Sneak peak at Criss Angel's 'Believe'
September 29, 2008 | 10:28
am
On Friday night I became among the first to see Criss Angel's "Believe." It
is both a Criss Angel show and a Cirque show. And it is also clearly a work in
progress. Two crucial illusions were not ready for inclusion on the night I saw it.
Cirque heavily reworks shows over time, especially in the early months. I
saw "Zumanity," Cirque's show at New York New York, three times in its opening
months and saw three different shows, the changes were so extensive.
That said, this show has serious challenges that are impossible to ignore ahead of
it. I will offer my thoughts in a moment on those challenges. But my opinion is not important compared with the paying audience. And, though less jaded than I, the audience also saw the obvious problems with "Believe." Vegas audiences are
usually very forgiving; look at the people who still applaud the living remains of Wayne Newton. But the audience that saw "Believe" with me was appalled,
based on the comments I heard. And Doug Elfman of the Review-Journal was
outside the theater the night I was there and the next night recording
audience reactions that were uniformly negative.
Elfman writes: "I interviewed more than a dozen people after Friday's and Saturday's shows, and I listened to groups chat after they exited the theater. They weren't just disappointed. Some were enraged." In his front-page story based on audience reaction, Elfman concludes that, "Currently, 'Believe,' is a possibly unsalvageable 'waste of time' and a 'dead end' that literally bored some audience members to sleep." Brutal.
Audience reaction and word of mouth are what sell a production in Vegas, and Cirque and Angel should be deeply concerned by the consistency of negative response. However, Elfman was making conclusions based on audience opinions, but crucially, he did not see the show.
Elfman writes: "I interviewed more than a dozen people after Friday's and Saturday's shows, and I listened to groups chat after they exited the theater. They weren't just disappointed. Some were enraged." In his front-page story based on audience reaction, Elfman concludes that, "Currently, 'Believe,' is a possibly unsalvageable 'waste of time' and a 'dead end' that literally bored some audience members to sleep." Brutal.
Audience reaction and word of mouth are what sell a production in Vegas, and Cirque and Angel should be deeply concerned by the consistency of negative response. However, Elfman was making conclusions based on audience opinions, but crucially, he did not see the show.
Whatever the problems with "Believe," the show is not "unsalvageable." The costumes, look and music of the show are impressive props. The dancers are
talented. The problem is the very confusing premise that I think is at the core
of the show, and even that premise is promising. Illusionist Angel, through an
accident, winds up in a Cirque-created world of magic. But if that is the
story of "Believe," then Cirque has to reconcile itself to having a headliner
whose personality puts over the show. Right now "Believe" loses
energy the moment Angel enters the mystery world of Cirque and becomes, for the most part, a spectator. He possesses mighty powers, hangs
out a little and returns to our world healed enough to sing along with a taped
version of his television theme song as the audience walks out. Where is the man's dialouge? Does he have thoughts of what is going on with his body in the "real" world or what he is viewing in the land of Cirque creations? We never learn. Angel turns mostly silent.
Yet, Angel as a television character and a celebrity is all
personality. The question is an interesting one as a premise for a
show: How would a magician in our world of physics, in which each illusion is a
careful trick, respond to a land where his powers are real and magic creates the
rules? Angel's stage personality is the perfect mix of likable everyman
and shrewd and knowing guide. But "Believe" dodges this question by depriving
Angel of almost any dialogue in response to the visually lush, dark and
heavily symbolic world he lands inside. Angel and his compelling personality may be the
center of the show but they are not at the heart. Instead, Angel is at the side figuratively and literally for much of the
show. He can not dance as well as the dancers, move as well as the acrobats or
meet the talent demands of any of Cirque's routines, and so he is a spectator
when not brought out for an illusion. This results in two shows in desperate need
of a writer to bridge the gap and offer the audience some sort of compelling
story that pulls the production together in a way not clear yet from viewing it.
Another issue is the basic illusions Angel offers in Cirque's world. To varying degrees, they are tricks that are familiar, surprisingly predictable on the Strip. The illusions include escaping
from a straitjacket while suspended in air, making birds appear in his
hands and having a dancer crawl out of his stomach (this is an illusion staged in
Vegas for years by many, including mediocre and forgotten talents). If these are the illusions' caliber, why get Criss Angel
to perform them? Of course, two illusions were not presented while I was there. They may also have helped make the story clearer.
