Cirque du Soleil now dominates Las Vegas with its many shows. This is partly because there are no words required, so the many foreign visitors can have a good time, and partly because the shows are for the most part thrilling. They have now ventured into the unknown by trying to marry bad-boy magician Criss Angel with the ingenuity of Cirque du Soleil.
One has to applaud this effort, even if it is ultimately a few steps below the other shows. Called Criss Angel Believe, the show borrows its title from the secret word Houdini left behind in case he ever managed to communicate from the dead. Criss Angel is a modern day Houdini who has been thrilling his audiences with his provocative magic for quite awhile now, mainly through his television show, aptly called Mindfreak.
The story, loosely, is that Criss has hurt himself doing a trick, and must find his way through a field of killer bunnies, four clowns, and a devil that is out to destroy him and his bride. Not exactly stuff for kids. The Cirque stuff and Criss' magic don’t always gel perfectly, and Criss is left to be the narrator - and he is not an actor. The show also relies on film from his television show, so you might wonder why you are paying so much money when so much is filmed. The magic isn’t all that exciting either: disappearing acts, Houdini’s escape from a straitjacket, and doves and bunnies aren’t exactly revolutionary.
The show is beautiful to look at, though, from the crazy machines that the Cirque has come up with to the wildly fanciful costumes. Criss Angel is signed on for a ten-year contract and will be constantly updating the show and making it better. As it is, the show is already very entertaining, colorful, fun, and enthralling, but it could be better, as I expect it will be.
Criss Angel wrote, conceived, and directed the show with the help of Pierre Phaneuf and Serge Denoncourt. The set design by Ray Winkler helps to establish the weird Victorian feel of the piece. The elaborate costumes were designed by Meredith Caron.
Criss Angel Believe plays at the Luxor Hotel in a beautifully designed theater built especially for the show.
Article comments
1 - Orphie
Given author's other credentials, one would expect a review such as this to be well written.
2 - Harm Thomas
I just saw this show on 12/30/08 and it was a train wreck. The magic is weak and, by Cirque standards, so was the the show. Criss does not carry the audience well through this performance. Many of the tricks are difficult to see due to poor lighting or stagecraft. This is an extremely substandard production for Cirque and, perhaps, the worst professional illusion show I've ever witnessed.
3 - Ken
He is to in love with Hef's left over plastic bunny to care about his show.
4 - Jessica
I saw BeLIEve three separate times in December 2008 and I think it is a great show. It was a great exploration into Criss' mind -- the music, illusions, costumes, characters, everything, was fantastic!
I can't wait to see it again!
--Jessica
5 - Robin
I am going to Vegas next month and would have loved to get tickets to see his show. I think the guy is super but I have no respect for his girlfriend. I think Holly is a user and a gold digger. Knowing she is there every night just turns me off. Because of this HO I will NOT spend money on seeing this show.
Maybe the next time I go back to Vegas if she isn't at his show I would love to go see it. I think Criss Angel is the BEST MAGICIAN OUT THERE but his HO has to go. I will not have my children sit in the same room as her.
6 - yen woo ping
All I can say to Criss Angel is "quit while you are ahead."
7 - roland
He is a dam good street performer, but the Luxor has really taken the wind from his sails. His show started w/one of his famous street acts, but then quickly turned in to a big theater production that went nowhere! Lot of dancing?!?! Sad he will be there for the next 10 years like he mentioned during his show. My advice watch his TV show (it’s cheaper) and spend your $ elsewhere
8 - Rene
The worst show EVER... I want my money back.
It is a shame that Cirque Du Soileil would put his name to this fake Magic / Artist Show.
Criss has no talent to host, to tell jokes and to get people involved. It is so bad, you can actually see the tricks before it happens.
People falling asleep, dissapointed and upset would be the comments on the hallways.
Save your money and gamble it, better chance of a return than the show itself.
9 - Rudy Guerrero
The WORST magic show I have ever seen, I went to his show at luxor april, 2009, I was very dissapointed the magic was very weak, I saw Cooperfield couple years ago and that show was incredible.
10 - George
If you don't read my entire commentary. Please DO NOT see the show Believe.
I am a dedicated Cirque De Soleil fan. I've seen Mystere 4 times, Zumanity twice, Ka once and O once. I love Cirque so much that I'd go to Vegas just to see another show. I've been going to see Cirque shows for years and even saw their show that came to our town. There are very few things about the Cirque shows that is bothersome.
