Via the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
According to Cirque du Soleil, the company will close the curtains on the beloved Beatles LOVE show at The Mirage in July.
A release from Cirque announcing the closure said the production will conclude its historic run as the resort begins its transformation into the Hard Rock Las Vegas.
Cirque du Soleil CEO Stéphane Lefebvre said Mirage/Hard Rock Las Vegas officials pulled the plug on the show.
“This wasn’t our decision,” Lefebvre said in a virtual interview Tuesday afternoon, after being asked why the show is closing. “As you you know, Hard Rock needs to take control of the entire venue and do some major renovations. So they need to get the show closed by July 7.”
Lefebvre, based in Montreal and Cirque’s top-ranking official said he found out “late last week” the show would be shut down. He also confirmed there are no plans to tour “Love,” a show that would seem to have strong demand internationally.
“If it has a life beyond this venue, it will need to change the format a little bit. The theater is so unique, it’s a 360-degree stage and very deep,” Lefebvre said “If we want to move it elsewhere, if we look at somewhere in Europe, we need to make some significant changes.”
A total of 230 members of the “Love” cast and crew are to lose their jobs as the result of the shutdown.
The future of “Love” had been in question as The Mirage turns over to Hard Rock Las Vegas. The show was reportedly running between 40- and 60-percent capacity in its 2,013-seat theater. That is the lowest box-office performance of Cirque’s six productions on the Strip.
Mirage President Joe Lupo praised the show, which will have run for about a year and a half under his company’s stewardship of the resort.
“Throughout its historic 18-year run at The Mirage Las Vegas, ‘The Beatles Love’ has been a captivating show that has delighted millions of guests as they shared in the wonder of Cirque du Soleil,” Lupo said in a statement. “I want to share my sincere appreciation to MGM and the entertainment team who ensured that the show’s legacy continued during our ownership transition.”
Lupo also thanked the Cirque performers and team members, adding, “The closure marks the continued construction that directly impacts daily offerings, as we continue the process of transforming our property into the Strip’s newest icon.”
The decision ends a wondrous production that opened in June 2006, with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, widow of George Harrison, in attendance. McCartney and Harrison scouted “O” at Bellagio together in 2001 to gauge how The Beatles’ music and images could blend with Cirque artistry.
Harrison was a close friend of Cirque co-founder Guy Laliberte, with the idea from the show hatched between the two in at the F1 Montreal Grand Prix in 2000. With Harrison leading the initial vision for the show, Laliberte steered the production to creation at the Mirage.
The Love Theatre took over the former Siegfried & Roy Theater at the resort.
According to Cirque figures, a total of 44 nationalities are represented. The show required 11,600 costume pieces, 250 pairs of shoes, and 225 wigs each night. A total of 750,000 lumens in projections, 500 props and scenic pieces were required to put on the show.
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