Last month when in Vegas for CES I took the opportunity to catch a couple of Cirque du Soleil’s permanent shows, Love and O. One disappointed and one amazed.

As a Beatles fan I’d been dying to see Love ever since its launch. I heard good reviews from friends and quite enjoyed the soundtrack – blended mixes of the classic tunes re-produced by Sir George Martin and his son Giles. Staged at an impressive venue within The Mirage, it was clear that Love was designed to overwhelm. Beatles + Vegas + Cirque… everything about it is big. And, from watching a making-of documentary about it, there were clearly some big egos and big expectations involved as well. It definitely had it’s moments but in the end it fell flat for me – perhaps because it was too much musical and not enough cirque or probably because it simply wasn’t how I’d imagined these vintage songs coming to life. My expectations were likely too high.

The same can’t be said for O. I knew nothing about it other than that it was CdS’s first and only water show, and that it was at the Bellagio. But from the opening of the grand (and I mean grand) curtain, it was apparent that this production was something special. Truly magnificent in every way – set design, athleticism, peculiar characters, choreography, music, costumes, stage transitions – O far surpassed the two other (outstanding) Cirque shows I’d seen before this trip (Dralion and Corteo). O did big well. A definite must-see if you’re visiting Las Vegas.

Beatles CES circus Cirque du Soleil Las Vegas Love O performance