Paul Szydelko
It's one of the most haunting and electric moments on any stage in Las Vegas. Perfectly timed with a familiar chorus, a red-haired "girl with kaleidoscope eyes" in a short sequined dress swoops from high off stage to gracefully engage with a "fireman."
With Lucy gliding and contorting on an aerial strap and the fireman positioning a ladder on wheels to connect with her, "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" is among the highlights of "The Beatles Love," which returned to the Mirage in Las Vegas on Aug. 26.
It's the latest of four Cirque du Soleil productions (in addition to the affiliated "Blue Man Group") that have resumed production from a pandemic-induced hiatus. Audience members must be masked, and the artists (who are required to be vaccinated for Covid-19) are masked whenever it's possible and safe.
For performers, the nearly 17-month absence of standing ovations is over. For Eric Grilly, Cirque's senior vice president of the resident shows and affiliate shows divisions, it's another symbol that Vegas has returned to form.
"The reception that we've received so far, locally, from our partners as well as from audiences, has been fantastic," Grilly said. "We've had many shows at capacity, particularly on the weekends. We are performing better [attendance-wise] than what we had thought, and we're performing at about pre-pandemic levels."
Cirque du Soleil's comeback story
Cirque du Soleil, emerging from bankruptcy protection and rebuilding its global brand, furloughed or terminated all employees. Monthly Zoom calls were conducted for those with whom it maintained employment relationships to update them on the restructuring and reopening timeline.
Dependent on health protocols and ticket sales, the staggered approach to reopening the productions has worked, Grilly says.
"When you look at the complexity and sophistication of a Cirque show in Las Vegas, it's a tremendous effort to bring a show back," Grilly said. "We took a cautious approach for the safety of our artists in assessing the conditions that they were coming back to, which also exceeded our expectations."
An eight-week rehearsal process gets performers, who trained on their own during the pandemic, back in game shape. "We bring in all the various artists, and our strength-and-conditioning team assesses and gives a baseline of where each performer is relative to their particular act," he said.
"The Beatles Love" artists completed a pop-up performance in the Mirage's casino before their first night back on stage on Aug. 26. Photo Credit: Cirque du Soleil
"Then we designed a specific training program for them in each case to get them ready for show-performance condition."
Cirque's immigration department helped many performers get back from their home countries. Some have been unable to return, Grilly says. All have not received a paycheck for 16 to 17 months.
"That's an unbelievable hardship that these folks have gone through," Grilly said. "Fortunately, there's been a lot of support in the stimulus plans and unemployment insurance that was offered, but it doesn't replace the income that an artist makes while they're performing. They've been able to overcome that, and well over 92% of them have returned to work at Cirque."
The company's remaining Las Vegas show, "Ka" (MGM Grand), could reopen as soon as November. That production's massive vertical stage makes it Cirque's most technically sophisticated and expensive to operate.
"Because of the complexity of the show and the number of folks needed to support that show, that was intentionally scheduled for the last to be open," said Grilly, who noted that production will need 10 weeks to ramp up.
While declining to discuss whether any new productions are planned, Grilly said Cirque du Soleil and its hospitality partners are continuously assessing Vegas' entertainment landscape and discussing potential opportunities.