Below is a guest post written by Cirque du Soleil with quotes from CRISS ANGEL Believe Co-Writer and Director Serge Denoncourt.
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“I find the links between attraction and rejection, good and evil, and sexual urges extremely interesting. This is the world I investigate in my creations.”
—Serge Denoncourt
Co-Writer and Director of CRISS ANGEL Believe, Serge Denoncourt
Serge Denoncourt is known as a true man of the theatre with more than 80 productions to his credit, but he was planning to study medicine when he decided at the age of 18 to audition for the theatre program at a Montreal college called CEGEP Lionel-Groulx. He was accepted, and when he graduated in 1983 he started his career as an actor. In 1987 he demonstrated his inventiveness as a director for the first time, with the play Grand et Petit, by Botho Strauss.
Serge Denoncourt is steeped in theatre tradition and known for the visual beauty of his shows, which are typically marked by heightened imagery, vivid use of color and a deep examination of subtext. A versatile artist, Serge also stages operas and even delves into the world of variety shows.
With CRISS ANGEL Believe Serge has sought to return a sense of nobility to magic.
“I don’t like magic shows in general,” he says. “They lack emotion and any sense of a storyline. I took on CRISS ANGEL Believe from the position of one who doesn’t like those kinds of shows because they treat magic as an end in itself. My aim here is to take magic – and Cirque du Soleil – in a completely different direction.”
To be so lucky to work with Criss and his crew. I’d love to spend a day in the life of Criss Angel. His Believe show was awesome and I would jump on a plane right now to see it again. Great job.
@Jenny thanks so much for the comments! Glad you enjoyed CRISS ANGEL Believe. It’s definitely been a fun, exciting and amazing experience to not only work with Criss Angel but also Cirque du Soleil.
My husband and I were at the criss angel show believe last week in las vegas, it was the one and only show we picked and were so disappointed in the show its the first time in our iives we actually BOO.. the show and were asked to leave. When is it funny to make fun of people with a handicap your front line of performers, it was terrible. Criss Angel did nothing at all that was his usual performance ie. his T.V show, this show at the luxor was horrible, you can send back our money at anytime. Get him out of this horrible show before it ruins everthng else for criss angel. Come to think of it there were very few people that even clapped during most of this show.
Irene –
I’m sorry you feel that way. CRISS ANGEL Believe is a unique show that is very different from both your “typical” Cirque du Soleil show and what you “typically” see on Mindfreak. If you walk into the show with expectations of either or, you will most likely be disappointed.
Please keep in mind that the show *just* opened and as is the Cirque du Soleil process, they continue to refine the show in front of a public forum for several months/years. You can read more about their process here: http://cli.gs/JzQAjH. Other articles that help explain the process are: http://cli.gs/0ep4e5 and http://cli.gs/Ya01Hs
In terms of the illusions, if you haven’t read the Las Vegas Sun article, I think it’s a great article and gives much better insights into that part of the show than I ever could: http://cli.gs/AXXNXR
This was the worst show we’ve experienced. Extremely disappointed with Cirque & Criss Angel. We threw almost $1000 down the drain, and seven people were in awe of how poorly the show was.
I have to agree with Irene. We would love our money back also. Never will we recommend this show. Several patrons commented on this being the worst Cirque show they’ve experienced!! And let your staff know it’s not suitable for children. They assured us it would be fine for the kids. Guess again!
Paul-
I’m sorry you feel that way about the show. As I explained to Irene, please keep in mind that the show *just* opened and as is the Cirque du Soleil process, they continue to refine the show in front of a public forum for several months/years. You can read more about their process here: http://cli.gs/JzQAjH.
In addition, the rating for the show is for children 5 years and older. Morever, all our advertising about the show specifically says, “This show is not for the faint of heart.” This is what our staff has been instructed to tell guests.
Everyone has various opinions about the show. You can read @PSLove’s review here: http://cli.gs/ypbbpp
Hi Luxor LV,
We spent about $300 to see this experiment. I know you’re in the difficult position of having to defend this awful show but the explanations just don’t seem right. You’ve listed all the ways we will be disappointed if we have any preexisting thoughts entering the show. In the Luxor press conference on March 20, 2008 announcing the name of the show, they said, “”With this new project (the sixth Cirque du Soleil show at an MGM Mirage property) the magic of Criss Angel will be the core fused with the distinct Cirque elements of acrobatics, dance, puppetry, music and poetry. The storyline will be presented in a dreamlike setting, but ultimately this is a magic show the world has never seen and will re-define the experience.” Yet now the Luxor PR team is trying to down play the Magic as (at least in our viewing) it was virtually non existent and certainly nothing technically we haven’t seen better in other shows on the strip.
Next you go on about the Cirque “Process”, which evidently means that the discounted preview period which is there to fix the minor bugs in the show isn’t enough, so they experiment with the paying public at retail prices. Do you mention to the patrons like us that this is a sub par performance that could possibly be ok in the future when the producers get around to it but until then you will go on charging full prices for a show which the cirque “process” admits isn’t perfect and up to the standards they expect. If you paid retail prices for a show and then they told you it was a “work in progress” and would be fine in a year or so, would you really be happy?
Even Criss Angel said that he show would be 110% ready by the Halloween opening. I apologize for being upset but I just feel gouged by this admittedly unfinished production and the explanations just don’t seem to hold water. The sad reality is that all of this back peddling and spinning a bad show into part of the normal “process” just isn’t fair and an insult to all of the good patrons that trust the Luxor with their purchases.
