The 7 Faces of Cirque du Soleil in Vegas
Mystere
Performed at: Treasure Island
Show Opening: December 25, 1993
Synopsis: The first Cirque du Soleil show to open in Las Vegas, Mystere is all about the world of dreams and imagination. It is probably the most “circus”-like of all the Vegas productions, complete with a jumbo-sized baby and a mischievous clown.
Performance Dates/Times: Saturday through Wednesday; 7pm and 9:30pm (dark on Thursday and Friday)
Tickets: $60 – $95
Quick Facts:
- Over 9 million people have seen the show since it opened.
- The “bungee girl” costumes have more than 2,500 hand-glued colored sequins and take up to 20 hours to create.
- The stage measures 120 feet by 70 feet and is controlled by four independent moving lifts.
- The audio system is packed with 94,700 watts of power and is routed through a complex web of 78 speakers using custom software.
- It was featured in the movie Knocked Up, when two of the main characters visited Vegas.
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O
Performed at: Bellagio
Show Opening: October 1998
Synopsis: The second Cirque du Soleil show to open in Las Vegas, O uses water to pay tribute to the magic of the theatre. An international cast of 85 acrobats, sychronized swimmers and divers perform on a solid stage that transforms into a 1.5 million-gallon pool. Even though phonetically, O is the French pronounciation for “eau,” which means water, you will also find yourself exclaiming “Oh!” several times throughout the show.
Performance Dates/Times: Wednesday through Sunday; 7:30pm and 10:30pm (dark on Monday and Tuesday)
Tickets: $93.50 – $150
Quick Facts:
- O required more than three years of development, including 12 months of intensive rehearsals.
- Nearly a dozen performers from O have taken part in the Olympic Games; some are gold medalists.
- All of the 150 technicians and 85 cast members have scuba certification
- 14 technicians work underwater during every performance.
- The pool takes 12 hours to fill and the sophisticated filtering system cleans all 1.5 million gallons of water three times a day.
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Zumanity
Performed at: New York-New York
Show Opening: September 2003
Synopsis: The third Cirque du Soleil show to open in Las Vegas, Zumanity is the company’s first adult-themed show. It explores human sexuality, intimacy and love in all its shapes and forms. All ticket holders must be 18 or over due to the nature of this show.
Performance Dates/Times: Wednesday through Sunday; 7:30pm and 10:30pm (dark on Monday and Tuesday)
Tickets: $69 – $129
Quick Facts:
- Zumanity is inspired by the individuality and variety of its artists, who come in all shapes, sizes, ages, ethnicities and genders.
- Seating at Zumanity not only offers traditional theater-style seating, but love seats for couples and cabaret stool for singles.
- The show’s haute couture costumes were designed by famous French designer Thierry Mugler.
- It takes “Mistress of Seduction” Joey Arias approximately three hours to complete his make-up for the show.
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KÀ
Performed at: MGM Grand
Show Opening: February 2005
Synopsis: The fourth Cirque du Soleil show to open in Las Vegas, KÀ is an Asian-influenced show that tells the story of Imperial twins – a boy and a girl – who embark on a journey to fulfill their destinies. It utilizes not only a moving stage, but a wall stage, as well. The show’s title, KÀ, is inspired by the ancient Egyptian belief in the “ka,” an invisible spiritual duplicate of the body that accompanies every human being throughout this life and into the next.
Performance Dates/Times: Tuesday through Saturday; 7pm and 9:30pm (dark on Sunday and Monday)
Tickets: $69 – $150
Quick Facts:
- Every seat in the KÀ theatre has speakers built into the headrest for customized sound effects.
- Approximately 1,300 hours went into the making of each of the human-sized crab puppets.
- There are 160 harnesses (of 21 different kinds) worn by the KÀ performers.
- The Spearmen’s shoes are created to look like they are barefoot, with molded rubber toes affixed to a shoe base.
- For the beach scene, the sand is created using 350 cubic feet of granular cork from Portugal.
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The Beatles LOVE
Performed at: The Mirage
Show Opening: June 2006
Synopsis: The fifth Cirque du Soleil show to open in Las Vegas, The Beatles LOVE blends the theatrics and acrobatics of Cirque du Soleil with the music of The Beatles. The show is the first Cirque show in Vegas to feature a round stage with 360˚ seating. Sir George Martin, The Beatles original producer, and his son Giles Martin culled the entire archive of the band’s recordings to select just the right songs, which they then remastered just for The Beatles LOVE.
Performance Dates/Times: Thursday through Monday; 7pm and 9:30pm (dark on Tuesday and Wednesday)
Tickets: $99 – $150
Quick Facts:
- The show is a joint partnership with The Beatles company, Apple Corps Ltd. It was born out of a personal friendship between the late George Harrison and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté.
- There are 3 speakers in each seat – over 6,500 total in the theatre.
- The stage is made up of 7 lifts, 2 sloats, traps and 1 turntable. Each lift is capable of lifting 20,000 lbs.
- The furthest seat from the absolute center of the stage is only 98′.
- The closest seat to the absolute center of the stage is 23′ 4″ which is only 2′ 9″ from the edge of the stage.
- The youngest artist in the cast is 9 and the oldest is 74 years old.
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Criss Angel Believe
Performed at: Luxor
Show Opening: October 2008
Synopsis: The sixth Cirque du Soleil show to open in Las Vegas, Criss Angel Believe uses a blend of Cirque acrobatics, dance and Angel’s magic to tell the story of the lines between dreams, nightmares and realities. Unfortunately since its inception, it has not received very positive reviews, and continues to be a work-in-progress.
Performance Dates/Times: Tuesday through Saturday; 7pm and 9:30pm (dark on Sunday and Monday)
Tickets: $59 – $150
Quick Facts:
- The title of the show comes from legendary magician Harry Houdini, who reportedly said on his death bed, “After my death, many people will claim that they are still able to communicate with me. If their claims are valid, they will be able to tell you a code word – that word is BELIEVE.”
- Choreography was done by Wade Robson, who has also worked with pop artists like NSync and Britney Spears. He has also been a judge on the hit reality competition TV show So You Think You Can Dance.
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Viva ELVIS
Performed at: Aria Resort at CityCenter
Show Opening: December 18, 2009
Synopsis: The seventh Cirque du Soleil show to open in Las Vegas is Viva Elvis, it tells the life and music of Elvis Presley via the theatrical dance and acrobatics of Cirque du Soleil. The show highlights the American icon who transformed Rock’n’Roll with a healthy infusion of R&B and soul. It is the first Cirque show in Vegas that will use actual dialog and acting to transition scenes and tell the story.
Performance Dates/Times: Various dates in previews; Starting January 28, 2010 – Friday through Tuesday, 7pm and 9:30pm (dark Wednesday and Thursday)
Tickets: $99 – $175
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