How director Raj Kapoor is making the Backstreet Boys’ Las Vegas show larger than life

By Brock Radke (contact)

Wednesday, March 1, 2017 | 2 p.m.

The Warren Beatty-Moonlight debacle was all anyone could talk about after Sunday night’s Academy Awards show, but now that all that hoopla is done and over with, perhaps we can marvel at how magical the Oscars’ musical performances were this year—specifically John Legend’s medley of songs from the not-quite-Best-Picture, La La Land.

Raj Kapoor is the man behind that part of the show. His company created all of the Academy Awards performance moments as well as on-screen content, and he somehow found the time to work on the Oscars while digging deep into rehearsals and production of Backstreet Boys: Larger Than Life, the pop group’s resident show that opens tonight, March 1, at the Axis theater at Planet Hollywood. As director of the newest musical phenomenon to hit the Strip, Kapoor—who is routinely asked if he’s related to the Indian cinema icon of the same name, though he’s not—is devoted to creating a fresh spectacle that differs from the many superstar headliner productions on the Strip.

We caught up with Kapoor the morning after the Oscars to talk shop—and we had to ask about that envelope slip-up.

A pretty crazy night, huh? What was your reaction to the Best Picture mistake? I feel bad for everybody involved. It was obviously an accounting mix-up that they’re taking responsibility for, and at the end of the day, there’s always the chance of human error. Live TV, you know, there’s not a lot you can do, but I give kudos to the stage management crew for resolving it as quickly as possible and handling it with grace. I thought [La La Land producer] Jordan Horowitz was absolutely amazing. He handled it with such honesty and dignity and gave full credit where it was due and stepped away in such a dignified way. I saw him afterwards at the Governor’s Ball and told him that.

John Legend’s performance of songs from that film was another breathtaking moment during the show, such a great representation of the spirit of that movie. Thank you. My friend Mandy [Moore] choreographed La La Land so I was very happy to present a number on the Oscars that really represented the movie.

You started your career in dance. What sparked your interest? I was dancing since I was a little kid, taking classes, studying drama, always interested in fashion, but it took me a while to realize you could make a career in entertainment. I grew up in a fairly small city in Canada. When I started traveling I realized there was a whole other world of people making a living in entertainment and I knew that’s what I wanted to do. So I moved to L.A. to become a professional dancer.

And you broke into production with American Idol? The show was looking for a new director to take over its tour design. Back when it was more prevalent, there was a 60-city tour every year with the top 10 idols. So doing that got me into the touring market, and my second one was Carrie Underwood, when she was looking for a new creative director for [her tour]. That was really the start of things snowballing in a different direction.

You’ve done a lot of TV, from awards shows to concert events like the Sinatra 100 event here in Las Vegas at the end of 2015. And now the Backstreet Boys. Yes, and before that I did Shania Twain’s show at the Colosseum. That was my first big directing gig in Las Vegas. I’m also doing John Fogerty, coming up at Wynn.

What was your approach for the Backstreet Boys’ show? Every artist to me is completely different. I always do a ton of research and look at as much as I can, from music videos to performances on tours, to see where their strengths are and really get to know what their fans might be looking for. I try to find out if they had some iconic choreography or fashion or a look, and if they’re interested in paying homage to that or to make something totally new, or a blend of both. It always starts with the music, what those songs mean to the artist and the audience. I think the reason why concerts are so successful is people want to relive that feeling from when they heard that song in their car all summer long, to trigger those touchstones and connections to the artist. That’s why we design shows the way we do.

Dance and choreography have been a huge part of this group’s career. Is that a focal point for the production? It’s a huge part of the Backstreet Boys’ story. And these guys can really move still. Their dedication to embracing the dance side of things and really pulling off a huge, entertaining show has been so impressive. We ended up using a ton of choreographers on this show; the vision is not necessarily from one choreographer. Sometimes we took what they’ve done in the past and other times it’s inspired by original choreography but looks completely refreshed for now. You could see Justin Bieber or any current artist doing these moves, and they really look good on the guys. Their dedication and sweat has really paid off—you’re going to look at these guys and think they’re in their prime.

In what ways are you looking to distinguish this show from the other residencies at Axis or elsewhere on the Strip? We are approaching it in a different way for a Planet Hollywood show. With Britney [Spears] and Jennifer [Lopez], two huge female artists, they have these elements of huge theatricality that are inspired by Broadway and even Cirque du Soleil. Backstreet is different. It’s five men. Theatrical isn’t necessarily where we wanted to go. We wanted to blend the world of being at a live touring concert, how that looks and feels, with modern touches, technology, a really large lighting and special effects package, and blend it all with the choreography. It feels different and looks like the guys, I think—it’s masculine, polished, and impressive as far as the overall scale. We took “Larger Than Life” as the calling card … We want it to be one of the largest shows on the Strip.

Backstreet Boys: Larger Than Life runs Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 9 p.m. through March 18, and again April 14-28. Find tickets by calling 702-777-2782 or at ticketmaster.com.