There are multiple Cirque du Soleil productions in Las Vegas, which leads novices with limited time during their stay to struggle with the issue of which one to start with. Cirque audience veterans know the answer: begin with la première, Mystère. When Mystère debuted at Treasure Island 30 years ago, the Vegas entertainment landscape was vastly different. Variety shows existed, but nothing like the omnibus of acrobats, dancers, comics, costumes and pageantry presented as a fantasy circus.
Mystère celebrated its 13,000th performance in August with a special show and will observe its 30th anniversary this year. There are cast and crew members still with the Strip’s original Cirque production three decades after its debut, as well as a 2,000-pound snail named Alice.
Daredevils fly through air with the greatest of ease via trapeze, teeterboard and Chinese poles. Avant-garde clowns match wits with puppet counterparts. Seventy performers from two dozen countries wear 10,000 pieces of costume during a show, while makeup designs evolved from groundbreaking to influential.
Mystère satisfies appetites for both traditional circus fare and state-of-the-art spectacle, allowing children of all ages to escape into a dimension of delightful distractions and twisted whimsy. It’s what the world needs right now.
{ SOURCE: Las Vegas Magazine }
