Las Vegas Review-Journal

Cirque’s ‘Beatles Love’ to end its 18-year run at Mirage

- By The Associated Press

The final curtain will come down this summer on Cirque du Soleil’s long-running show “The Beatles Love,” a cultural icon on the Las Vegas Strip that brought band members Paul Mccartney and Ringo Starr back together for public appearance­s throughout its 18-year run.

The entertainm­ent company announced Tuesday that the show housed at the Mirage would end July 7, as part of the iconic resort’s major renovation plan to rebrand itself into the Hard Rock Las Vegas.

Cirque du Soleil Entertainm­ent Group CEO Stéphane Lefebvre said in a statement that more than 11.5 million people have seen the show, an energetic portrayal of the Beatles’ history and music with aerial stunts and whimsical dance numbers on a colorful, 360-degree stage.

“We are grateful to the creators, cast, crew and all involved in bringing this show to life,” Lefebvre said, “and we know ‘The Beatles Love’ will live on long after the final bow.”

The production premiered in the summer of 2006, with red carpet appearance­s by both Mccartney and Starr, as well as Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, wife of the late Beatle George Harrison.

They reunited a year later to celebrate the show’s first anniversar­y.

According to Cirque, the show was born out of the friendship between Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté and Harrison, the Beatles’ lead guitarist who died in 2001.

Its current cast includes 11 original members from the show’s inception, according to Cirque. The performanc­es feature more than 11,000 costume pieces, including 250 pairs of shoes and 225 wigs.

Audiences throughout the show’s run have been showered with a combined 13.5 tons of confetti during the final act, according to Cirque.

“Beatles Love” is one of six Cirque production­s on the Las Vegas Strip. Tickets for the final shows in July will go on sale in the coming weeks.

 ?? MATT BEARD / SPECIAL TO THE SUN (2016) ?? Two Cirque du Soleil acrobats perform during the “Here Comes the Sun” portion of “The Beatles Love” at the Mirage in 2016. The production, seen by more than 11.5 million people since its debut in 2006, is slated to close this summer.
MATT BEARD / SPECIAL TO THE SUN (2016) Two Cirque du Soleil acrobats perform during the “Here Comes the Sun” portion of “The Beatles Love” at the Mirage in 2016. The production, seen by more than 11.5 million people since its debut in 2006, is slated to close this summer.

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