There is still a month of previews. Cirque's capacity for
reinvention has proven significant. As for Angel, he needs to equal his media claims that this show comes from his personality, because right now his
personality is the most glaringly missing element in "Believe."
Photo by Sarah Gerke
Photo by Sarah Gerke
I guess maybe my wife and I are the only people around who didn't know who Chris Angel was before seeing his very first show on Friday. Probably cause we're Canadians, eh but everyone knows that Canadians are rational thinking unbias people. Let me tell you, the show SUCKED but then again so does Celine Dion. Thank god she's gone from Vegas.
Cirque (also Canadian but from Quebec so that doesn't really count.) was good but aren't you Americans tired of them yet?
Anway, I saw some of his stuff after the show and he is very impressive. Believe gets in his way. His illusions are made to look cheasy by too much Cirque smoke and distractions.
Oh, and thanks for writing about what the plot was about. I had no idea watching the thing.
Posted by: Bob Doug | October 01, 2008 at 10:36 PM
i think criss needs to take away all the dancing clowns and bunnies,cheesy costumes, and smoke machines, and make the show like mindfreak. just the plain illusions at their simple forms, like on the show, because thats what most people are going there to see, criss levitating and cutting himself in half right in front of their faces.
Posted by: envy | October 02, 2008 at 10:08 AM
Cris levitates and cuts himself in half in the show, it just sucks when there is no editing to make it look real!
Posted by: DarkSide | October 02, 2008 at 11:42 AM
Ok, so we finally got a chance Saturday night to see Criss Angel without video editing, camera tricks and hired “audience” members and this is what we get. I would like to blame Cirque for this horrible experience and direction but as Criss has pointed out MANY times in the past few months, this is HIS dream, HIS vision brought to life with the help of the Cirque team. This show will be the great unmasking of the fiction that Mind Freak has built up.
If you remember the story of the “Emperor’s New Clothes” you will see the problem here. Mr. Angel has surrounded himself with “consultants” that either don’t know or won’t tell him the truth. The few respected magicians that have worked for him in the past are all gone and left with a “C” string of marginal talent that are riding his coattails for any potential reward.
The rest of the cast is very talented and making the best of what must be a painful experience for them all. The choreography by Wade Robinson is great, the theater and outside area spectacular, the only thing missing is any sense of talent from the “star”. Their only hope is to cast someone with talent to play the role of Criss Angel and it might have a shot.
His rambling was unprofessional and grating. It’s fine for performing for tourists on the street but one would think that for this ticket price, even in previews, he might be at least somewhat polished.
We did stay through the mind numbing finale with the lip synced exercise in self-aggrandizement that was “MindFreak” Many in our show had long departed and we had to wade through lines of people at the box office demanding their money back,
I hate paying for someone else’s therapy, yet this is what we did for Mr. Angel. This show is nothing more than a chance for him to fill some long lost void of acceptance…. a void this theater and production will never fill.
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Posted by: Jon B. | October 02, 2008 at 01:04 PM
I really hate one sided arguments. Doug was one person interviewing a few....it doesn't count for everyone.
Believe’ audience looking for magic in show’s previews
By Melissa Arseniuk
Thu, Oct 2, 2008 (2 a.m.)
Tomask Rossa
Criss Angel
Sun archives
Criss Angel on ‘Cloud Nine’ as ‘Believe’ previews begin (9-27-2008)
Premiere of Criss Angel’s ‘Believe’ delayed (9-13-2008)
Criss Angel ‘loyals’ get first glimpse of theater (8-7-2008)
Beyond the Sun
Criss Angel Believe
Criss Angel has 30 days to make believers.
His Cirque du Soleil show, "Believe," premieres at the Luxor on Halloween, leaving a month to put the finishing touches on the $100 million production. The show opened softly Friday to a sellout crowd and previews of the work-in-progress will continue until the Oct. 31 premiere.
"Believe" originally was scheduled to open Sept. 12, and some have suggested the delays indicate deep-rooted and serious problems are afoot. It isn't the first Cirque show to be delayed: "KÀ" was delayed about seven months before it premiered in 2005 at the MGM Grand.
Critics have taken swings at "Believe" as the preview performances ramp up.
A column in Monday’s Review-Journal called "Believe" an "unsalvageable waste of time … that literally bored some audience members to sleep." Though columnist Doug Elfman said he didn’t see the show himself, he talked to several people who saw the show Friday and Saturday. He also eavesdropped on ticketholders as they left the theater to reach his conclusions.
