Tapis Rouge @ The Beatles Revolution Lounge and LOVE Cirque du Soleil
In The Mirage in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Earth
By Christine A. Justice, aka Xtine from Global Peace Grooves
www.myspace.com/globalpeacegrooves
www.globalpeacegrooves.org
Photographs by Julie Kasperson & Xtine as seen on side navigation bar.
Tapis Rouge is a new event beginning June 26th, 2008.
Tapis means carpet in French. Rouge means red in French. Oh, Tapis sounds like “Happy.”
Tapis Rouge is a Red Carpet event for LOVE Cirque du Soleil. Tapis Rouge incorporates food, drink, gifts, hosts, and a V.I.P escort from The Beatles Revolution Lounge to the LOVE theatre, a separate concession stand, the show LOVE itself with VIP seating, and free access to Revolution Lounge for one week.
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www.CirqueDuSoleil.com
1.866.236.5652
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Two things as a disclaimer:
1) I have a pet peeve about a commonly asked question during interviews often seen in magazines like Blender or Rolling Stone or In Style (music/fashion/ lifestyle/ culture magazines):
Which you do prefer: The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?
For me I turn into a Swiss about it. I’m a fence sitter. I LOVE BOTH The Beatles and The Stones.
Come on! That’s like saying the hamburger or the bun. (or the veggie burger or the whole grain bun)
2) People often become jaded about all things Las Vegas after living here for a while. Heck, people often become jaded about Las Vegas after a few days visit. Furthermore, there are probably people who are jaded about Las Vegas from simply hearing about Las Vegas.
The billion dollar hotels, the barrage of billboards everywhere: in the bathrooms, on the side of the roadways, outside and inside of every hotel and in McCarran Airport. The temptations of culinary giants who call Las Vegas their stomping grounds with their installments of gourmet dining experiences. The shows, which are in such great numbers, that it leads one to believe that Las Vegas is becoming a second Broadway. Half-a-dozen Cirque du Soleil shows in one city.
When you live here you become very familiar with the ‘marketing machine’ surrounding Las Vegas because everyone you know will come to visit you after you move here. You get to know the McCarran airport very well from all the trips of picking people up and dropping them off. You see the advertisements for what Las Vegas is offering at the baggage claim area. Friends who work at the airport will tell stories about how someone won $1,000,000 on a slot machine in the airport terminal. You end up supporting all things Las Vegas because your loved ones aren’t really here to see you; they’re here to be entertained!
People often take for granted that Las Vegas is synonymous for entertainment.
’Welcome to The Entertainment Capital of The World!” Perhaps many surmise it’s the product of some cleverly orchestrated campaign of the convention authority(What Happens in Vegas… Your Vegas is showing…etc). Maybe it’s the gaming board trying to cleverly disguise gambling by calling it entertainment. Or perhaps our honorable Mayor Oscar Goodman showing up in TV programs, films and national media outlets proclaiming that Las Vegas is the most exciting city in the world. Robin Leach, since being one of the original hosts of the TV program Entertainment Tonight in the early 1980’s , which started it’s broadcast in Las Vegas, has been claiming that Las Vegas is turning into a true world class entertainment destination, including being a culinary destination.
The fact that you go to Las Vegas for food, entertainment, clubbing, shopping and Cirque du Soleil is somehow engrained in people’s common imagery and knowledge of Las Vegas. Even with declining convention attendance and wedding revenues, Las Vegas is still the marriage capital of the world and the number one convention gathering place in the states. It’s also home to the number one retail (mall) space in the USA; Simon Corps. Forum Shops @ Caesar’s Palace. Las Vegas is a place for culinary superstars such as: Daniel Boulud and Philippe Rispoli @ Daniel Boulud Brasserie @ Wynn, Joel Rubuchon @ The Mansion & L’atelier de Joel Rubuchon at MGM Grand, the only two USA restaurants of Chef Rubuchon, who has earned as many as 3 Michelin stars during his career. Wolfgang Puck has six restaurants in sin city: Spago and Chinois @ Caesar’s Palace, Trattoria del Lupo at Mandalay Bay, The Bistro @ MGM Grand,Cili @ the Four Seasons of Mandalay Bay, and CUT at The Palazzo Tower of the Venetian. Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grille is in Caesar’s Palace. Simon (Kerry Simon now in Palms Place), Nobu Matsuhia’s Nobu is in the Hard Rock Hotel, Mario Batali’s Carnevino Italian Steakhouse is @ The Palazzo Tower of The Venetian, Andre Rochat of Alize, a Michelin rated restaurant in The Palms also has Andre’s in The Monte Carlo hotel. The winner of season two of the TV show Hell’s Kitchen with Gordon Ramsay Heather West has a restaurant Terra Rossa in Red Rock Station Resort in Summerlin. Emeril Lagasse’s New Orleans fish house is in the MGM Grand. Certified Master Chef Gustav Mauler owns two restaurants in the J. W. Marriott in Summerlin(northwest Las Vegas) and Sazio in The Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas just west of the strip. In addition to the newish culinary talent in the Las Vegas valley, there are tried and true restaurants that people often recommend such as Hugo’s Cellar in The Four Queens, Pamplemouse on E. Sahara near Paradise Road, Coachman’s Inn on Eastern road and The Peppermill is a local favorite for 24-7 old school Las Vegas style meals. Other recent restaurant darlings include Panevino on Via Antonia just off of Sunset Road, Origin India off Paradise Road, and Firefly Spanish tapas, sangria and art gatherings also on Paradise and Sands. The Las Vegas installment of Tao in The Venetian is a powerhouse of food, lounging and clubbing not rivaled by Tao in New York. Robin Leach was right. Las Vegas is a world class culinary destination.
