Denise Truscello
Criss Angel and Franco Dragone are hard at work preparing a new show for Planet Hollywood: ‘AMYSTIKA: The Secret Revealed’
Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021 | 2 a.m.
A true architect of Las Vegas entertainment, Franco Dragone is ready to return to the Strip to surprise and delight audiences with a new brand of performance and production. This time, he’s teaming up with famed illusionist and longtime Vegas headliner Criss Angel to take their collective creativity in a new direction.
Dragone may be best known for his work with Cirque du Soleil, creating and directing landmark Las Vegas productions “Mystère” at Treasure Island and “O” at Bellagio — the first two Cirque shows to return to the stage this year during the pandemic. He’s also behind Celine Dion’s original residency show at Caesars Palace, “A New Day,” and the shuttered aquatic spectacular “Le Rêve” that ran at Wynn Las Vegas for 15 years.
“Franco is probably one of the most prolific directors in entertainment history and he certainly changed the trajectory and history of Las Vegas,” Angel says. “Now we are equal partners on a course to create some more.”
Angel and Dragone first connected during the launch of “Le Rêve” and spent time together developing a show for Steve Wynn that was never realized. They reconnected last year when Angel interviewed Dragone for a web series on creativity that raised funds for out-of-work artists and performing arts workers.
“We have followed each other for a long time and we met again thanks to this initiative,” Dragone says. “And Criss and I wanted to do something more, together as partners, and we decided to try this experience.
“I think for both of us it’s a risky time, during this pandemic we are going through which is not finished, so maybe we are a little bit crazy. But we’ve jumped into this project completely and it has deepened our friendship.”
The show is “Amystika,” described as a prequel to Angel’s “Mindfreak” magic-based production at the Criss Angel Theater at the Planet Hollywood resort, and it will run in the same room.
“It’s very interactive, a visual feast, but there is a story there,” Angel says. “This is the first time I’m aware of in Las Vegas history where you have two shows you have to see to get the complete experience and understand the entire concept.”
Originally set to launch preview shows on December 27, “Amystika” has pushed back its opening date to March 11. The delay is expected to give the production team the time it needs to finalize the dramatic special effects, stunts and technical requirements of the show. As Angel said in a statement last week, “We are literally inventing the technology and special effects that are used throughout this show, and that level of creativity can’t be rushed.”
The objective for the two partners behind the project has always been to push the boundaries of what is possible in live theater and present something Las Vegas audiences haven’t seen before.
“To create something new nowadays is extremely different than 15 years ago,” says Dragone. “The audience can go on YouTube and see a lot of things, so when they actually come to you, you have to offer something that makes a difference.
“I have the impression that from time to time, Las Vegas goes through transitional periods where it moves from one genre to another. It seems for a few years now everyone is using the words ‘immersive’ and ‘interactive,’ and when something is trendy, that means that it’s already old. Something follows an innovation and then everybody wants to compete and do the same thing. So yes, we are trying to do something new, but we do this with much humility and ambition and we put all of our talent, experience and energy into the project.”
Both entertainment icons say they’ve truly enjoyed collaborating on “Amystika” and learned quite a bit from each other.
“Sometimes when you work with somebody, you don’t know what you’re going to get,” Angel says. “It has turned into something absolutely beautiful and I’ve grown so much, personally and professionally. He’s such a genius at what he does and he looks at the process in a very different light that I’ve seen anybody do.”
Dragone says they are both “fully into the creation” of the show and his international theatrical background is a nice complement to Angel’s background in magic. “And he never stops. He has the energy to work day and night so it has been a very demanding experience,” Dragone says. “But it’s something that we love. I have found that passion I remember in him 20 years ago when we were collaborating with Steve Wynn.”
Now that so much time has gone by since that first connection, this creative duo can accomplish thing onstage today that they could only imagine back then. “Amystika” will have a blizzard that engulfs the audience, Angel says, and fire and wind storms unlike anything that has been presented in a Las Vegas show. The cast of the show has grown much larger than originally planned.
“There was such a wealth of talent, we couldn’t say no,” Angel says. “But it’s worth it because we want to do something no one is doing, opening a brand-new spectacle at this time when most everybody is scared … about possibly closing down again [due to the pandemic]. No one knows what’s going to happen, but we are feeling bullish and we’re setting the bar pretty high.”