"Not one person I talked to said it was good," he said during a phone call Wednesday. "I wasn’t trying to stack the deck one way or another … I put in all the positive stuff I got."
Tuesday night's crowd wasn't as tough.
Cheryl and Randy Dalton, of Canton, Ohio, sat in Row M of Section 102. After the 25 percent preview price discount, their tickets, came to just over $100 each.
“It was definitely worth the money,” Cheryl said after the show. "(Angel) tied everything together, made it more of a performance, a story," she said. "I didn’t think there was going to be a storyline. It was kind of like an extra treat."
Said her husband, Randy: "I would’ve liked to see a little bit more illusions, but still it was very good."
Jason Koehn, Celeste Mansanz and Shawn Reiter came to Las Vegas from St. Paul, Minn., to see "Believe" and do a little gambling. Masanz said "Believe" was the highlight of the trip, while Reiter said he felt there was "a little too much of the TV stuff," but he still enjoyed the show.
When asked Tuesday night about the magic to song-and-dance ratio, Angel said there are more illusions in the show than most people realize. By his count, the show has about 25 significant so-called "mindfreaks" in the 90-minute performance.
Angel has learned a few things in these preview shows. The illusionist noted some aspects of the show that never were intended to be magic have been misinterpreted as illusions-gone-wrong. Case in point: the cables used in one sequence that suspend costumed Cirque performers above the stage.
"I never set out to try to fool anybody. Those people are hanging from a line," Angel said. "They’re not supposed to be levitating or flying. They’re hanging from, you know, a typical Cirque rig."
The 40-year-old Angel sat cross-legged on his dressing room couch, joking about his show being under a misguided microscope. "People in the audience are sitting there like, 'Oh, look at that girl flying like a bird! You can see a line!'" he said.
“Yes, you can see the line! I’m not trying to hide a line. The line is like this big,” he said, laughing as he held his fingers and inch or two apart to show the line's diameter.
He cracks jokes as he discusses the ups and downs of the creative process. Still, he said there’s a lot that remains to be done before the show opens next month.
“Is the show done? No, it’s not done,” he said. “We have a lot to do in the weeks coming.”
He said two or three illusions have yet to be worked into the show, while other aspects still need tweaking.
“We have work to do but it’s not unexpected,” he said. “We need a period of time to evolve and develop and to perfect and to utilize the audience as a barometer to be able to go through that process.”
Once it opens, "Believe" will be performed twice a night, five times a week for the next decade, if not longer. For now, however, there is just one show a night, at 7 p.m., allowing the production team time to evaluate audience reaction and the performance itself and make changes as needed.
And changes are needed.
After gauging audience response over the first five "soft performance nights," Angel said he wants to modify the part of the show in which he gets sawed in half.
"People are having a very hard time responding to me getting cut in half because, you know, they’re applauding my death and they don’t want to do that," he said. "I’m going to come here tomorrow at noon and … I will work with the director and try to kind of change the routine a little bit."
He said the show’s music has to be adjusted, too, to allow for applause in areas where no one anticipated people to cheer.
Three things didn’t go as planned Tuesday night: A chair didn’t spin when it was supposed to and, twice, a streamer didn’t shoot across the stage as scripted. Most in the audience didn't seem to notice when the relatively minor details didn’t fall into place as planned.
Without going into details, Angel acknowledged one of the show’s major illusions still needs work. He said Tuesday marked the first time he felt he pulled it off sufficiently, and even so, it's nowhere near where he wants it to be.
“I’m very, very excited about where we’re going and by Halloween … we’re going to be 110 percent perfection,” he said.
Angel's public relations rep, Steve Flynn, said the show is "very much still a work in progress.”
“The skeleton for the show is in place," he said. "Now we just have to put meat on the bones."
Angel said there are several things, both big and small, that need work.
"A major thing would be it rains in the show, and unfortunately, we couldn’t stop it from raining in the show (on Sunday and Monday),” he said. On Tuesday, the waterworks seemed to be in order and the rain machine stopped when it was supposed to.
He said the show is falling into place for the Halloween night debut.
"I think we’re in really good shape," Angel said. "People don’t stand (and applaud) if they hate something. People don’t stand if they feel that they didn’t get their money’s worth."
"Believe" joins "KÀ", "Zumanity," "O," "Mystère" and "Love" as the sixth permanent Cirque show in town. Tickets for "Believe" are available at the Luxor box office and online."
