USA: Former Cirque du Soleil artistic director is back with Le Reve
- 00:00:25
- ITN Source
USA: Former Cirque du Soleil artistic director is back with Le Reve
Casino entrepreneur Steve Wynn, who brought floating pirate ships and dancing fountains to the Nevada desert and showcased the wildly successful water show "O," has returned to the life-giving force with the opening of his newest resort. "Le Reve," which means "The Dream" in French, tells the story of an "everyman" character named Wayne and his dreams. Guiding him through his journey is Morpheus, a character reminiscent of an ancient warrior. Along for the ride are the Four Angels, a comic quartet. "It's a show in which I used all which I have learned in my previous show. It's a show with really 21st century technology, but much more theatrical than all the shows that I have done before," said Dragone. When Franco Dragone delivered Le Reve, it was the third creative collaboration with Steve Wynn, following Mystre at Treasure Island and 'O' at Bellagio. The production takes place in a purpose built domed showroom designed by Dragone, constructed "in the round," the farthest seat in the 14 rows is only 40-feet from the action, creating a uniquely intimate theater-going experience. "With Steve at the Wynn, he asked me to do a show and I created a completely new theater and I wanted to change the relation between the audience and the show so I created a theater in the round. I wanted the audience very close to the show so the last row is only forty feet from the state," said Dragone. A very special cast of artists and characters were assembled from around the globe and bring the theater to live twice a night with aerial and aquatic performances, comedy and humor, and a dazzling set design supported by the latest multimedia technology. In many ways, "Le Reve" feels like Cirque. Dragone, who left the Canadian-based company a few years ago to strike out on his own, was the man behind such legendary Cirque shows as "O," "Mystere," "Alegria" and "Quidam." But unlike Cirque, Dragone relied very little on makeup, so you see performers' faces and emotions a lot more than in his previous shows with Cirque. Shows on the Las Vegas Strip average around 30 million to 40 million U.S. dollars but Dragone has confirmed that this production cost around 100 million U.S. dollars. "Imagine when you have forty million people coming (to) Las Vegas and eighty two percent of these people they go to see a show -- it's a big privilege but it's a big responsibility on the show when you do this show because you have to respect the people in the club. They are not only a wallet, they are a mind, a brain, a heart, so within this respect we can say okay it's one hundred million but what we have done with the hundred million is the most important thing," added Dragone.
ITN Source | October 15, 2005
