Multimedia News Release - The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil

Multimedia News Release - The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil

Director - Dominic Champagne, Music Directors - Sir George Martin & Giles Martin

Press Conference Featuring Sneak Preview Performance Held Today at The Mirage in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, May 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Media from around the world experienced the first 'sneak preview' of the latest Cirque du Soleil show, LOVE, a co- production with Apple Corps Ltd., which celebrates the musical legacy of The Beatles. A press conference was held today in the custom-built theatre at The Mirage in Las Vegas.

To view the Multimedia News Release, go to:
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/kirvindoak/24405/

Music Directors Sir George Martin and his son Giles Martin have been working with the entire archive of Beatles recordings to create the musical component for LOVE. They were present at the press conference today to describe their unprecedented approach to the music for a stage production. "I think we will achieve a real sense of drama with the music, the audience will feel as though they are actually in the theatre with the band. People are going to be knocked out by what they are hearing!," said Giles Martin.

Using the master tapes at Abbey Road Studios, Sir George and Giles have created a unique soundscape of Beatles music for LOVE. "We wanted to make sure there are enough good, solid hit songs in the show, but we don't want it to be a catalog of 'best of's'," said Sir George Martin. "We also wanted to put in some interesting and not well-known Beatles music and use fragments of songs. The show will be a unique and magical experience."

Dominic Champagne, who directed and wrote the original concept for the show, explained his vision for LOVE. "I wanted to create a Beatles experience rather than a Beatles story, taking the audience on an emotional journey rather than a chronological one," said Dominic Champagne.

LOVE brings the magic of Cirque du Soleil together with the spirit and passion of The Beatles to create a vivid, intimate and powerful entertainment experience. It captures the essence of love that John, Paul, George and Ringo inspired during their astonishing adventure together.

LOVE evokes the exuberant and irreverent spirit of The Beatles. "When we embarked on this extraordinary adventure in 2002," said Gilles Ste-Croix, Show Concept Creator and Director of Creation, "we set out to create a timeless, three-dimensional evocation of The Beatles music. Drawn from the poetry of the lyrics, we developed a preliminary concept that explored the content of the songs in a series of scenes inhabited by real and imaginary people." The international cast of 60 channels a raw, youthful energy underscored by aerial performance, extreme sports and urban, freestyle dance.

LOVE will be presented in a custom-built theatre at The Mirage featuring 360 degree seating and advanced high definition video projections with 100- foot digital, moving images. The panoramic surround sound system will envelop the audience who will experience The Beatles music like never before ...

Apple Corps Ltd. is planning to release The LOVE album through EMI Music later this year.

Preview performances for LOVE begin June 2. The Gala Premiere will be held Friday, June 30, 2006. LOVE will be presented exclusively at The Mirage in Las Vegas. This joint artistic venture marks the first time that The Beatles company, Apple Corps Ltd., has agreed to a major theatrical partnership. The project was born out of a personal friendship and mutual admiration between the late George Harrison and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte.

Inspiration: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr.

Cirque du Soleil Creative Team:
Guy Laliberte - Guide, Show Concept Creator
Dominic Champagne - Director and Writer, Show Concept Creator
Gilles Ste-Croix - Director of Creation, Show Concept Creator
Chantal Tremblay - Associate Director of Creation
Jean Rabasse - Theatre and Set Designer
Philippe Guillotel - Costume Designer
Jonathan Deans - Sound Designer
Yves Aucoin - Lighting Designer
Francis Laporte - Video Projection Designer
Hansel Cereza and Dave St-Pierre - Choreographers
Guy St-Amour - Acrobatic & Rigging Designer
Daniel Cola - Acrobatic Performance Designer
Nathalie Gagne - Make-up Designer
Patricia Ruel - Props Designer
Michael Curry - Puppet Designer
Guest Creators:
Andre Simard - Aerial Acrobatic Designer
Alexis Martin - Dramaturge Consultant
Francois Perusse - Comic Audio-clips Designer

For Apple Corps Ltd.:
Sir George Martin - Music Director
Giles Martin - Music Director
Neil Aspinall - Executive Producer

TICKET PRICES:
*$150, $125, $99, $69
All preview performances* will be discounted 25 percent.

*Preview performances for LOVE begin June 2 and run through June 29. During these performances, the creative team is in the very final stages of production. The audience's reaction and participation is an important step in this process. The artistic direction of LOVE reserves the right to interrupt the performance to make adjustments as necessary.

SHOW SCHEDULE:

Preview performances will be presented nightly at 7:00pm. In addition, there will be 10:30pm performances on limited dates. Please consult the most current show schedule at www.cirquedusoleil.com. Schedule is subject to change without notice.

Following the preview period, LOVE will be performed Thursday through Monday with no shows on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Beginning July 1, there will be two shows nightly at 7:30pm & 10:30pm.

TO RESERVE TICKETS:
By phone: 702 792 7777 or 800 963 9634
Online: www.cirquedusoleil.com, www.thebeatles.com or www.mirage.com.

In person: At the LOVE box office at The Mirage or any of the MGM MIRAGE box offices in Las Vegas.

Ownership of the trademarks: Apple Corps Limited for The Beatles (word and design), Cirque du Soleil for Cirque du Soleil (word and design) and The Cirque Apple Creation Partnership for LOVE (word and design).Trademarks used under license.

Video: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/kirvindoak/24405

Source: Cirque du Soleil

CONTACT: Anita Nelving, Public Relations Manager of Cirque du Soleil,
+1-702-352-0224, or +1-702-692-8327, anita.nelving@cirquedusoleil.com

Web site: http://www.thebeatles.com/

Web site: http://www.mirage.com/

Web site: http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: * For Creative Team biographies, show images and additional information, visit the Cirque du Soleil Press Room at: http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/pressroom/default.htm (Registration is required to access images and media information)

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