Posted by: Debbie | October 02, 2008 at 07:10 PM
The truth about this show is there and this truth can’t be overlooked nor changed. The overall impressions of the viewing audience of Criss Angel’s preview shows are glaringly negative. Doug Elfman of the Las Vegas Review Journal is up front about everything and I see nothing at all wrong with the objectiveness of his reporting. All he did was talk with the audience coming out of Criss Angel’s show. He was totally unbiased and readily admitted he had not seen the show. He didn’t search for and coax negative comments out of people. He just listened. Then he published his findings. And to add to his credence, if you look at his reporting of it, there is a comments section. Look at the comments. There are more and more people who wrote in of their dissatisfaction with this show. These comments were not encouraged by Doug Elfman, nor has he shown any slant of being against Criss Angel and his show. They just came in from readers who attended the show. And from all appearances, these comments far outnumber the good ones with almost a 10 to 1 ratio. You don’t need to have a degree in rocket science to figure this out.
I thought it was interesting of how Criss Angel has come forth to allay everyone’s fears about the show. That it will start on time in thirty days. That it will be ready. From what I see about this article, it’s all Criss Angel coming out and basically disputing the fan reactions to his show and coming up with excuses and reasons. All this article tells me is that it clearly shows Criss Angel is concerned about the show and has went on the defensive. Which is fine and well. But it’s basic Criss Angel stuff though, fighting back against the audience. He does what he wants. It really doesn’t look good for a 100 million dollar show that is on the defense already, with Criss Angel basically imploring people that the show will be alright...when it clearly has multiple issues readily noticed by a viewing audience. The show is probably going to suffer more. Criss Angel is unable to listen to the criticism about the show mainly because of a small voice in his head that drowns everyone out, telling him how awesome he is all the time.
Not sure if anyone sees this, but I find it interesting that all of the Cirque du Soleil people are entirely silent about this whole thing. There has not been a peep from them. Only this stuff from Criss Angel.
In this informative article published in the post above mine, the PR person refers to the show as a skeleton and Criss Angel along with his production people just have to put meat on its bones. No. Just take it out in the desert, far from Las Vegas, and bury it. I think that's the best thing to do.
Posted by: ColinFromLasVegas | October 03, 2008 at 05:08 AM
I'm personally offended that Criss is cracking jokes and thinks it is SO funny that hard working people spent a lot of money to see his show,( and even more to get there), and it was nothing as described. He could be apologetic to his fans, or offer tickets to those who went to the first few shows to return later when it is "perfected". Instead, in his above interview, he patronizes the audience as if we are stupid and thought the ropes on the dancers weren't supposed to be noticed--I don't think anyone said or thought that. I didn't expect the show to be perfect, and as a fan, I did enjoy just being in the room with him to be honest; however, I'm not going to lie about the show. It think it will help him to hear that it is not what his fans want to see. He needs to stick with what got him where he is at--MAGIC and personality.
Posted by: cww | October 03, 2008 at 09:31 AM
I'm personally offended that Criss is cracking jokes and thinks it is SO funny that hard working people spent a lot of money to see his show,( and even more to get there), and it was nothing as described. He could be apologetic to his fans, or offer tickets to those who went to the first few shows to return later when it is "perfected". Instead, in his above interview, he patronizes the audience as if we are stupid and thought the ropes on the dancers weren't supposed to be noticed--I don't think anyone said or thought that. I didn't expect the show to be perfect, and as a fan, I did enjoy just being in the room with him to be honest; however, I'm not going to lie about the show. It think it will help him to hear that it is not what his fans want to see. He needs to stick with what got him where he is at--MAGIC and personality.
Posted by: cww | October 03, 2008 at 09:33 AM
Why is Criss Angel coming out to discuss the critics comments?
The show should speak for itself.
Does the show really suck and if so, is Cirque going to drop him.
Who ever thought Cirque and Magic make a winning team? Now that's a Mindfreak!
Posted by: Mary | October 03, 2008 at 10:27 AM
Why is Criss Angel coming out to discuss the critics comments?
The show should speak for itself.
Does the show really suck and if so, is Cirque going to drop him.
Who ever thought Cirque and Magic make a winning team? Now that's a Mindfreak!
