FINALLY!
A Cirque de Soleil show that's actually fun!
Housed inside the Mirage resort, The Beatles Love is a breath of fresh air in the Las Vegas Cirque scene. After seeing one too many Cirque shows that take themselves too damn seriously, I found Love to be a magnificent change of pace.
Unlike most other Cirque shows, Love will have you bobbing your head and smiling from ear to ear. Want to see a multicolored circus with outrageous costumes and dance routines, creative and elaborate props, impressive feats of strength, aerial rollerblading (!!!), trampolining (!!!!!) -- all set to a wicked awesome soundtrack of the Beatles' greatest hits, see Love.
(On the other hand, are you In the mood for somber and generic-sounding New Age coupled with yawn-inducing acrobatics and costumes? Then go to one of those *other* Cirque shows.)
The "plot" -- if you can really call it that -- follows historical events very loosely, starting after WWII and ending in the 70s. Each vignette flows seamlessly from the last in a way that's quite impressive. I especially enjoyed seeing the silhouettes of John, Paul, George, and Ringo chime in every once in a while with amusing commentary and random chitchat lifted from their recording sessions.
The theater is fantastic. It's square-shaped, and all the sides have equally lovely views of the stage. It's also small enough that everybody -- even those in the back row -- feel like they're part of the action. (There's also a concession stand out front along with a well-stocked gift shop with Beatles stuff, but I skipped those.)
My biggest gripe with Love is the lack of a live band. If this show is really meant to be a tribute to the music of the Beatles, then simply setting it to recorded music feels like a cheap cop-out. A live band covering the Beatles' music would really take this show to the next level.
Despite that complaint, Love is still the best and most exhilarating Cirque show in Vegas.