 seats. Also, being such a fan, you'll no doubt notice that the music, which has been digitized and remixed by Sir George Martin, the fifth Beatle, isn’t exactly the same as on the LPs. It's better. Best of all, the soundtrack isn’t just music, but also Beatles banter and rehearsal snippets from recording sessions, plus suitably surreal transitions between the songs. In parts, you simply won't believe your ears.

As for the tickets, you're right to budget $200. You could see it for $150, there's not a bad seat in this intimate theater-in-the-round, and Cirque is so larger than life that you won't miss much from the back. But the best seats are in the middle at about eye level with most of the action (the $99 option).

After seeing LOVE, we believe that you won't be mourning your $200. Rather, you'll be saving your pennies to come back to Las Vegas and see it again. And again.

Following the show, you should also check out REVOLUTION, the new ultralounge at the Mirage, which opened January 19 and has a psychedelic Beatles' theme.

• "To the questioner who asked about LOVE - I saw it when it was in previews and LOVED it! I'm 59 and I grew up with the Beatles so I've always liked their music, but I've never been a major fan. I also am not a big Cirque d'Soleil fan since their productions are so manic that it's hard to keep up with what's going on. However, LOVE is wonderful! The action was certainly non-stop and it was impossible to see everything that was going on at all times, but the music was terrific, the actors were great, the costumes and props were often beautiful, and everything really blended together wonderfully. I sat in the second most expensive seats and could see and hear (which is often a problem for me since I'm deaf in one ear) everything. I'm planning to go again to see everything I missed - and this is the first time I liked a show so much that I wanted to see it a second time. Don't miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - it's well worth the money."
• "Does anyone else think LOVE was terrible? My husband and I grew up in the Beatles era and both saw LOVE. We both thought we would have been $80 ahead if we bought a $120 bottle of Dom Perignon and sat in our hotel room listening to The White Album on a CD player. Given the fact that there was no orchestra, the tickets were waaayyy overpriced. We couldn't wait for it to end..... You should provide both views in your reponse. I feel bad for these kids who are going to be severely disappointed. Love might be enjoyed by the hippies of the '60s who felt the message. But a 23-year-old just won't get it -- whatever 'it' was to get."
• "Regarding today's QoD about LOVE: I haven't seen it yet, but for Beatles fans, I highly recommend "The Fab Four" at the Aladdin. We saw it in December and were very impressed! These guys did their homework -- they have the Beatles sound, looks, even mannerisms down to an art! This would make a great companion piece to LOVE for the true Beatles fan."
• "I thought it was a good show, but not that spectacular. Of course, I saw it the very first night ever. Maybe it's improved. But the fact that it's recorded music and not live music makes the show feel somewhat empty, in my opinion. It's like playing music on your stereo at home and have people dancing around. Feels kinda fake."