Posted by: Mary | October 03, 2008 at 10:27 AM
Believe what you want. I was the first person that Doug Elfman interviewed. I along with two others walked out of the show. I volunteered my review of what was a joke of a show. I have 90% of all the shows in Vegas and this ranks along Scarlet's Magic show at Planet Hollywood. If you have seen that disaster of a show you know what I am comparing it to. I was at the first showing of Scarlet and Criss Angel was there with his family. When her magic acts went awry some of Angel Entourage laughed. Now that the tables have turned I see that things are not much better for Angel. His showed sucked like Scarlet but he still sucked even with the Cirque powerhouse behind him.
Doug Elfman reported what he saw based on my comments. It was a truly horrible show. From the beginning act where his screen praised his name to him levitatin into the stage to his entire monologue to his set-up to the dream sequence. 15 minutes it took for the set-up and that lead to absolutely nothing! Doves out of the sleeve, a bunch of dancing rabbits, look-alikes running in circles pretending to be Criss, it was something that a High School could have put together.
As I stated before I am very impartial to what I see but I call a spade a spade. This show was nowhere near ready to be shown to anyone, Now Angel is doing damage control by coming out and trying to defend his show but word of mouth can kill a show. I am a huge huge fan of Mindfreak and was expecting that same awe factor but Believe just doesn't deliver.
Criss Angel needs to stop being so antagonistic with his audience and with the press. It is fans like us that can make him or break him. I think that he forgot who got him to where he is at now. But like with physics what goes up, must come down. Criss, have a safe landing back to reality.
Posted by: Xlr8tor | October 03, 2008 at 03:03 PM
Damage control? You would blast Criss whether he spoke or not. If he didn't speak you would read negativity into that also. Darn if you do darn if you don't, ya know?
I can't help but have de ja vu w/ this thread. When Criss first opened his live show in NYC, people thought that was crazy too. Tv show Mindfreak wasn't supposed to last past the first season, and yet Season 5 is now a go. See a pattern? I've always felt it is not about just the trick, but what you come away with when you see it. You guys can cut Criss in half all your want to, but in the end he will come out whole. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but don't act like you speak for the rest of the world. In fact, the more ye doth protest, the better. Even more people will want to come and check it out for themselves. I know I still plan on it.
Believe is not Mindfreak and it is not Cirque. It is something new and I think people are resistant to change and innovation at first. You guys who didn't like it the first time, my advice would be to see it again. There is so much packed into this show I don't think anyone can take it in all at once. Plus, it is still PREVIEW which has been no secret.
P.S. Colin, if the bones did melt away in the desert, oh what would you do w/ all that extra time on your hands w/ no Criss bashing to be done? I know your agenda runs deep.
Posted by: Debbie | October 03, 2008 at 04:12 PM
Well said, Xlr8tor. I have noticed that too. Why is he coming out and blasting the audience and the general public about his show? Most entertainers with acts here in Las Vegas (and other places) work at the show and let it speak for itself. They don't air out their dirty laundry for everyone to see. And the ones that do that are basically acknowledging they are running a show that is like a runaway train going 60 miles an hour and running quickly out of track. I can see it and most everyone else can see this is already starting out to be a disaster. Especially if he's berating the audience about his show.
I'm sorry. I sound like I'm beating a dead horse. But I have been commenting on Richard's blogs here about this clown since he pulled his shenanigans at the Miss America Pageant where he ended up threatening to blind a respected Las Vegas Review Journal reporter (Norm Clarke) who asked him a question he didn't like, not to mention that he proved to be totally disruptive during this nationally televised event. This arrogant knucklehead, after he does it and when questioned about it, basically gaffed it off and wouldn't talk about it. He decided to just be silent about it, in hopes it goes away...not even owning up to his mistakes as a man and accepting any responsiblity for his actions. To this day, he hasn't talked about it, apologized about it, shown any remorse, although I believe he alluded to the fact that he was on the same planet and the same city (Las Vegas) where it happened.
There are a few other instances where he has basically out right blatantly lied to reporters about things in Las Vegas. He CLEARLY shows he wants to do what he wants and in his mind he thinks nobody can stop him.
And here we go again. He and his PR people slam into another respected Las Vegas Review Journal reporter, one who has received awards for his reporting in the past, because he talked to people coming out of his show. And just because the news isn't favorable about the show, he and his knucklehead entourage all slam that reporter? Come on. The viewing public is really alot smarter than that.
