MINDFREAK LIVE! showcases 90 minutes of spectacular and original illusions, with a cast that includes some of the world’s most talented specialty artists, state-of-the-art animated LED lighting and RGB laser explosions, LED virtual worlds, 3-D immersive effects, pyrotechnic landscapes, live musicians/DJ, and much more.
It's an all-new show that moved to the newly named Criss Angel Theater (formerly, the Planet Hollywood Showroom) from Luxor and reopened in late December 2018 with more than 75 illusions, including never-before-seen 20 spectacles that surprise even long-time fans of Angel.
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**Show schedules may vary. Please see above link for more information.
(This show, the one at Luxor before Angel moved to Planet Hollywood, was reviewed in the September 2016 LVA; some of the information contained in this review may no longer be accurate.)
For almost a decade now, it’s seemed like almost a default move for reviewers to dis Criss. And often with good reason. Eight years ago in our review of Believe at Luxor, we wrote, “The hard-edged Angel is hardly anywhere to be found, replaced in Believe by the calmer, gentler (and wussier!) ‘Criss.’” That’s all in the past after the opening of Mindfreak Live!, in which Angel seems hell-bent on erasing that persona. He screams a lot (a good thing) and bounds around the stage accompanied by explosions and lasers and bursts of fire. Wussie no more!
Purists still complain that some of the illusions are lifted from other magicians and perhaps they are, but everyone borrows from everyone in this biz. If it boils down to who performs them best, then Angel is sitting pretty. And if it’s about who packs more of them into a 90-minute show, he’s got that one nailed, too—Mindfreak Live! is a veritable tornado of magic, combining big boxes, close-up, lightning-fast switcheroos (“metamorphosis”), and a powerhouse levitation bit that’s part of that who’s-trick-is-it controversy.
The whole thing is backed by staging extraordinaire, with streaming confetti, sophisticated lighting, beautiful women, spectacular props (including a giant buzz saw), and live music throughout that’s amazingly generated by just two mega-rockers, one on either side of the stage. Some interruptions occur in the form of several appearances by a comedy duo and a solo stint by Angel’s assistant and girlfriend. They’re necessary, though—the former to allow set-up for the next segment and the latter, we presume, for Angel to keep that girlfriend (it’s OK, she’s no slouch).
We see lots of shows and are rarely left with a desire to go back just for fun, but we’re itching to see Mindfreak again. Dis Criss if you must, but we’d rate Mindfreak Live! the new best show in town for what we term “spectacle magic.” It’s hard-edged Angel for sure, but not too raunchy for kids and the age limit is 5. Like many of the top shows these days, big video screens capture the action, which accommodates going with the cheaper seats at minimal cost to the overall experience.
Check our (below) for this one. The lowest ticket after taxes and fees at the box office is $77.26, but we have a deal that comes in at $66.36 complete.