The Mirage has seen a marvelous transformation during the past several years. Since the corporate takeover of MGM-Mirage for Steve Wynn’s properties, including The Mirage, a jewel of a property smack dab in the middle of the strip, many of MGM’s properties have undergone a make over. Not all buildings get imploded in Las Vegas for entertainment purposes. The Mirage, complete with a volcano, gorgeous botanical gardens, the shark tank at the check in reception desk, Dale Chilhuly’s glass art and Siegfried & Roy show. Siegfried & Roy (due to Roy’s tragic accident) are no longer at The Mirage. MGM-Mirage was willing, ready and able to refine and reassess the needs of the hotels clientele to be open and responsive to new ideas. Ideas like welcoming Jet nightclub and Stack restaurant to The Mirage (two of The Light Group’s companies- Light formerly the name of the club in Bellagio, now known as The Bank. The Light group will have its own building in MGM’s City Centre, an $8 Bill. Project on Las Vegas Blvd. and Harmon south to The Monte Carlo). The Mirage now has the second in the world installation of The Carnegie Deli (Just try to finish one of their corned beef sandwiches by yourself). Impressionist Danny Gans will soon be reunited with Steve Wynn @ The Wynn resort after signing a contract that will take him from his near five-year home of The Mirage. The Mirage has signed NBC’s America’s Got Talent winner Terry Factor. Mr. Factor, who is a ventriloquist with seven puppets, also sings, does comedy and is an impressionist. And The Mirage has LOVE and Revolution. Revolution Lounge. LOVE The Beatles show with Cirque du Soleil. And a store for THE BEATLES called Love Boutique.
For those interested in the ultimate Beatles/Cirque du Soleil experience but also expect your experience to be the caliber of Las Vegas ‘entertainment’, try getting tickets for Tapis Rouge. Dining, drinks and a show is nothing new for Las Vegas, but it’s been almost phased out with the exception of a few (Tournament of Kings at Excalibur is one I can think of). Of the six (the sixth will be Criss Angel’s Cirque du Soleil show called 'Believe' at The Luxor slated to open this September) Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas, this is the only one that I know of with a V.I.P package which includes a pre-show happy hour with hors d’oeuvres and drinks, hostess’ and V.I.P ushers and a bag of swag (goodies/ mementos from the show).
People expect entertainment when they come to Las Vegas. They expect food. They expect to see some neon and/ or bright lights that resemble neon (argon, strobe lights, etc). They expect to see stores with merchandise related to their experience while traveling here. They know that Cirque du Soleil is synonymous with Las Vegas. Since the late 1980’s Las Vegas has had Mystere at T. I. (formerly known as Treasure Island), O at Bellagio, Zumanity at New York, New York, Ka at MGM Grand, soon to be Cris Angel’s Cirque du Soleil at The Luxor and LOVE at The Mirage. All these shows are in MGM properties. MGM must love the Circus.
Tapis Rouge takes place in Revolution Lounge and in the Love theatre. The Apple bar sits behind the approximately 40 feet wide, 10 feet tall letters:
R E V O L U T I O N.