Criss Angel, from what I have seen so far, has totally blown it with every reporter in Las Vegas. It's like they don't even want to talk to him anymore. Because he proves to be a waste of time, someone who is clearly insecure with himself. One time, it was reported a few months ago, he was asked a question and he arrogantly goes (quote), "I don't want to talk about that. I want to talk about this." And he starts fiddling with some stupid necklace that has this goth cross on it (as if the whole world is interested in this dumb stuff). I really get the impressions that reporters here in Las Vegas are not interested in reporting on him at all (which is probably a blessing to the rest of the world).
This arrogant clown is like out of control. I cannot believe that a large entertainment company like Cirque du Soleil hired this idiot.
My contention is that Criss Angel has been acting like a manipulative prison convict ever since he came to Las Vegas. He's playing this "bad boy rock star I do what I want to do and you can't stop me" act for so long, I am totally amazed and mystified that he is getting away with it. And people let him get away with it because of the search for the almighty dollar. By his behavior, he demonstrates he don't care about any of his fans at all...except for the fact that they pay money and support his lifestyle.
I STILL say that just based on these facts I mentioned, not only the fact that the show has serious problems thirty days before grand opening, that NO ONE should attend this show, show any interest in this jerk, nor should they buy anything he endorses, watch his TV show even though it's free nor should anyone even accept a free toothpick if he hands it to you.
The Strip has, on the most part, tried to provide quality entertainment. This is what they strive for. Criss Angel ain't it. And he ain't going to achieve it. He's totally blown it. Cirque du Soleil needs to part ways with this idiot and cut their losses while they still can. Do the right thing, Cirque. Send him packing now and just accept the losses. Before you have to hire people to come in and blow the dust off the empty vacant seats that never get filled in Criss Angel's show.
Posted by: ColinFromLasVegas | October 03, 2008 at 04:30 PM
Well, if "Believe" is "not 'Mindfreak,'" then why is a part of Believe essentially a promotion of Mindfreak? And why does Criss lipsync the awful Mindfreak song at the end of the Believe show?
Also, did I understand this correctly? Did Criss actually say that the audience doesn't applaud his being cut in half because the audience doesn't want to celebrate his death? Is this the kind of rationalization we're going to be dealing with for the failings of Believe?
I've tried so hard to be compassionate toward Criss Angel, but he's making it so difficult.
Posted by: Martha Kader | October 03, 2008 at 04:58 PM
put it this way... a wannabe "dark" illusionist glam boy with NO mystery to be found. He will rip his shirt off over and over again while jumping through the same trap doors over and over again. In the end whats left to do?..start lip singing a theme song to his show that just lost all credit for being cool.
Cirque and the freak have no fusion and even with all the bugs set aside this show will still be comparable to the day David Hasellhoff decided to be a singer/performer for the world.
Posted by: not impressed | October 03, 2008 at 05:12 PM
If you are a true loyal like me then it should'nt matter how bad everything was what makes the show special is just seeing Criss, ive waited my whole life to see Criss in person and this show is my chance to seee him. So much time and effort went into making this show, so at least give it a little respect. Love Loyal Freak Briana
Posted by: Briana | October 03, 2008 at 06:28 PM
Blasting his audience? lolol. Are we reading the same article? Yes you ARE beating a dead horse. Different reporter, same paper. I so admire this bad boy rocker. What about all the peeps: sick children, people going after their dream when they thought they had none becaus of Criss? You can escape....just breath. Hard work, belief in yourself.
I hate to say it, but maybe Criss is too cool for Vegas. Keep your Celion Dion and Donny and Marie. Keep you minds closed to anything new and different. Come to F-L-O-R-I-D-A Criss. Tropical breezes and people who aren't afraid to open up and believe.
Posted by: Debbie | October 03, 2008 at 06:32 PM
If Criss really felt like he could defend his show he would contact the people who wrote the original reviews, Mr. Elfman at the Las Vegas Review Journal and Mr. Abowitz at t he LA Times, instead he is doing an interview for a newpaper insert and his publicist is contacnting Perez Hilton.
Criss doesn't want to talk to the real journalist because they wouldn't let him get away. I'm sorry but this interview he gives about the show is insulting to his fans and audience of Believe.
"He cracks jokes as he discusses the ups and downs of the creative process. Still, he said there’s a lot that remains to be done before the show opens next month.
“Is the show done? No, it’s not done,” he said. “We have a lot to do in the weeks coming.”"
Criss admits that the show isn't complete. If it isn't a complete show why are they charging the public to see it? Furthermore, why are they doing any public performances in the first place if the show isn't complete?
