Le Rêve
Following the tradition of the MGM hotels, Steve Wynn must have felt the need for a circus show. A common mistake is that Le Rêve is a Cirque Du Soleil show. It is very much in the style of Cirque, directed by Franco Dragone, a longtime director of Cirque shows. The music is composed by Benoit Jutras, a familiar name to Cirque who did the music for O, Ka, and many other Cirque shows. However, it is unaffiliated with Cirque Du Soleil.
Le Rêve has been playing since 2005, and from discussing the show with other people, it seems that it has had some redevelopment and now focuses more on dancing and has a smaller cast. This did not deter me from wanting to see the show.
Searching the internet I found a coupon code for $30 off Premium Seating. The Wynn Theatre is an amphitheatre with a water stage. The theatre features three seating sections: Splash Zone ($99), Premium Seating ($129) and VIP Indulgence Champagne Circle ($195). I am surprised that a splash zone is offered in a place as nice as the Wynn. Some Yelp reviewers have said they got soaked; others said it was a sprinkle.
Upon arriving, the theatre was smaller than expected. The stage was constantly being pumped with theatrical fog and music was looping that sounded a lot like the O soundtrack. When the show did start I was surprised how undersold it was. I counted twenty-eight people sitting in the premium section which was probably 1/10 of the available seats. For the rest of the house I estimated a quarter to a third of the seats were sold.
It is a shame that the attendance at Le Rêve is so low. It seems like a very expensive show to have put together. After reading other comments about the show, this seems to be a regular occurrence. I would suggest to save $30 and purchase the splash zone tickets and maybe sneak up into the premium seating or champagne circle.
The Wynn had many "no photography" and "no cell phone" signs in front of the theatre, but many people were shooting away before the show and the ushers did not seem to care. Maybe morale is down from the low ticket sales. One person was actually taking pictures with a flash during the show and the usher only blinked his flashlight at her! There are some photos at the Le Rêve web site.
When reviewing shows I like to discuss the plot of a show without causing too much of a spoiler. However, the plot to Le Rêve is so simple: a man wants to marry a woman, but she is not sure, so she takes a nap on a bench and has a dream-the show is her dream (Le Rêve is French for "the dream").
Le Rêve is very difficult to review. The show moves very quickly and even though I took notes during the show there was so much going on as most of the show is performed in the air. The show was very overwhelming at certain times as there was action near the ceiling, mid-air and on the ground. During the show the actors were constantly elevating and descending, my neck seemed a bit sore after the show from looking up and down constantly. Le Rêve could be described as a three-ring circus with all the rings stacked on top of each other. Other than a couple of comedic sketches, which seemed to be out of place for this mainly acrobatic and dance show, all the acts were excellent. I was not disappointed.
What I found very interesting about Le Rêve is the variation of circus acts that occur throughout the show. The show did engage in traditional circus acts but with a twist. One of the first acts is a tree that rises out of the center pool with a dozen acrobats on it who perform hand balancing and flips into the outer pool. It was very impressive how the actors were able to get into position in their hand balance then do a dive consisting of several flips into the water, over and over-the tree was never empty!
My favorite act was a trapeze act (Planets) performed on a sphere constructed of metal rods. This sphere is seen in the Le Rêve logo. The act was breathtaking as the actors engaged in formations and jumps as the sphere was spinning while constantly elevating and descending.
My intention was to compare O to Le Rêve since they are both water shows. Having the same composer and director I expected a similar show. An initial difference was the absence of a preshow, something that all Cirque shows seem to have. Other than the comedic sketch I mentioned before that did not seem to fit well into the show, I enjoyed the absence of clowns as I am too bitter to find humor in them. Many Cirque shows use a mysterious language for the songs in their show. I enjoyed the fact that the songs in Le Rêve were in English. Dance numbers were used in Le Rêve during the sequences between the acrobatic acts the way clown scenes are used in Cirque. After evaluating both shows I would have to recommend O over Le Rêve to someone contemplating which show to see. The acts in O are more spectacular, and the "plot" of O and progression of acts had a better flow. Le Rêve is an excellent choice for someone who has already seen O and is looking for a different show. It will not disappoint.
Le Rêve
Fri.-Tue. at 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Wynn Las Vegas
(888) 320-7110
$99, $129, and $195 + 10% entertainment tax
