Angel on “Cloud 9” as Believe opens to staggering sales

By Robin Leach

Saturday, Sept. 27, 2008 | 11 a.m.

Tickets for Mindfreak magician Criss Angel’s new live show are “disappearing” even faster than some of the incredible illusions he performs. Cirque du Soleil officials told me at the Luxor last night (Friday) as the curtain went up on the very first preview of Believe that they’ve sold a mind-boggling $5-million worth of tickets right out of the gate!

“I’m on Cloud 9,” said an ecstatic Criss moments after the premiere preview ended and his 15-year-dream had come true.

A Cirque executive told me: “Ticket sales are fantastic-- and ahead of when we launched KA at the MGM and Zumanity at the New York-New York resorts. Almost on a par with the Beatles Love at the Mirage but that was an exceptional worldwide phenomenon of a 40-year legacy … We couldn’t be happier with Believe’s great start -- sales are more than we expected and hoped for. We are already up to 1,100 tickets a day at the box office and that ramps up daily -- now word is out that Believe has actually opened.

“Our policy is only to sell tickets in blocks four months out, so including previews and the regular run that starts October 31 we had 45,000 seats to sell through the end of January. For the next two weeks you simply cannot get a ticket! That’s an amazing solid start.” So concerned fans around the world this week who feared 40-year-old Criss had died in the closing episode of the last Mindfreak season can rest assured he is very much alive and well -– and making more miracles under the pyramid-shaped resort casino. He will produce a new fifth season of Mindfreak shows next year in order to crown the triumph of 100 shows!

Mindfreak fans turned out in force for the high-profile first preview show. They were ecstatic, giving Criss screams, applause from the get-go and winding up with a near two-minute standing ovation! TV crews turned up with cameras to record the Mindfreak mayhem and mob hysteria. Top-level security was in place with five-lines of security metal detectors in the hallway before entering the theater. Audience members even surrendered all their cameras and cell-phones to avoid sneaky videos leaking out before the show is in” final shape” on Oct. 31.

Fans brought gifts galore which Criss had brought on stage BEFORE the real show started: everything from rabbits to flowers! One lady from Alabama created a banner that featured photos of historical illusionist Harry Houdini and Criss’s pet cat, Andy! Criss promptly wrapped himself up in the blanket -– and levitated to the absolute amazement of the audience. As if that wasn’t enough he suddenly vanished as it fell empty and crumpled to the floor! Faster than a speeding bullet Criss turned up in the middle of the theater surrounded by his fans! Again -- that was even BEFORE the actual show got underway! That may have been the very first time anybody has ever seen Criss smile as he yelled out “ We’re going to have some fun tonight with some incredible illusions.”

I promised Criss and Cirque officials that I would not technically comment or review the production during the “preview process.” As of today (Saturday), there will be 29 more preview shows before the official opening night on Halloween. This is a period when both Criss and Cirque polish and perfect the technically challenging computerized mechanics of lighting, sound and other elements. They also tweak what might not be working for them, insert additional elements and incorporate illusions that are still being worked on, or even delete something the audience might not truly be stunned by. A “work in progress,” as it were! However, I can reveal two more illusions are being held back to definitely be added to the gala premiere in a month’s time.

But suffice to say Criss has extraordinary magic up his sleeves -– and when he escaped from a straight-jacket, hanging upside down in the theater ceiling right above the audience 15 rows from the stage, the stunned fans were in total silence as a countdown clock ticked to zero. He made it with a half-second to spare –- and then topped that by adding an unexpected “Dive of Death” plunge right into the crowd. This was more chilling than the crashing chandelier at Phantom of the Opera!

I am also not going to report on all of his magic until the October 31 premiere, but will note that one illusion where he battles a monster that comes to life from broken parts on the stage is an extraordinary highlight. Fans were still talking about that in reverential tones in the casino an hour after the curtain came down on Night 1 of his 10-year run there!

The onstage energy from the entire cast is exhilarating -- especially when they show up in the aisles throughout the theater. The musical score is sensationally superb, the dancing is all-out fabulous, the costumes are magnificently incredible. The theater itself with the two giant gold rabbit side frames and the exploding clock with three additional rabbits on the top center frame is a visual and mechanical stunner.

It all becomes a mesmerizing spellbinding trip through the mind of an extraordinarily creative force! Criss has woven the illusions into the story-telling and musical dance action of the gothic dark journey where good and evil rage for victory. The semi-psychedelic trip inside his mind becomes a fueled fusion of Cirque du Soleil’s staggering strengths and mind-bending magic. You will even fall in love with all the various incarnations of Lucky the Rabbit, who appears in all shapes and sizes speeding around the stage!

You could tell that every member of the cast was enjoying the excitement. It was infectious and exploded out into the audience. Within minutes of the curtain falling, at the end of the show, they all gathered on stage in a circle with Criss for a two-minute session of hollering, whooping and jumping for joy!

To prove to skeptics that his magic isn’t edited video hi-jinx Criss has an assistant onstage with a camera during the illusions. It gives a 360-degree point of view -– projected live onto the giant screens -- as each one moves through from start to finish. It all becomes a mesmerizing spellbinding trip through the mind of an extraordinarily creative force! Criss has woven the illusions into the story-telling and musical dance action of the gothic dark journey where good and evil rage for victory. The semi-psychedelic trip inside his mind becomes a fueled fusion of Cirque du Soleil’s staggering strengths and mind-bending magic. You will even fall in love with all the various incarnations of Lucky the Rabbit, who appears in all shapes and sizes speeding around the stage!

You could tell that every member of the cast was enjoying the excitement. It was infectious and exploded out into the audience. Within minutes of the curtain falling, at the end of the show, they all gathered on stage in a circle with Criss for a two-minute session of hollering, whooping and jumping for joy!

To prove to skeptics that his magic isn’t edited video hi-jinx Criss has an assistant onstage with a camera during the illusions. It gives a 360-degree point of view -– projected live onto the giant screens -- as each one moves through from start to finish.

Criss ended the premiere preview with his rock-superstar styled

Mindfreak song with the audience joining in with the screams. Then he almost was overcome with emotion as he said goodnight. His voice cracked as he talked spontaneously off-the-cuff with the fans. He teared up recalling his late father’s enthusiastic support for his magical career and this show. “Fifteen years ago I had this crazy idea,“ said Criss. “I am no different than anybody else here tonight. If you have a dream simply ‘believe,’ never give up and it does come true.”

Backstage afterward, before Criss threw a cast- party for everybody connected with Believe, he summed up: “Tonight was the culmination of 15 years of my life. After all the delays and all the issues that it took to make this show innovative and different, it is such an amazing feeling to do this and present it to a live audiences. I'm on cloud nine -- and for my director Serge, the entire cast and me, we know that we will keep making Improvements at every performance. Now we just want to get there as quickly as possible."