And him saying that the audience doesn't understand that the wires on the Cirque performers are meant to be seen, trust me his audience isn't that dumb and it isn't the wires on the Cirque performers that people are complaining about. It is the wires ON Criss.
I find it laughable how people beLIEve Criss's excuses for the bad reviews and he basically turns it around and blames it on his fans being stupid. That's bad.
And before anyone jumps on me for being a hater, I have tickets for this show and will be seeing it in a few weeks. However, when I bought my tickets I knew I was going to be seeing a train wreck and I'm honestly looking forward to it.
And oh, Mr. Angel to clarify something in you said in your interview:
Angel said. "People don’t stand (and applaud) if they hate something. People don’t stand if they feel that they didn’t get their money’s worth."
Everyone has to stand to leave and maybe they aren't applauding because it is good but because they are happy the torture is over. Plus, how many people does it take to make a standing ovation, 5 or 1500?
Posted by: some thoughts | October 03, 2008 at 06:50 PM
Let me just say that I saw the show on Monday September 29th, and I BELIEVE I want my money back. I was a huge Criss fan going into the show, but afterwards I have to say I am more impressed with the various counter persons at the Houdini magic shops. I sat in the second row on the left side of the audience, and let me say it was in a word, brutal. I have seen various magicians (Rick Thomas, Lance Burton, Dick Arthur, Siegfried and Roy in Vegas alone), and Criss was by far the least skilled. People can blame Cirque for Criss's failings in this show (and the Cirque part of the show is certainly weak), but a magician is supposed to be in control of his tricks. We could plainly see from our seats the two cables attached to Criss at his entrance and exit of the show. We could plainly see Criss get out of the "saw in half machine" when it was pulled off stage, but not behind curtains. We could clearly see the big boom move into place behind the bride's wedding train for Criss to walk down. etc, etc. And the escape from the straight jacket trick? Pedestrian at best.....
Cirque's image will take a hit with this show, but when a magician's tricks are exposed for all to see, well Penn & Teller have that market cornered...........
Posted by: Derek R | October 03, 2008 at 10:28 PM
Caught BeLIEve - horrible. It will close within a year, maybe sooner. I know for a fact that the creative team are tearing their hair out. I've worked in theater for 20 years and I can attest to the fact that previews are basically there to iron out complex technical issues. Not creative issues. The foundation and concept of the show should be set, solid and flawless by the time previews start and the tech previews are to orchestrate the heavier technical elements.
Even if I was a huge fan of CA I would have a tough time staying one after this fiasco. A lot about it, most of it unrelated to the show's star or the 'magic', was very impressive. The sound, music, costumes, choreography, design and stagecraft is breathtaking. But what about the meat of it - the central performance, the MAGIC, this 'groundbreaking' stuff we were promised?
Well, that was hype, obviously. The truth is this show is just too abstract and half-baked. The people who DON'T know who CA was, who had just come in out of curiosity, were as confused as anyone. Angel was IN the show, sort of drifting in and out, but he said little and had such little presence it may as well have been your mailman, or the guy who works in valet parking at the Luxor.
It doesn't know where its focus is. With a Penn & Teller show, with Copperfield show, you know what you're getting. With this, nobody knew and it didn't get clearer either. Having him end the show by miming to his TV show theme song was just excruciating and obviously tacked on in lieu of a real climax. And a pseudo-thrash metal track seemed oddly out of place considering what we'd just seen was meant to be this delicate, poetic 'magical' experience.
But in public, his diabolical - and frankly nauseating - attitude and overwhelming arrogance at a time in the entertainment business when a headliner needs to show a little modesty and offer added value to get people to fork out $$$ for tickets to this shamefully under-cooked thing is going to bury it. I feel bad for the crew and the creative team who have obviously put a lot of hours into this production.
Ultimately, I don't think CA has enough of a fan base to sustain a long-term residency. Is this guy really as popular as everyone thinks? Did Cirque think there would be enough Cirque fans to sustain it? Maybe.
Big difference between Mystere, O, Zumanity, KA etc and BeLIEve - a 'star' with a total lack of tact and apparent apathy towards his collaborators. Who on earth would actually do this much verbal damage, directly or indirectly, knowingly or otherwise, to a production financed and created by people who believe in him enough to put their money where their mouth is to actualize the show? Doesn't he GET what a golden opportunity this is, how privileged he is to have Luxor/Cirque resources and backing, and how they must feel when he says or does something that damages their investment in him?
