Call it Graceland meets Wonderland. The new show "Viva Elvis" is both everything and nothing you might expect from a theatrical marriage of the King of Rock 'n' Roll's classic discography with Cirque du Soleil's penchant for gravity-defying spectacle.
A musical tour de force through Elvis' life, from his humble beginnings in rural Tupelo, Miss., to his rejuvenation as a Vegas headliner, the production uses nearly three dozen songs to fill in biographical blanks: Elvis the dirt-poor Southern child; Elvis the young music lover; Elvis the heartthrob; Elvis the U.S. Army private; Elvis the Hollywood star; Elvis the husband (marrying Priscilla Beaulieu in a fairy-tale wedding); and Elvis the Vegas icon.
The 90-minute show follows a mostly chronological path. Along the way, Cirque energizes Elvis' life with spirited dance numbers, unexpected musical pairings -- "It's Now or Never" gets a flamenco treatment, while pyrotechnics and plumage-filled headgear highlight the showy "Viva Las Vegas" finale -- and its signature showy sets, imaginative costumes and daredevil acrobatics.
It's a something-for-everyone approach that company manager Tony Ricotta said has won over the mostly tourist-packed crowds that fill the 1,840-seat theater at the Aria hotel-casino, inside MGM Resorts International's $8.5 billion, mixed-use City-Center complex.
"Tourists buy 80% of the tickets, so you've got people from all over the world coming to the show," Ricotta said. "Cirque fans show up to see a Cirque performance, and Elvis fans show up to hear the King, and they all leave surprised by what we've come up with. It's really a show for all ages. We're bringing Elvis to a whole new generation of people.
"Elvis ... had charisma, personality and a je ne sais quoi," Ricotta said. "He was a true fan of other music: gospel and blues and country. He listened to everything, so we felt comfortable juxtaposing his music with other genres."
Cirque's balancing act
Cirque productions typically take three years to go from concept to opening night. "We want to get it just right," Ricotta said.
But Cirque had to walk a fine line: repackaging Elvis to appeal to modern-day sensibilities without alienating purists or displeasing Cirque fans, much like the balancing act the company undertook when creating its Beatles tribute show, "Love," which plays at the Mirage hotel-casino.
"Comparisons to 'Love' were inevitable," Ricotta said. "Both provide quality entertainment and feature musical icons who have lots of fans all over the world.
"It was a big challenge for a Canadian company to take on an American music icon like Elvis. So we hired an American director and worked with people who knew Elvis to make sure we portrayed him accurately."
Director Vincent Paterson has worked with Madonna and Michael Jackson, among others.
"Since Elvis and Vegas go hand in hand -- he was new and fresh, and Vegas is always new and fresh -- it made sense to stage the show here," Ricotta said.
Musical director Erich von Tourneau's soundtrack is well-conceived, using both live music and recorded tracks, intricate arrangements, layered vocals and some wonderful singers (all women) to breathe new life into Elvis classics.
The lust is siphoned out of "One Night," transforming it into a ballad. Meanwhile, two men traverse a guitar-shape metal conception suspended high in the air; one of the men falls from the guitar, a symbolic reference to Elvis' twin brother, Jesse, who died at birth. At the opposite end of the spectrum, "Jailhouse Rock" skews slightly Metallica, with mean-spirited guitar riffs punctuating arguably the most acrobatically choreographed jailbreak ever staged.
"Are You Lonesome Tonight" is the soundtrack for a scene of two lovers flying through the air, while the "Got a Lot o' Livin' to Do" number, ostensibly about a young Elvis' fondness for comic book characters (he loved Captain Marvel), ultimately provides canvasses, in the form of trampolines, for superhero-outfitted Cirque acrobats to defy gravity.
Elsewhere, the charmingly surreal "Return to Sender" chronicles Elvis' 1958 entry into the Army, and "All Shook Up" reconnects Elvis to his gospel roots. The Woodstock-meets-"Miami Vice" rendition of "Bossa Nova Baby" feature a performer balancing atop chairs stacked nearly 15 feet high, and "Burning Love" highlights Elvis' turn as a Hollywood leading man with clips of him kissing his female co-stars.
Reinventing Elvis
A Cirque veteran, having opened "O" at Bellagio in 1997 and spending three years as dance captain for Le Reve, Ben Potvin said "Viva Elvis" fits well in the company's stable of shows (this is its seventh in Vegas). As head coach of the acrobats, he was challenged to use his staff of 28 acrobats (in addition to 32 dancers) to enhance the narrative while maintaining Cirque's vaunted athleticism. "With Cirque, our expectations are so high. We're lucky to be able to perform alongside Elvis' music. His music is big, so the acrobatics are huge and big and up in your face. Acrobatically, I'm very satisfied."
But if there's one drawback, it may be that so much of "Viva Elvis" is inventive -- acrobatic non sequiturs; the dueling cowboys doing tricks with burning lassoes in "Mystery Train"; expertly edited video montages of Elvis singing or dancing that need no performance-related accompaniment -- that you may periodically forget about the man and get lost in the spectacle. You could argue for a less-is-more approach, but the extra efforts actually make for a fuller, more satisfying show.
All in all, "Viva Elvis" marks the late superstar's triumphant return to the city that relaunched his career. Said Ricotta: "We really wanted to attract younger audiences and bring Elvis to a whole new group of people. But at the same time, we wanted to keep Elvis' music recognizable to his traditional fans. And it's worked. Snoop Dogg came to the show. He loved it, and his kids loved it. He and other guests realized how long a shadow Elvis cast. He influenced music, fashion, movies, entertainment. He was one of the first people to have a cape [on stage]. He was the original king of bling."
Tickets for "Viva Elvis" are priced at $99, $125, $150 and $175, taxes and fees not included. There are two shows per night, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays.
For more information, go to www.arialasvegas.com/viva-elvis.