May 24, 2005
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LE REVE” – IMPERFECT DREAMS NEEDS
TO BE PERFECTED
by Judy Thorburn
Entertainment Reporter and Movie Critic for The
Las Vegas Tribune and owner/editor/writer of The
Flick Chicks website at:
http://www.theflickchicks.com
Le Reve, which recently opened at Wynn Las Vegas
Resort and Country Club, is the fourth Las Vegas
production from Franco Dragone, the creative mind
behind Cirque shows “O” and “Mystere” and Celine
Dion’s “A New Day. This is a show that has great
potential, but before it can live up to expectations it will
have to undergo some changes, tweaking, and deletions.
That isn’t to say that the show I experienced at the VIP
opening didn’t evoke a sense of mystery, fantasy and
artistry.
The venue itself, a 2087 seat, fourteen-row theater in the
round is beautiful with a domed ceiling adorned with
mannequin figures in sensual poses gazing down upon
a circular water engulfed platform stage and surrounding
pool which serves as the central focus for the production
that includes a cast of seventy five swimmers, acrobats,
clowns and aerial performers.
Every seat in the house allows for a great viewpoint, but
those seated in front can expect some sprays of water
during the live performance. This was a complaint by
many who sat in the first few rows, and needs to be
rectified by handy towels or a plastic cover up. Lucky for
me I sat just a bit further back, and didn’t get drenched.
But, on the other hand I had to deal with a quartet of
rude French speaking attendees who could not keep
quiet throughout the entire show.
If you can recall, Le Reve was the original name for
Wynn’s $2.7 billion property while it was in its planning
stages. But things have changed since Wynn decided to
self-title his mega resort. For Dragone to adapt the title
of Le Reve (The Dream) to his new production, it seems
a fit homage to Wynn. But, the accompanying subtitle
“A Small Collection of Imperfect Dreams”, in its present
form, unfortunately, says it like it is.
It is obvious that Dragone is a man with a vision. And
that vision has brought to life a multi media show filled
with stunning visual effects, imaginative costumes and
the well-suited accompanying ethereal music by Cirque
veteran composer/music director Benoit Jutras (“O”,
“La Nouba, “Mystere”).
The result is an eye-popping spectacle. But, there are
problems with the unclear storyline and theme.
According to the program, Le Reve revolves around the
fight between Mephistopheles and Angels for the soul
of Everyman, represented in this case by an Average
Joe (Wayne Wilson), all within a series of dreams,
where the subconscious has no boundaries. That is all
well and good. However, it is executed in a fashion that
interprets as more confusing than comprehensible. I, nor
anyone I spoke with afterwards, really had any idea what
the storyline was about.
Through a series of breathtakingly beautiful sequences the
audiences gets to experience both ground and aerial
ballets and acrobatics (with the use of harnesses), water
dances, high flying dives and gorgeous imagery. It is all
very surrealistic and utilizes symbolism, which is mostly
ineffective.
Various sequences are more memorable than others.
One whimsical, very entertaining routine has red high
heeled legs emerge upside down from the water to do a
synchronized dance number. But, my favorite
performance piece takes place on the center stage
platform that rises with surrounding waterfalls. In the
middle several ball headed, bare chested, Vin Diesel
look-alike men wearing Asian inspired red skirts engage
in an innovative mixture of dance, martial arts, and yoga.
Another sequence has an airborne, grapevine adorned
gazebo and attached tables and chairs that turn and
create a trapeze device for an acrobatic display.
Other characters consist of women in white body clinging
dresses wearing Jean Harlow wigs, a devil character who
parades along the sidelines but doesn’t do much else, a
water emerging monster who looks like he came from the
black lagoon, a whip yielding pregnant woman, other
pregnant ladies (what’s that all about?) and four annoying,
unfunny white suited “angels” who break up the rhythm
of the show whenever they appear as the so called “
comic relief”. These characters are a detraction, and can
easily be omitted so as to allow a more compelling flow.
I would also do something more with the mechanical
swan that occasionally gets the spotlight as it maneuvers
around the pool. I was expecting it to eventually transform
into something that had a deeper meaning, but that never
happened. Like too many of the other props and
characters, it was disposable.
There is more than a splash of occasional imaginative
brilliance. Towards the end of this ninety-minute show,
figures in raincoats and umbrellas descend from above
like a group of slow motion Mary Poppins, which can also
be seen as homage to the surrealistic paintings of Rene
Magritte.
Like many other productions, sometimes it takes a while
for a show to evolve into its finalized version. As it stands,
Le Reve, “A Small Collection of Imperfect Dreams” needs
some retooling before those imperfect dreams become a
perfect show.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Judy Thorburn is a former rock music journalist,
associate editor for Hit Parader Magazine, and publicist
from New York City. For the past five years Judy has been
covering the entertainment scene as reporter and featured
film critic for the Las Vegas Tribune, a weekly newspaper
distributed throughout Las Vegas. As The Flick Chick,
Judy’s movie reviews and articles on the motion picture
industry can also be found at her interesting website at:
http://www.theflickchicks.com
where she is owner/editor and writer along with other
respected and notable movie critics. She is also a
freelance writer who has contributed to magazines such
as “Where” and numerous entertainment related websites