Cirque can also thank him for bringing about the backlash Cirque has managed to dodge for what, more than 10 years now? Cirque basically repackage the same formula time and time again and the audience began to get that around about the time Zumanity opened. Cirque has been a trend on the Strip that has been mightily successful, but times change.
So, what will happen next?
Cirque will see the threat this show poses to their previously untarnished track record and their future reputation as a prestigious company, cut their losses, say that they're going to retool it for Broadway as a test ground and then try again later. And that will be that. Instant wipe, like it never happened.
This could - with the right amount of development, thought and vision - have actually been a very compelling, dream-like, interesting show. But they rushed it all in and it shows.
Hearing "we're going to retool it" is a standard thing to say when really it's code for "we know it's awful and we're going to try to salvage it before it gets any worse". Look at La Reve at Wynn - I don't know how many times that show has been reworked, but it doesn't get any better in my opinion. It was a Cirque rip off and always will be.
My point is some productions are doomed from the start. They open with such a welter of baggage and negativity that NOTHING will save them. I've seen it myself and from what I saw of BeLIEve and what I hear, this sounds like an example of "sounded like a good idea at the time".
Colin, give it a little more time. Your wish will be granted.
Posted by: David | October 04, 2008 at 02:41 AM
I understand that to a "Loyal" just basking in Criss Angel's aura is good enough, but to repeat what I said in a review elsewhere, tourism is our life's blood here in Vegas. No major Strip hotel can afford to alienate large numbers of visitors ten times a week.
The Believe show is possibly career-destroying for Criss Angel, and it could seriously damage the reputation of Cirque du Soleil. "Cirque du So Lame" was funny as a movie line, but it's not funny in real life where real people's jobs are on the line. I want very much to see the massive flaws in this show corrected.
Posted by: Martha Kader | October 04, 2008 at 09:51 AM
I have read alot of positive reviews for this show, they are just not posted here. I don't feel right in posting them myself. Maybe they will choose to share w/ this site at some point.
Again, PREVIEW shows. Two more illusions have been added this week with still two more being left for the gala opening. Wish I could be there on Halloween.
With everything I've read, I find a common theme. People are either expecting Mindfreak or Cirque...and this show is neither. Cutting edge entertainment is often met at first w/ resistance. Ha, I remeber when Ozzy Osborne was banned from cities and was thought of as the devil in the beginning of his career. Now, he is honored on numerous shows and even had one of his own. For those of you that have seen Believe once....IMO go see it again after the gala. And when you do, just sit back and let the show take you on a journey. Criss said there are alot of subtle cues and hints....can you see them? Or, are you just so caught up in the trick that you can't see the whole story?
Posted by: Debbie | October 04, 2008 at 08:13 PM
I just saw the 7:00pm showing of "Believe" and I must tell you it was horrible!! My lady kept asking "where is the magic??" I was totally confused by the concept and story line. From the moment I paid $9.00 for my mixed drink (all coke, no liquor), I figured I might be in for a rude awaking! CA had no personality, and again...where was the magic???? I counted exactly 7 magic tricks. To make matters worse, when he started to "sing" Mind Freak, people were leaving in droves. I didn't get the bunny rabbits or the clowns. Most off, I don't understand, in this ecomony, why a show, as horrible as it is, can charge what it does. I "BELIEVE" I got taken"
Posted by: Rodney Fuller | October 04, 2008 at 09:44 PM
I read these comments mainly with the disbelief in a society which still maintains outdated views of what a theatrical production should be. Come on people - 'Believe' is ahead of it's time, Criss is a visionary artist and if you can't keep up with what he's doing, at least have the courtesy to admit you don't understand his vision instead of lashing out. I understand Believe because of my background studying the history of magic to present day. Also I love artistic expression when presented in a visually stunning and new way. What Criss is doing is a beautiful show of how elements interact in nature to change matter, and he's doing this in a fabulous story of love. The show rocks, it is so cool. Open your minds because what you are seeing is a glimpse into how theatre will be after Criss changes the old outdated perceptions of entertainment. This show is the best most original and exceptional. Brilliant.
Posted by: MsMerlina | October 05, 2008 at 12:20 AM
"...what you are seeing is a glimpse into how theatre will be after Criss changes the old outdated perceptions of entertainment." To that I can only say God help us, but then, I don't understand his vision. I wonder how well Felix Rappaport is understanding Criss's vision right now.
Posted by: Martha Kader | October 05, 2008 at 07:23 AM