Friday, June 17, 2005 | 3:43 a.m.
WEEKEND EDITION
June 18 - 19, 2005
What: "Le Reve: A Small Collection of Imperfect Dreams."
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays. Dark Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Where: Wynn Theater at Wynn Las Vegas.
Tickets: $121.
Information: 770-9966.
"Le Reve," the aqua-production at Wynn Las Vegas, premiered April 28 to rave reviews -- mostly raving against the cerebral show that delves heavily into symbolism.
Fans complained that it was too dark and forboding. No one got it.
A wave of rumors quickly spread -- the show was a flop; it had been canceled, or soon would be; it had been reduced from two shows a night to one.
But most of the rumors have turned out to be false -- the production, at the outset, was intended for one show a night. A second could be added when it gets its legs.
Audiences seem to have adapted to the unique production, which involves a lot of acrobatics in and out of water.
It has not been canceled, nor is it likely to be in the near future. There are five performances weekly, Thursdays through Mondays.
Still, producer, director and creator Franco Dragone has taken a lot of heat over "Le Reve."
Some wonder if the Italian-born artistic genius had lost his touch.
Dragone, who lives in Belgium (where he grew up), has created some of the most enduring entertainment in Las Vegas, including "Mystere" at Treasure Island (1993) and "O" at Bellagio (1998).
Both of those were created during Dragone's tenure with Cirque du Soleil, for which he created a dozen shows that have been performed around the world.
He left Cirque after "O" and formed his own company, which created "A New Day ..." for Celine Dion at Caesars Palace.
Recently, Dragone spoke to the Las Vegas Sun about his latest creation, discussing changes that have made vast improvements to the show, explaining some of his thoughts about the symbolism and defending himself against the criticism and denouncing the rumors.
Las Vegas Sun: I read somewhere that you said you would never do another show in Las Vegas. Is that true?
Franco Dragone: It is true that I said that, but it was not correctly translated. For me, I would be stupid to do another show like this one in Las Vegas. I did "O" and "Mystere" -- in "Le Reve" I wanted to look deeper, to approach differently the performance.
But I would be stupid if I do another show with a Cirque du Soleil scale. Now I want to do something, finally, that is literal -- a musical, or something with a story.
Sun: So you will do another Las Vegas production?
FD: Absolutely. I am not exaggerating. I loved to do the show with Celine.
Placido Domingo asked me two years ago why we don't do (the opera) "The Enchanted Flute," and I said it would be great to do this in Las Vegas -- a kind of edgy opera for Las Vegas, very classy, very sophisticated -- but at the same time, very mainstream.
Sun: Are you working on something now that might be suitable for Las Vegas?
FD: Yes, but I cannot talk about it.
Sun: Since "Le Reve" opened there have been rumors -- that the number of shows had been reduced, that it had been canceled. How do the rumors get started?
FD: I don't know. I have to ask you. I have heard so many things bad ... if someone don't like the show, I don't have a problem, but all these bad rumors about the show was canceled -- for me it was a strain. I don't know why we have these kind of rumors.
Sun: Do you think some people want you to fail?
FD: I think the competition is stronger now than when I did "Mystere" in '93, of course. It is a pity that people would be jealous.
Sun: Some have said "Le Reve" is too dark and foreboding for Las Vegas audiences. What is your reaction to their reaction?
FD: I think in Las Vegas we have to do something. We have to progress. We have to go further and further. Las Vegas is a big responsibility -- there are at least 30 million or 40 million people who come every year to Las Vegas.
We have the responsibility to improve our thought, to not impress them only with big technology and things like this, but to give them food for the mind, for the heart.
Everybody says Las Vegas is the city of the party, but we do not become stupid because we party. I really feel that in Las Vegas -- and I don't want to give lesson to nobody; I don't want to teach nobody -- in Las Vegas with the artist community we have now, hundreds come from all over the world working in Las Vegas and they are creating a kind of underground, not only on the Strip but everywhere, that is changing things.
I think the future of Las Vegas, it will be the unique show that you can find nowhere else in the world. We have to go further into the meaning of the show, we can't stay only with revues.
Sun: So you don't believe "Le Reve" is too esoteric for Las Vegas tastes?
FD: I consider the audiences intelligent. We have a lot of different people and not all of them see all of the symbolism, but they receive the show. They laugh, they cry. I really think it is a show for everybody.
Some kids watch the show and they have fun. Celine Dion's 4-year-old son, he laughed all through the show. I don't think we have to become a child again, but why not have the same sensitivity as a child?
Sun: Isn't the show's symbolism a little confusing?
FD: I really believe we can talk to the people with images -- we can talk to the heart of the collective subconsciousness that we have.
We all have the same images in our brain. We see a lot of images on TV. Images are everywhere. We are in the era of the images.
So in "Le Reve" we make a journey in a kind of dream ... an ideological dream. I'm sure we tease their minds.
Sun: So you are challenging fans to think, to find something meaningful.
FD: Yes. I really believe the public that come to my show, they have thoughts. They see what they want to see. It is, for me, a kind of introspection, but others see what they want to see -- some people are bored, other people love it. Some people are moved: I've seen people crying.
I want the audience to think. I don't want to feed them fast food.
We really need in this world today to consider people as people that think, that are citizens of the world and they have something to think about. We need to entertain them, but we need to ask some questions.
Sun: When I first saw the production it seemed much darker than it is now, more somber. But in the past few weeks you seem to have lightened things up a bit -- the cast members are smiling; there is more humor. Did you make the changes because you listened to the complaints by your fans?
FD: I have to say the truth, yes, I listen. But the show, it is a work in progress. I did only four preview performances, which is impossible. We cannot do this with this kind of show. We need to do previews longer, we have learned this.
In the beginning, the show is rough. Everything that is dark is too dark, everything that is light is too light ... yes, it was very solemn, and this I did not want. But at the beginning, you are rough in everything. It is too exaggerated in one way or another, so I change. I listen to people and I make changes.
Sun: What are the most important changes you have made to the show since the premiere?
FD: The finale has changed.
I have speeded up all the show. All the transitions are more tight.
The music, we have cut some music to shorten the acts that last too long.
We have improved the performance, the costumes. We have some beautiful costumes that audiences did not see because it was too dark -- we are working with the lighting to make it brighter so you can see them.
We are reaching where I wanted to go now. I think the show has to be a show that makes the audience feel good, not trouble them -- and never do I want to shock somebody only to shock somebody. It is stupid, and I don't want to do it.
Sun: You have one scene in which several pregnant women are dropped into the water by men who are attached to bungee cords. What is the significance of the pregnant women?
FD: For me water is the source of life, and pregnant woman is the source of life. Water is tender and it is strong -- it can be very, very tough; water kills people, but to watch it is very tender.
Pregnant women, they are as strong as they are fragile. They give life. For me, in a dream you make different associations -- in this one it is a kind of rebirth, that is the meaning I put on it.
The difficulty in this kind of show is finding a balance between the literal and the figurative.
Sun: We all bring our own interpretations to the show.
FD: Exactly. For me, when we use this kind of performance, I don't want to be completely literal. I want people in the audience to build their own story. It's a way to put a mural in front of ourselves and say, "let's watch what we want to watch." "I don't feel comfortable." "I feel comfortable."
It is what I try to do. It is what we have to do in Las Vegas. We have to ask the people not only to open their wallet, but we need to ask them to open their heart and their soul -- and their mind.
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