John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr are ever-present in spirit at The Mirage, where Olivia Harrison recently made a pilgrimage to revisit the show that pays tribute to her late husband’s band. She was in Las Vegas to accept a Grammy for All Things Must Pass: 50th Anniversary Edition when she attended an April 2 performance of The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil, re-experiencing “Something” as only Mrs. George Harrison can.
While there’s nothing you can do that can’t be done in Las Vegas, re-experiencing The Beatles LOVE should be high priority. Now nearing its 16th anniversary, having debuted June 30, 2006, a shot of LOVE is just the antidote for post-pandemic blues, or anything else that ails us.
That antidote begins musically when the Beatles’ career was coming to an end. After the audience is beckoned to “Come Together,” Starr’s instantly recognizable pounding from “Get Back” kicks LOVE into overdrive. That final song from the final Beatles studio album paves the way for the dancing, soaring, rolling and strolling cast members to parade onstage. The Let It Be rooftop concert at Abbey Road Studios inspires the scenario, but the abstract narrative travels back to 1940s Liverpool, where “A Day in the Life” is drawn on to reflect the turbulence of the war-torn time the Fab Four were born into.
It’s also where Father McKenzie appears, writing words for a sermon that no one will hear. He’s one of many characters that come to life in the show, including sly Doctor Robert, expectant Lady Madonna, ostentatious Sgt. Pepper and stuffy Mr. Piggy. A whole gang of sea creatures float in the theater-in-the-round during “Octopus’s Garden” while a winged creature tries to fly in the dead of night during “Blackbird.”
There are some truly magical moments where technology and performance meet, most sensually during “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” An aerialist interprets “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” above a performer bound to the ground with wheels. Groupies and Liverpool Kids are fashionably attired as they flash mob onto the stage for impromptu dance parties, silk rope artists slide and slither beneath golden rays during “Here Comes the Sun,” and if there’s a Blue Meanie onstage during “Glass Onion,” it does not mean Pepperland is in danger. Daredevils get high with a little help from Beatles music, trampolines, bungee cords and skate ramps. One particularly poignant segment features a trapeze duo performing to McCartney’s “Yesterday.”
While the song is not about Sir Paul’s love for trapeze swinging, he is still going strong. Starr recently branched into issuing NFTs featuring digitized versions of his paintings and drum tracks. Harrison is the latest to win a Grammy (for “Best Boxed or Special Limited-Edition Package”) and Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance” was performed by 1,000 musicians last month in Turin, Italy, for the opening of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. The Beatles are as relevant as ever, and the best way to reconnect with them while in Vegas is with The Beatles LOVE.
The Mirage, 702.792.7777
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