Sunday, June 4, 2006 | 7:40 a.m.
As high-flying audience members spilled out of the Love Theatre on Friday night, one face was impossible to miss: Sir George Martin.
(To reach the legendary Beatles producer, I cut through, slammed into, forearm-shivered and gracelessly whisked by any number of unsuspecting men, women and children. For that, I apologize.)
Leaning lightly on a cane but slaloming easily through the departing sellout crowd that enjoyed the opening night of previews at the Mirage, Martin halted to give his take on the heavily hyped Beatles/Cirque du Soleil production.
"I'm very happy with where the show is right now," said Martin, whose hearing loss is so pronounced after decades of listening to live and recorded music that the questioner has to lean in close to his ear to be heard. "We pulled a boner early in the show, but it's good for opening night."
Martin referred to a moment in the show where the production halted during a scene set to "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite," in which stage lifts placing ramps for an in-line skating segment malfunctioned. The show was stopped for less than a minute for safety reasons.
"The show is going to get better, it will become a tighter production and more precise," Martin said. "The people who see the show now are seeing it in its early form, as it develops. But it will come together."
Martin addressed the show's soundscape, the innovative Beatles mix of 25 full songs and snippets of about 130, which are fused to create an unbroken soundtrack.
"It's important to remember that this is designed specifically for the show - to accompany a production, much like writing a score for a movie," said the 80-year-old Martin, who collaborated with his son, Giles, on the soundscape. "We have not made any new music here. We have taken existing music and used it for this show."
Martin then chuckled, "I probably will be criticized by some people for that, but at this point I don't give a damn."
Addendum: As we talked, standing a few feet in front of the "Love" logo in the theater lobby, a young woman approached with a camera. I was sure she was going to ask Martin for a photograph. But she had no idea who he was, saying, "Can you guys please move? Me and my friends are having a picture taken here."
Martin smirked and said, "We're being given the bum's rush."
NoteMart
Beatles for sale: The Cirque Boutique at the Mirage was a center of nervous energy as "Love" let out, with good reason - the shop quickly filled after the performance ended. Be forewarned: This is not a store for bargain hunters. The recently released "Beatles Capitol Albums Volume 1" and "Volume 2" go for $88 at the boutique, more than double what those releases go for at music stores or online. The big sellers are the "Yellow Submarine" lunch boxes ($16 - but no thermos) and playing cards ($8).
For sure, Beatle fans will buy anything with a Beatle flavor - one member of the sales staff was offered $125 for his psychedelic "Yellow Submarine" work shirt (an offer that was declined)
Wedding DA: Taking a break from his re-election campaign, District Attorney David Roger and deputy DA Susan Pate were married May 28 in a small ceremony at the Rampart Casino at JW Marriott. The couple honeymooned in New York ...
Anniversary for Saxe: Producer David Saxe celebrated the second anniversary of "V The Ultimate Variety Show" with a county-fair-themed party Friday night at the V Theatre in the Desert Passage mall at the Aladdin. Saxe said he is planning to expand his operation to include a "Stripper 101" course, in which women are plucked from stores to learn exotic dancing (including how to negotiate a dancing pole and high-backed chair) from a retired stripper. "We're still trying to figure out the hours" of operation, Saxe said
Dead show: Announced Friday was the exhibition "Bodies" at the Tropicana. It's said to be an anatomy-meets-art display scheduled to open June 23, in which 22 preserved and partially skinned corpses are posed as if performing real life functions (running, throwing, playing chess, writing columns, that sort of thing). Tropicana already offers "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition." More than 1,500 died in the Titanic tragedy, and with the addition of "Bodies," the Trop is Dead Zone for Strip attractions
I wonder, why the disparity?: The admission cost for men at the Morrea Beach Club, the topless pool at The Hotel at Mandalay Bay, is $50 for the weekend, $40 during the week. Women get in for just $10. You must be a hotel guest to be admitted
I ain't a Hummer? I ate a Hummer?: Reader reports the plate I8AHMMR on a Ford FX 400 pickup.
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