VIVA ELVIS

BY ED BRUCE edbrucevegas@yahoo.com

STILL NOT SURE WHAT THIS IS BUT THERE IS A LOT OF GOOD IN IT.

ANOTHER LAS VEGAS SPECTACULAR...sort of !

Cirque has taken over the Las Vegas strip with 110 shows or so it seems and of course none of them bad, they are all to taste and the their theme of something new at a new level always comes into play.

This is not really Elvis, but that's not true....this is not all Cirque but thats not true either...its a must see for you to judge.

This thing gets off to a horrible start with three months of redos and replays and now it continues to evolve with different touches like any live theatre show...thats not always bad as everything is to taste. I have my own taste as a patron of the arts...off course too late too loud and too dark are the big three negatives. This was 3 months late and 31 minutes late on this night and then..... after 8 minutes on media night the house lights came on and the show stopped. An announcement was made of casino security alarms being checked...a guy in the audience did a couple of card tricks and the show resumed. Being the ultimate pessimist I asked "did the casino alarm system really have a flaw or was this the excuse they use when there is a screwup" ? ....the timing on media night could equate to the nonlighting of the torch screw up in Vancoucer which I also was witness to....either way its a one time bad experience that cannot be repeated on premire ! Only mildly too loud, when you have more than one drummer you have more than one too many....I didn't think the lighting was perfect either as I reflect to the Phantom, Spamalot and Jersey Boys which had first class world class lighting.

Now what ? Well it was pretty good production, continuity and dancing with a high energy team of dancers and singers...some elements better than others.

In the begining two artists do an aerial ballet on a giant guitar...just great...all to Elvis music...there is a jumbo Blue Suede shoe for acrobats...a cowboy sequence with some great roping of all things...an Elvis military sequence with great old black and white video...a lighting fast Jailhouse Rock sequence from prison...one of the best...the tramboline spidermen vaulting into space and a world class adagio team at the end. 40 Elivs dancers (some with cleavage) finish the show on a giant staircase.

What ?

Well it is expected to be good and it is...starting on time would be great...we enjoyed the post show reception which was four miles from the theatre but first class of course and what was the purpose here other than to show off and waste money.

Getting into the Aria Theatre is an overnight trip and evidentally the guy that designed the parking lot has an engineering degree...WHAT ?

Whoever you are, you are going lose one point for every minute late...Johnny Mathis got 88.

62 D- Lots of cleanning up to do !