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Associated Press / File
Elvis Presley helped transform Las Vegas, beginning in July 1969, by showing that entertainment could turn a profit for hotels.
Published Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009 | 9:55 a.m.
Updated Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009 | 12:55 p.m.
The title of the Elvis Presley-Cirque du Soleil show was made official today. Announced this morning is that the show will be called "Viva Elvis," playing off the 1965 Presley film "Viva Las Vegas."
The production show, a partnership between Cirque and Elvis Presley Enterprises, hits the stage when the CityCenter resort Aria opens on Dec. 16, or soon after. In a release, Cirque trumpeted the show as "created in the image of The King of Rock 'n' Roll -– powerful, sexy, whimsical, truly unique and larger than life -- the show highlights an American icon who transformed popular music."
The show is not going to be a straight musical adaptation of Elvis' career, but rather a series of interpretive, acrobatic, Cirque-i-fied scenes set to his music that will avoid traditional Elvis tribute artists (aside from a reported scene where one such impressionist is crushed by a giant blue suede shoe).
The company offered no details on when tickets would be made available, other than to say ticket information would be announced soon.
Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at twitter.com/JohnnyKats.
Cirque du Soleil does Elvis? Sounds absolutely ghastly! Anyone remember the audience reaction to "Springtime for Hitler" in Mel Brooks' "The Producers"?
This sounds completely assanine. Perhaps the Criss Angel debacle went over their heads.
Don't knock Cirque doing Elvis. They did The Beatles quite well, thank you.
I agree with the goofs. I'll definitely go see it!
Yea, that's what the strip needs, more athletes
Athletes?
Cirque is and always been about an artistic entertainment experience that is about the sum of all of the content that makes up the performance.
Yes, there are quite a few Cirque shows on the strip, as their are a lot of any other entertainment genre that exists in this town. But Cirque has consistently made each show unique in the emotion that is communicated in each individual production. If that weren't the case, these shows would not have proliferated to the extent that they have since Steve Wynn brought them to Vegas in a tent on a parking lot at The Mirage back in 1993 . . .
Well we'll see how it gets embraced by the public but a successful track record doesn't guarantee future success. Even Beethoven laid a few eggs in his time. In the entertainment biz you're only as good as your last performance and Criss Angel has left a sour taste in a lot people's mouths. I'm sure Steve Wynn even would have had the good sense not to approve rabbits with chainsaws. Vegas has gotten itself into a slump from smug executives who think everything they touch turns to gold even while their profits are pouring down the drain. I still think it's an assanine idea.
Oh and Elvis ain't the Beatles. One lends itself to art the other lends itself to art on black velvet.
Saw Ka last night. Great! Went cross the street to the Irish Pub at NYNY for drinks afterward and asked the bartender which of the many Cirque du Soleil venues was best. He became confused, so I dropped the subject.
Jesus H Christ! cant anyone come up with any original acts? Another Cirque show for god sake, how unoriginal and frankly shows the lack of talent available to draw any paying customers to this fiasco called City center! Very sad commentary on current management of these conglomerate venues!
artswanson, traditionally one would first see the actual show itself before writing a review.
The interesting thing is that the average schlepp tourist who is attracted to the Strip these days thinks that Cirque shows are weird and boring.
My brothers in law (from Upstate NY and Texas) were comped to an all expenses paid 4 days in Las Vegas. They sat through about 45 minutes of Mystere, were very bored, and left.
I suspect that over the next year or so, we will see Cirque ticket sales falling and ultimately the older or less popular shows closing.
This is the one I've been waiting for!! I just saw Love this year and absolutely adored it! I have yet to see any Cirque (Vegas and elsewhere) that is "weird and/or boring". You can't go wrong with Elvis, I'm surprised it took Cirque so long to get this one done!
I have to say that the fact that Criss Angel and Elvis are mentioned in the same sentence is completely laughable! AND I believe it was John Lennon who said "Before there was Elvis there was nothing"! Easy on the negativity people! Whaa Whaa Whaa
CynicalObserver
I don't know what "forms" of "entertainment" your family is used to but their shows are fantastic and the tourists eat this stuff up (I know because I deal with them 5 days a week). Im sure this one will be great, love was awsome.
Cirque du Soleil , yes I agree with CynicalObserver. cirque de Bore is more like it. Sorry but to most folks they are just to wierd. I also worked down there and I think tdoma is full of it. Its really hard to believe that smart people running these casinos do not realize how many people are not interested in these shows. Its time for Vegas to move on, and start looking within instead of blaming falling tourism dollars on everything else.
The best way to make money is to have a Cirque show and then let the people in for free and charge them to get out.
I would not say that Cirque shows are bad but they rate just under horseback riding with hemoroids.
It is unfair to say that Cirque shows have no merit to them whatsoever. They do provide a service to those who suffer from insomnia.
Rounder