The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil Premieres at the Mirage

LAS VEGAS -- The gala premier for the latest entertainment sensation in Las Vegas will be tonight as The Beatles LOVE, the latest Cirque du Soleil production celebrates the musical legacy of The Beatles.
Cirque du Soleil is nearly ready for the debut of Beatles LOVE.  Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, the widow of George Harrison. the son of John Lennon from his first wife Cynthia Lennon, as well as Sean Lennon and Yoko Ono, are all expected to attend. Also on the list of guests are Deborah Harry, Prince, and Tony Bennet.

A joint artistic venture between The Beatles company, Apple Corps Ltd. and Cirque du Soleil, the project was born out of a personal friendship and mutual admiration between the late George Harrison and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte.

LOVE will bring the magic of Cirque du Soleil together with the spirit and passion behind the most beloved rock group of all time to create a vivid, intimate and powerful entertainment experience.

Sir George Martin, The Beatles original producer, and his son Giles Martin have been working with the entire archive of Beatles recordings to create the musical component for LOVE. The result is an unprecedented approach to the music for a stage production. "After spending more than 40 years of my life working with The Beatles and their wonderful music, I am thrilled to be working with it once again, on this exciting project with Cirque du Soleil," said Sir George Martin. "The show will be a unique and magical experience."

Using the master tapes at Abbey Road Studios, Sir George and Giles have created a unique soundscape for LOVE. "I think we will achieve a real sense of drama with the music, the audience will feel as though they are actually in the theatre with the band. People are going to be knocked out by what they are hearing!" said Giles Martin.

Dominic Champagne directed and wrote the original concept for the show which captures the essence of love that John, Paul, George and Ringo inspired during their astonishing adventure together. LOVE evokes the exuberant and irreverent spirit of The Beatles. "When we embarked on this extraordinary adventure in 2002," said Gilles Ste-Croix, Show Concept Creator and Director of Creation, "we set out to create a timeless, three-dimensional evocation of The Beatles music. Drawn from the poetry of the lyrics, we developed a preliminary concept that explored the content of the songs in a series of scenes inhabited by real and imaginary people." The international cast of 60 channels a raw, youthful energy underscored by aerial performance, extreme sports and urban, freestyle dance.

LOVE will be presented in a custom-built theatre at The Mirage featuring 360-degree seating and advanced high definition video projections with 100-foot digital, moving images. The panoramic surround sound system will envelop the audience who will experience The Beatles music like never before ...