Elvis is back in Las Vegas and it looks like his show will run forever.
Of course, I mean Viva Elvis, the seventh Cirque du Soleil show on the Las Vegas Strip. It is one of the centerpieces of the new MGM Mirage City Center, located in a new theater in the Aria Hotel and Casino.
Viva Elvis features all of his greatest hits set to music and embellished with spectacular sets and effects, dancing and acrobatics. It positively fills the eyes. This is a spectacularly beautiful show and it is one of only two Cirque shows in town to employ a proscenium stage rather than using a theater-in-the-round setup.
There are other singers, but the only male voice belongs to The King himself. The evening opens with a huge video-jukebox. On the screen is Elvis singing Blue Suede Shoes. It's light, fun and immediately gets the audience in the mood for more of his music. Don't Be Cruel is next, followed by Junior Clay, the only actor in the show. He is Elvis' manager, Col. Tom Parker. He comes out to explain that Elvis had a twin brother who died at birth and Elvis missed his twin his entire life. Thus he introduces the next number, One Night.
Now, if you know this song, you know that it is a love song, more shouted than sung and is very effective. But here, for some reason, it's used to portray brotherly love. So the two acrobats do their thing on a large wire guitar suspended upstage center. As they're doing their acrobatics, there's a woman sitting at an old upright piano softly playing and singing the song. No argument that Elvis missed his twin. And no argument that these two guys on the guitar are really good at what they do. The only argument is against taking such a passionate number and doing this to it.
The next scene takes us back to Elvis' childhood in Tupelo, MS. Old photos are projected on the screen as the townsfolk, carrying (trademark Cirque) umbrellas come out on the stage and perform All Shook Up as a gospel tune. And the woman singing the song actually changes the lyrics to say "I'm itchin' like a woman on fuzzy tree." They could have left it alone or, maybe, had Elvis reminisce about his childhood to the tune of That's All Right Mama, the first song he ever recorded.
But, maybe I'm wrong....I am an Elvis purist and I hate to see his music mucked with. Love, the Cirque du Soleil show about the Beatles playing down the street, uses the interpretative dance, acrobatics, video and their voices, to explain the music and, thus, enrich it. Here, though it's terrific to hear Elvis himself sing and talk, it's somewhat out of sync.
For example, Heartbreak Hotel was Elvis' first hit record and it was a hit in 1956. In VIVA Elvis it's employed to demonstrate his loneliness when he's in the Army....it's just a bit off.
That said, there's a great deal that is on — right on — about this show.
First, in that same Army sequence, one of the songs is Return To Sender and it is a lovely, unique presentation — unexpected and, in every facet, menorable.
First it is a joyous event — a terrific celebration of Elvis' music. The dancing and acrobatics are exuberant. The on-stage band is exellent. And the production values are icomparable. It is fun to watch with wonderful sets, costumes (but, oddly no 1950s poodle skirts) and special effects.
The last quibble I have — and it really is a quibble — is that the last three songs are Viva Las Vegas, Suspicious Minds and Hound Dog. Unfortunately, they're performed in that order. The performance of Viva Las Vegas is so strong, so well-done that the last two songs are a slight letdown. And, here in Las Vegas, where it's almost an anthem, it should have been the last number. Yes, people expect it and maybe that's why it wasn't last. But sometimes it's OK to give the people what they expect.
