ON THE STRIP:

Illusionist’s big ‘Ta-da!’

Speculation surrounds bad boy conjurer Criss Angel’s long-awaited show with Cirque

By Joe Brown (contact)

Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Chris Morris

The Ups and Downs of Criss Angel

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Just days from now, our long national nightmare will finally be over.

We’ll finally know the answer to the question that’s been burning in our hearts, minds and Twitter accounts:

Will “Criss Angel: Believe” live up to the hype and hate and save Las Vegas?

(What did you think we were talking about?)

When the long-awaited, much-discussed show officially opens Friday — Halloween night — the fortunes of extreme magician Criss Angel and the venerable circus Cirque du Soleil will converge. More than $5 million in advance tickets have been sold, and Angel is contracted for a 10-year-run — two shows a day — at a purpose-built, 1,600-seat theater at the Luxor.

Cirque has become an international phenomenon, with a steady upward trend and nary a misstep to its name. Angel has built his bad boy reputation with a string of self-endangering stunts and a trail of tabloid-bait dates. Their merger on this magical enterprise is seen by many as a risky venture, and the past few months leading up to the opening have certainly been rocky, pocked with postponed openings and reports of walkouts and refund demands. As these two distinct sensibilities prepare to combine — or collide — we thought we’d take a look at the career trajectories, the highs and lows, of Angel and Cirque over 20-something years.

By the way: We just noticed that the elaborate invitation for the show’s opening typographically emphasizes the word “lie” at the center of “Believe,” and the lie shows up on Cirque’s official Web site. What do you think Angel — or Cirque — is winkingly telling us?

What: “Criss Angel: Believe”
When: 7 and 10 p.m. Friday through Tuesday (dark Wednesday and Thursday)
Where: Luxor
Admission: $59-$160; 262-4400, www.luxor.com
Audience advisory: Smoke effects, strobe lights, pyrotechnics, birds and loud music

‘Believe’ two days from public debut (10-29-2008)
‘Believe’ making progress with two weeks to go (10-16-2008)
‘Believe’ audience looking for magic in show’s previews (10-2-2008)

Criss Angel – Believe

Discussion: 2 comments so far…

By vanillasky

10/29/08 at 8:21 p.m.

Suggest removal

I love the caricature of him. Very funny. LOL~ But he's gained alittle weight since then. You might want to call him "thunder thighs."
By crybaby

8/29/09 at 8:05 p.m.

Suggest removal

I love the caricature of Criss Angel too and would agree that he has put on some weight. That's because he's been eating so many chicken breasts. Criss Angel should try eating cheeseburgers, but not as much as chicken breasts!