Revolution is a word that interior designers used to define the space between the aisle way to the gaming floor of The Mirage and presumably as a way to let people know it’s a Beatles enterprise. Las Vegas never has a ‘closing time’ so be assured that there are patrons gathering at the Apple bar as a ‘watering hole’ 24-7. The Revolution Lounge is open 7 nights per week as a club from 11 PM till dawn (sometimes). The façade of the word Revolution actually has enough room for go go dancers to stand inside of the individual letters or for patrons of The Apple bar to sit on. Inside Revolution lounge one will see tables for patrons to sit with “European Bottle Service” during the late night activities. DJ’s entertain, people club, high energy and loud music is enjoyed.
Stacking events in lounges/ clubs is commonplace these days in Las Vegas. There are several lounges with exclusively ‘European Bottle Service’ that used to be simply a bar in the hotel. There are several restaurants that after serving food turn into a lounge and / or club. Depending on the event and evening, the difference between a lounge and a club is the amount of people and how much money you have to pay and the entertainment.
Tapis Rouge is a different type of event in a lounge in that it’s held in Revolution Lounge before the LOVE show. People can only attend this event if they purchase a package of the Tapis Rouge hors d’oeuvres, drinks, mingling and the LOVE show.
It’s held from 5 PM until 6:30 PM before the 7 PM showing of LOVE. The later set of Tapis Rouge is from 8 PM until 9:30 PM before the 10 PM showing of LOVE. The food is provided by the culinary staff of The Mirage. Passed hors d’oeuvres included seared tuna, duck comfit, carrot mouse, and edible orchids with foie gras. There were chocolate covered strawberries interlaced with the floral arrangements that adorned the tables. Servers offered chocolate truffles shaped like stuffed olives. Four signature drinks that are offered in the open bar feature of Tapis Rouge were: Bungalow Bill, a Martini with fresh blueberries, lime and vodka, Lovely Rita, a gin and vodka martini with Cointreau, Mean Mr. Mustard, a champagne, rum and vodka beverage, and a ‘shots’drink made with four different flavors of Stoli Vodka called The Fab Four. The gift bag, presented with sturdy cord handles, had a copy of the shows program, which is printed on 100% recycled paper, a set of Tapis Rouge deluxe drink coasters and the recipe for the four signature drinks for Tapis Rouge, and a LOVE martini glass. The vip passes are attached to a rope necklace and are holograms with the shows trademark artwork. The music featured for Tapis Rouge is the Beatles music and video clips are of characters of the show and The Beatles, compiled for display by the company Moment Factor. The holographic interactive images on many of the VIP tables in Revolution Lounge were designed by Moment Factors of Montreal, Canada as well.
Tickets for Tapis Rouge can be purchased @
www.CirqueduSoleil.com
702.792.7777 0r 1-866-236-5652
www.mirage.com
1.800.627.6667
The price of $295 includes VIP seating and all Tapis Rouge elements.
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Tapis Rouge Continuted....
Review of LOVE show:
From the appearance of the attitudes of the staff of Revolution Lounge and The Apple Bar, the LOVE boutique and the LOVE theatre, you get the feeling that everyone loves their job. The performers of the LOVE show seem just as jazzed to sing and dance along to the show even while in the aisles while other members of the production perform their solos. Cirque du Soleil has fabulous music for all their shows, but with The Fab Four’s music the true spirit of LOVE and Revolution come to life with the world class aerialists, skaters, gymnasts, dancers and every other type of talent the Cirque du Soleil folks do expertly. The last project of George Harrison, Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Star, LOVE’s music was re-engineered by Sir George Martin and Giles Martin to include 26 different songs/ medleys. A cast of 66 in all parts of the LOVE theatre along with the screens, props, and a somewhat interactive element in the show makes you realize this show is a collective experience. Many people sing along to the songs they know by heart, and many attendees know ALL the shows songs by heart. Silhouettes of The Beatles performing and speaking to each other and the audience appear on the screens.
The show begins with an a cappella song “Because” then blasts into the explosive energy of “Get Back.” The emotional turmoil of the Blitz during W.W.II can be felt from the performance with props. You can feel how it influenced the members of The Beatles during their formative years. The child in the bed that takes us on a journey throughout their life becomes our window to the collective experiences of The Beatles and the culture that has developed from being exposed to The Beatles music and creeds over the past forty five years. The hysteria of ‘Beatle-mania’ with a screen reviewing of The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show and many other multi-media scrapbook vignettes illustrates the nostalgia and history of their career.