Occasionally too much dancing about pointlessly in costumes and frequently too much babbling in French. It seems nonsensical and is not entertaining. But the story lines make no difference to me even though they are often a bit odd. Instead I am there to be awed and inspired by the performers and the performances. I always am both awed and inspired! I love Cirque! (until Believe). I saw Criss Angel on TV and on You Tube. Seemed impressive. I liked the acts and the style.
But “Believe” is the very worst possible combination of Cirque silly and Criss not doing what he's known for. Nope you will not see a single one of his famous acts (like levitation or walking on water and the others that are great from Criss Angel). I think he was trying to be an actor instead of a magician, he failed. It was horrible. He should stick to his unique brand and style of magic instead.
Sadly there was zero “real” magic in this act, none at all. Nothing, not a single thing in this act was believable. There were about 5 attempts at theatrics/magic, but nothing I'd consider “real magic” acts.
And the Cirque addition was a HUGE subtraction. It was some sort of theatrics rather than magic. The one that really made me want to walk out was when he walked up a wall. What they did was hide the entire act, so you didn't feel it was magic at all. He was way back in a dimly lit stage. Anyone could hide a cable back there.
FLOP. It was worse than a total waste of time. A gentleman next to me has been going to Vegas for 40 years. Half way into the show he told me how utterly disappointing he was. I agreed. I really wanted to boo loudly throughout the performance and especially when I realized it ended and NOTHING had HAPPENED. I'm actually regretting that I did not openly boo the act so that Criss knew it. I wish he just stopped the show and did some impromptu stuff. It would have been better.
The Cirque dancing about was entirely lame and the very stuff I hate about Cirque. It was just distracting and plain annoying. There were no classical high wire acts, no amazing physical performances at all. NOTHING.
The music was way too loud. In fact the music was so loud and exciting it led the audience to believe that something great would happen and it never did. Build up to NOTHING. The so-called magic was just theatrics. It violated all the tenets of magic.
The single act by Mr Angel that I liked has been done by every magician on the strip already and because Mr Angel was supposed to be unique until now, it totally stunk. Pulling birds out of one's sleeve is way too classic as well.
NOTHING happened that we've come to expect from Mr Angel. The show should be SHUT DOWN. It makes me dislike Criss Angel for duping me and ripping me off and it left a terrible taste in my mouth regarding Cirque as well. I feel quite taken and quite hurt by this show.
Bottom line, I can never trust Cirque brand again. I will never send my money to Criss Angel again. I will share my unhappiness everywhere I possibly can. If I could find a way to get a REFUND, I would. They should admit that they failed and refund every single ticket. TERRIBLE.
11 - Jen
Something that I've found funny since the conception of this show... when you look at any promo pages, posters, or flyers for the show... notice the letters in the middle that are highlighted/in bold? beLIEve. It's all about the lies ;-)
12 - TimL
I saw this show (7-29-09), never thinking to read reviews prior to purchasing tickets. The other Cirque du Soleil shows we've seen have been good to great. A new Cirque show featuring the talents and charisma of Criss Angel should be sure winner. Or so we thought. If you haven't bought tickets yet, but you are thinking about seeing "Believe," READ THE REVIEWS! Most are spot-on. Sadly, Angel's show was a huge disappointment. Awful. And I hear it's been recently "improved." I would hate to have seen the previous show. Anyone who gives this show a good review has to be a paid employee, desperate to keep Believe from going permanently dark.
If you want lots of magic and amazing illusions, you won't find it in Believe. The few tricks Angel does show come across as simple and low-budget: now-I'm here, now-I'm-not, and birds-up-the-sleeve stuff. Ok. So maybe it's more of a Cirque show than a magic show, argue a few of the paid-Believe-employee-critics. Cirque fans should be as equally disappointed as the Angel/magic fans. The sets pale in comparison to those at Love, La Rev, etc., as do the performers / dancers.
Criss Angel will irreparably ruin his career if he does not immediately fix this horrible show or end his involvement in it. Similarly, Cirque du Soleil should pull the plug on this dud until it can be brought up to the standard of it's other shows that audiences have come to expect.
13 - RAY DIMAIO
When I saw this show with my kids, who were visiting from North Carolina, I was very pumped up. The kids were true fans and asked me to get the tickets. The show was a travesty. Totally rotten to the core. My kids were truly sorry that they asked me to spend the $588 it cost for the 4 of us to see this fake.