Hugs, peace signs and lots of “love”. Insights into the finale of the Beatles’ Cirque show

LAS VEGAS – And in the end, the “love” was overwhelming.

On Sunday, the groundbreaking connection between the most famous mix of art, circus and theater and one of the richest catalogs in music history came to an end after 18 years with tears, hugs and peace signs on stage.

“The Beatles Love by Cirque du Soleil” and its 60-person multicultural cast said goodbye at a boisterous, invitation-only finale at their soon-to-be-demolished home, the Mirage. The casino and hotel, purchased by Hard Rock International two years ago, will close on July 17 and reopen as Hard Rock Las Vegas in spring 2027.

But on this farewell night, the $100 million, custom-built 2,013-seat Love Theater was packed with friends and family of the cast and crew, as well as at least one highly respected name in the Beatles universe – Giles Martin.

Martin, the son of the late Beatles producer and honorary member George, is the architect behind the most magical aspect of “Love” – the Grammy-winning 2008 soundtrack peppered with unique reconstructions of Beatles songs.

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Cirque du Soliel CEO Stéphane Lefebvre spoke briefly before the final performance began with the eerie harmonies of the Beatles’ “Because.” He praised Martin’s musical sense and the show for all the “peace and joy and happiness and love” it has brought to the 12 million people who have seen “Love” over nearly two decades, according to Lefebvre.

Although it was mostly a standard performance of the 90-minute show, the audience cheered and cheered loudly at the beginning of each section, making it more like a concert than a Cirque production.

The cast seemed to perform with extra verve and emotion—the roller-skating jumps during “Help” seemed a little higher, the ever-elegant Dr. Robert (Jimmie Cervera) and the original Father McKenzie (Eugen Brim, who left the production in 2016 and returned in February) danced and screamed with extra verve—and a few impromptu hugs could be seen among the hippie kids during the trampoline-heavy number “Revolution.”

In the only fourth-wall breaking, the Sugar Plum Fairy – aka the father of Lady Madonna’s child – who usually speaks in tribal language before performing a stomping splash dance in yellow rubber boots, told the crowd, “I’m feeling a lot of love tonight!” and then asked them to clap along to the rhythm of “Lady Madonna.”

When the usual finale of “All You Need Is Love” came and red confetti rained down from the rafters, the cast walked around the stage as usual, waving peace signs and singing along to the upbeat anthem. But this time, tears were visible among them.

Since its premiere in 2006, the show, blessed by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr and supported by Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison as family representatives for John Lennon and George Harrison, has been attended numerous times by all members of the Beatles organization.

Starr, who celebrated his 84th birthday.^th Birthday Sunday with his annual outdoor party in Los Angeles, saw a performance of his own series of shows at The Venetian in Vegas in May, while Harrison attended two of the final “Love” shows in late June.

When “Love” premiered, it was the first Cirque show to use music from the studio production, and the original production featured a legendary musical act at its center. “Viva Elvis” followed in 2010 at the Aria Resort & Casino, where it lasted just two disappointing years, while the successful “Michael Jackson ONE” continues to delight audiences at Mandalay Bay after a decade.

Even though the curtain falls on “Love,” its legacy will live on through its timeless soundtrack.

But it’s also the end of something special, as Giles Martin told USA TODAY in an interview about the show in 2022.

“It’s the only place in the world where you can immerse yourself in the Beatles’ universe,” he said. “I always liked the idea that it was the Beatles’ room. That’s what I love about Vegas – you’re surrounded by the dinging of slot machines and people walking around with tons of tequila, and then you enter the hallowed grounds of ‘Love.’ I feel the same excitement every time I walk into that theater.”

Millions of others would no doubt agree.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cirque du Soliel The Beatles Love – Final show in Las Vegas