“Something” is a number that although may seem simple in nature to some, was simply erotic and poignantly romantic. The aerialists/gymnasts/dancers performance during this part of the show helped this classic love song dig even deeper into the “butterflies” section of my heart! “Being for the benefit of Mr. Kite” is a circus of the Cirque meets The Beatles. The devilish character on the pendulous swing high in the air teases the audience into an awestruck frenzy during the climax of the song. “Yesterday” is a song that my late Grandmother said reminded her of her long lost loves and meant something to her. I will always be reminded of her when I hear the song and I know that other people become equally sentimental while listening to this song because it’s apparent in near melancholic but yet still pleasant images gestured by the performances during this section of the show: Children flying kites, a young couples energetic embrace after a period of absence from one another and people full of spring in their step.
The audience age group for LOVE is from tweens up to what marketing-wise is referred to as ‘Grey Panthers.’ Family members who have seen the show reported that they loved LOVE so much! My step-father said because there are speakers ear-level in the individual seats you hear every instrument and every vocal. He said that during “The Walrus” you could hear “ho ho ho, he he he, ha ha ha” like they were laughing right n your ear” and “every little horn going ‘phamp bump’ like they were nearby.”
During several numbers there are props that help draw the audience into the performance. “Within you without you” is one of them. The prop encroached us all. We became one with the production. Togetherness is a strong message from The Beatles and Cirque du Soleil. During “Lucy in the sky with diamonds,” the lights coming at you with the penetration of the music helped re-create some recreational experiences I’ve had in the past, but without chemicals. I’m sure that everyone loves the sweet nature of “Octopus’s Garden” compete with Octopi. During “Here comes the sun” I was thinking LOVE illustrates the range of influences The Beatles have culturally, including reflection and meditation in addition to the other subjects the show demonstrated thus far. We were actually performing group meditation!
During “Help!” there are skaters and other athletic feats being done on a genuine half-pipe. “Revolution” has people jumping on mini trampolines in frenzy. There are people from the floor to the ceiling and you wonder even if you saw the show a dozen times if you would catch everything that is going on. “A day in the life” wraps up a journey of the show, the lives of The Beatles as shown in LOVE, and gives the illusion that we’re collectively experiencing similar events together. Everyone sings “Hey Jude” together towards the end of the number. “All you need is love” is a fabulous anthem/ mantra for the ending of one of my favorite entertainment experiences. There are many Cirque du Soleil’s around the world. They each have their assets, but only LOVE has The Beatles.
There is a walkway alongside the LOVE store to the LOVE theatre in blazing neon-like underneath your feet with a neon wall with mirrored silhouettes of The Beatles. It’s one of the premiere places to take pictures in Las Vegas (see it’s me in Las Vegas)! Sure you can buy shot glasses and playing cards in the LOVE store. It IS Vegas after all. You can buy The Beatles music there in cd form and re-releases of The Beatles music on vinyl. There is new merchandise like t-shirts, backpacks, hats and socks (my daddy bought me a pair of “All you need is love” socks). You can also buy memorabilia and limited edition artwork in the store.
I remember when I saw a copy of The Beatles The Anthology book at C.S.N’s bookstore (C.S.N = College of Southern Nevada). I bought it because I wanted to get it along with the required textbooks for my classes that semester. I then found out there is a class “The Beatles” offered at college! I was pleasantly surprised to see The Beatles The Anthology book in the LOVE store. The film Across The Universe released last year featuring music from The Beatles is a favorite of mine. I remember learning to sing while listening to Meet The Beatles, Revolver, Help!, and St. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band albums on the family’s stereo console encased in wood. My twelve-year-old daughter picked out a t-shirt for her to wear to school @ Wal-Mart that said “All You Need Is Love.” The Beatles have influenced so much in our lives.
So now you know, you can have food, drinks and a show at Revolution and LOVE in The Mirage. The package is called Tapis Rouge. You can still go to Revolution for clubbin’ from 11 PM onwards for the seven-nights-per-week events. You can walk up and shop at the LOVE boutique. Tapis Rouge including food, drinks and LOVE show
Starting at 5 PM & 8 PM
Love is dark Tuesday and Wednesday. There are 476 shows per year. Love opened June 30, 2006. They expect the show to run a total of ten years.
Spotted @ Tapis Rouge June 19th were Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Norm Clarke of Norms Confidential (page two) and Robin Leach, of Entertainment Tonight, Lifestyles of The Rich and Famous and loads of TV events that promote Las Vegas.
Thanks to everyone who made our evening so special from the pr personnel, the hosts and hostesses, the culinary and beverage servers, the usher staff, the shows performers and the umbrella of executives both at Cirque du Soleil and MGM-Mirage
I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m really awake and aware that a show like this is here in ‘sin city.’ I’m considerably less jaded because of the changes of attitude that LOVE has created here in Las Vegas.
Respect, Peace and Light
Xtine on the sin city scene
