Review of Cirque du Soleil's Love Show -- November 22, 2018

Last night, I experienced Love by Cirque du Soleil for the first time. The Mirage provides a fantastic setting for this show. The stage is uniquely designed in an X shape and is positioned in the center of the theater, which isn’t overly large, ensuring that every seat offers a great view.

Describing the performance is a bit tricky, as it doesn't follow a traditional storyline. You won’t find yourself struggling to grasp the plot as you might with Ka. The costumes might remind you of something from an Austin Powers film. The soundtrack features many songs by The Beatles, particularly from the Sgt. Pepper's era. During the performance, the cast often seems to jump into various acts that match the music. You'll frequently see acrobatics involving trampolines, bungee cords, and ropes. While I'm not an expert, the acrobatics appeared to be somewhat less challenging than those in Mystere and Ka, but similar in skill level to Zumanity, which are the only shows I've seen before.

The show predominantly features music from the Sgt. Pepper album, which is somewhat unfortunate for me since I've always found that album to be overrated. I also have never been fond of the song Hey Jude, which they, of course, included. It felt like they played every Beatles song I didn’t enjoy while overlooking many of my favorites. In between performances, it seemed they incorporated snippets of what likely were casual dialogues captured during the recording process. The background video screens displayed numerous images from The Beatles, many of which I was unfamiliar with. It seems they aimed to present something fresh for devoted fans.

In summary, I found enjoyment in Love, though I didn’t absolutely adore it. As someone who isn’t a huge fan of Cirque, take my opinion with a grain of salt if I sound overly critical. Out of the four Cirque shows I've attended, I would rate them from highest to lowest as follows: Mystere, Love, Ka, Zumanity.

Discussion about Love in my forum at Wizard of Vegas .

Written by: Michael Shackleford