The Beatles’ music master is proud that he kept the songs authentic in “Love” | Kats | Entertainment

For Giles Martin it was a “you say yes, I say no” situation.

The dispute was about the reworking of the Beatles’ music for “Love” at the Mirage. The dispute was between Martin and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, whose company was involved in the production.

“I was constantly arguing with Guy about the music and how to modernize the music for ‘Love,'” says Martin, who oversaw the revival of Beatles music for the quirky production. “I say if you had modernized the music of ‘Love’ 18 years ago, it would be 18 years old now. But everything you hear today is by the Beatles, and I stand by that.”

“Love,” the Beatles’ only licensed live show worldwide, ends Saturday night. Production is being halted while the Mirage at Hard Rock Las Vegas undergoes renovations.

‘Come back’

The attempt to embellish the Beatles’ original songs from 2006 resurfaced a decade later in the show’s revival, but Martin stuck to his vision throughout the show’s run.

For the 54-year-old producer and composer, “Love” was a very personal project. Martin’s involvement in re-imagining the Beatles’ music began with the production of “Strip.”

In the early years, Martin consulted with his late, legendary father and Beatles producer George Martin on the production’s soundscape. The younger Martin digitally assembled the music, just as his father sometimes cut and edited the tapes for the original recordings.

In a memorable moment, at the show’s fifth anniversary in June 2011, the Martins sat side by side and played the newly completed soundtrack to “Love” in the theater’s auditorium.

The show’s conclusion marks the end of a remarkable chapter in Martin’s life. The creative team was closely connected. The Martins worked with Cirque director Dominic Champagne in the first partnership of its kind for both arts institutions.

“To be honest, this is a very emotional thing for me,” says Martin. “It’s the end of a dream. I spent three years of my life doing a show with my dad and Dominic.”

‘Love me, do it’

Although the show ran for nearly two decades, its success was not guaranteed during the pre-production phase. The show had no official title for a long time. Beatles fans were skeptical about the concept, and the legendary band’s classics served as a backdrop for acrobatic production numbers.

“When it first opened, I wasn’t sure if people would like it,” says Martin. “It was really the first time a Cirque show had been performed without a band. I was worried. I was afraid that people would think they were listening to a CD and not experiencing an interactive show.”

Martin was relieved after the show premiered in 2006.

“People loved it. ‘Love’ was such a strong show and it still is,” says Martin. “When I saw it last year, which was November or December when I was there, it was the best version of ‘Love’ I’ve ever seen. It’s in better shape than it’s ever been.”

Confidence in the show grew over the years with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as Apple Corps partners Yoko Ono and Sean Ono Lennon and George Harrison’s widow Olivia Harrison.

At first, images of the Beatles were relatively rare – for example, the silhouettes of John, Paul, George and Ringo walking across the stage. Their actual faces were only seen in the famous film clip “All You Need is Love”, which marked the end of the show. But the reissue after ten years included several additional video images and vintage photos that strengthened the connection between the band and the Cirque artists.

‘In my life’

Martin’s family connection to the show extends even beyond his father.

“For me personally, it was a way to work with my father, but ‘Love’ also funded my children’s education,” Martin says, laughing. “It’s the truth. It’s a big part of our family and has been a part of our lives for so many years. For us, it’s not just a show.”

Asking for a favorite scene might be like asking a parent for their favorite child, but Martin says he especially likes the “Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds”/”Within You Without You” section when the white sheet covers the entire audience and is then pulled through the opening in the stage.

“I remember working for so long on that transition in that section, that moment that is really a moment of intimacy,” says Martin. “Dominic and I worked really hard on that because we’re both very passionate people. We’re achieving intimacy with 2,000 people in a room.”

This is a scene that hasn’t been touched since the premiere.

Martin was struck by the impact of the show when he left the theater after seeing the show last year with a friend who told Martin, “You have to stop being so modest. You have to realize what you have done and how many lives have been affected by it.”

Martin’s typical answer was: “You’re just lucky. That’s how I think about things.”

‘All you need is …’

After this conversation, Martin was on his way to his room when he was stopped by some artists in the Parlour Bar at the Mirage.

“They said, ‘Come for a beer! Come for a beer!'” Martin says. “So I went for a beer with them and one of them said to me, ‘Thank you for the show. It changed my life. I was in Brazil and I moved to Vegas and now I have a life here and without the show it would have been very different.'”

“That’s the human element we’re talking about now, not trying to sell people the show, because it’s not going to exist anymore.”

Martin will continue to work on new Beatles projects, as he is now the one entrusted with reimagining this unparalleled music catalog. The studio wizard is working with Sam Mendes on the director’s four separate films, told from the point of view of each of the Beatles.

Sony Pictures Entertainment has announced that it will release all four films in 2027.

However, there will be no further partnership with Cirque. There is no touring version of “Love” in preparation, nor is a new production planned in its place.

“There is nothing that can replace ‘love’, because nothing may “I wanted to replace ‘Love,'” says Martin. “It was absolutely unique.”

John Katsilometes’ column appears daily in the A section. His podcast, “PodKats!”, can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.