Wynn Resorts Las Vegas / Courtesy
Awakening
Monday, Dec. 19, 2022 | 2 a.m.
The continuing rise of major league sports in Las Vegas, matched with other annual sporting events and a slew of blockbuster concerts from headlining resident and touring artists, captivated the Strip spotlight once again in 2022. But a handful of new production shows opened over the course of the year reasserted the importance of this more traditional live entertainment style — even though the shows themselves are anything but traditional.
Cirque du Soleil launched its latest invention in May when “Mad Apple” took up in the New York-New York theater space where the company’s acclaimed “Zumanity” was performed for nearly 17 years. An homage to the wild and diverse nightlife scene of New York City, “Mad Apple” uses trademark Cirque acrobatic artistry in new and different ways, blending its core element with stand-up comedy, hip music and dance with all the atmosphere of a late-night, unbridled cabaret show.
Reviews and audience reaction have been overwhelmingly positive, an impressive accomplishment for the Montreal-based company that produces five other popular shows on the Strip today and owns and operates the Blue Man Group’s production at Luxor. Audiences didn’t know what to expect from “Mad Apple,” but everyone agrees it’s something decidedly different from what Cirque has put onstage in Las Vegas in the past.
In September, one of the more specific and ambitious Broadway-style musicals landed in Las Vegas with “Bat Out of Hell” at the Paris Theater. Most people assume it’s based on the music of Meat Loaf, given the fact that the late rock-and-roller (he passed away on January 20) put out a trilogy of albums with the same name. But the show’s producer Jay Scheib — who guided its run on London’s West End as well — explained how composer Jim Steinman originally crafted the majority of its songs as part of a staged rock musical, well before Meat Loaf recorded hits like “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” and “Paradise by the Dashboard Light.”
“I find in the end it turns out to be a story about two young lovers who succumb to love at first sight and will do anything to be together,” Scheib said of the Romeo-and-Juliet-like plot that guides “Bat Out of Hell.” Las Vegas audiences aren’t used to shows like this anymore, but a stellar cast, familiar music, fun use of live video and over-the-top pyrotechnics are building bigger buzz than the Paris Theater has seen in quite some time.
In the same week last month, two more unique shows made their debut; first, the long-awaited well-kept secret “Awakening” at Wynn’s Encore Theater, and then, the hip-hop comedy improv gem “Freestyle Love Supreme” at the Venetian’s intimate Summit Showroom. Both have found solid footing for brand-new entries into the Vegas entertainment landscape.
At a reported cost of $120 million to revamp the former “Le Rêve” theater and build the original show from scratch, “Awakening” is one of the biggest things to hit the Strip in recent years. Unlike “Le Rêve,” this one probably won’t be mistaken for a Cirque du Soleil production, although its spectacular scenery and visual marvels could rival those of “O” and “KA.” And while the space was renovated, it remains a stage-in-the-round, which is still a rare presentation on the Strip.
“Freestyle Love Supreme” was created almost 20 years ago in New York City by up-and-coming theater artists Anthony Veneziale, Thomas Kail and Lin-Manuel Miranda. At the Venetian, it carries on its tradition of a mostly spontaneous, utterly unpredictable performance every night, using audience interaction and improvisational music and comedy skills to steer the ship.
“Every ‘Freestyle Love Supreme’ show is unique; that's the secret sauce,” Miranda, the award-winning songwriter, playwright and filmmaker known for Broadway smashes “Hamilton” and “In the Heights.” “The rest is made up by this unstoppable group of actors, singers, beatboxers, and you, the audience.”
Miranda popped up onstage for two performances in November and will return to the Summit Showroom to join the Vegas cast again on January 12-13.