James-
To address some of your comments:
Initial press releases are statements of intention. If you saw the storyboards, what was said on March 20 was 100% accurate. Personally, I think the show *is* presented in a dreamlike setting… I love the stage, the costumes and the ambiance of the whole theater.
I am not a PR person, but I am a marketing person. From Day One, we have worked on messaging that down plays both Mindfreak and Cirque du Soleil elements. To be honest, conveying that message in a 300×250 banner ad is a more difficult task than I envisioned and clearly, we have not done a good job of it. We are working to improve.
To be fair to Cirque du Soleil, their Creative Process never stops. Even shows like Mystere, O and LOVE continue to be tweaked. Nine years from now CRISS ANGEL Believe will still be an evolving show.
oh my gosh all about criss angel believe show its so amazing good and that i loved his amazing magic tricks its facking cool and the hotel so amazing cool how its got a biggest light that so cool how it does that
James… Well said. You said what all of us are thinking. No amount of luxor, cirque or angel PR spin is going to change that.
I just got back from Vegas and just saw BeLIEve. I have to throw my opinion in and state this has been the best show my wife and I have ever seen. WE have seen every Cirque du Soleil show in Vegas and some of the traveling ones. I absolutely hate all the critics and people stating he didn’t do any “tricks” from Mindfreak. OF COURSE NOT!!!!! Its not a David Copperfield or Lance Burton show, its as it states it is… a Cirque du Soleli show. How hard is this to understand. I don’t want to ruin the show for others, but the basic theme is he pretends to start a “typical” magic show, it goes wrong, and now you are in the mind of Criss Angel… What don’t people understand about this storyline that Cirque du Soleli shows are known for and not a typical cable show????
I hate the general public stating I wanted to see Mindfreak… well you know what it wasn’t desgined to be this.
My wife and I loved every minute of it. I heard one guy walking out saying that it would have been better with the girls and the smoke. I had to turn around and say that I guess you shouldn’t have come to a Cirque du Soleli show then.
If you want to see a very well written and designed Cirque du Soleli show, you have to watch it!
I am glad that I found this forum where I can reach someone from the Luxor to congratulate them and the Believe team. We were in Vegas from Nov. 17-21, 2008 and stayed at the Luxor for the first time.
We have been to Las Vegas several times, but wanted to stay at the Luxor and see Believe. My husband and I LOVED the show.
Among many other aspects of the production (costumes, dramatic effects, etc.), we loved how close and personal Criss was with the audience and the dramatic performance.
Criss Angel and the Cirque du Soleil team left us with a sense of excitement. We are actually planning on returning to see the show to see how it has evolved. Their hard work and talent was very apparant.
We are saddened at the negative opinions because we really admire Criss Angel’s work and dedication, but we respect them. I think that it’s a matter of missed expectations.
We have seen many of the Cirque du Soleil shows and Believe is neither a Cirque du Soleil show, nor a Mindfreak show. My husband and I do have some humble recommendations that may help to make the production appeal to a wider audience (Mindfreak fans as well as those who do not know Criss Angel’s work yet). I would like to know how to direct those to the appropriate person (if this is possible, could please email me?).
In addition, our stay at the Luxor was extraordinary. We have stayed at other hotels, including the Paris. However, at the Luxor, from the moment we were making reservations for the hotel and show, everyone was friendly, knowledgeable, and accessible.
We had the best food and entertainment at all price ranges, and because of the Luxor staff’s excellent recommendations, we were able to see several shows, with great seats, and stay in a room in the pyramid (3 nights for the price of 2).
We recommended the Luxor and Believe everwhere we could- on the Deuce up and down the strip, waiting in restaurants and now, back at home. It is a moving production that brought back a child-like excitement that I had not felt in a long time. Thank you!
Great web-site!!! You did an amazing job!!! I enjoyed watching the videos!!! You guys are great!
Talking about ideas, there\s this really good show, which I like a lot, and I\m sure you\ve heared about it. It\s called STOMP. What these guys do is so cool, I saw them live in NY. I\m sure you can do the same and even better. It really turns people on. Just an idea, hope it could be any helpful.
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I am a huge fan of Cirque and Criss Angel. I saw Believe last week after the show had been closed for 2 weeks (reportedly to make refinements). What a trainwreck! Visually/aesthetically beautiful, dark and intriguing. Beyond that…self-indulgant, hackneyed slop. From the 9th row I saw the trap doors in use three times, Criss remove cables from his back twice and one lady struggle with Criss’s harness once. Just pathetic. The show is even slow in parts with poor transitions. Forget about whether one loves Cirque and Criss, this show is just a poorly executed flop. One massive missed opportunity after another. The theater was more than 1/3 empty and Cirque gave me a free ticket to Mystere for the following night. 11 people walked out after 50 minutes. Criss and Serge, go back to the drawing board. Wade Robson, you are a master choreographer and you gave us this???? Total disappointment.
I agree with James, What a Train Wreck! If you Decide to Watch this Show, Read all the comments posted on other sites. I wish we had walked out in the first 50 min, but of course we were hoping it might get better. Luxor Your show is comparable to the Titantic’s Demise.
Was not happy at all with the show Believe. We have been to all of the other Cirque Du Soleil shows and this was the only one we thought was terrible. A lot of mistakes in the show which were quite obvious. If this is suppose to be a work in process then maybe a lesser price should have been in place. We also were going to walk out of the show early but decided to to stay in hopes it would get better. It didnt!!