Nymph glows green and has a scowling face and is operated by about six mostly unseen performers. It is a function of basic human brain capacity.Įxample, during the Earth Realm scene, an imposing puppet-monster called Nymph ascends from the center of the stage. This is not a function of basic human intelligence. There is so much activity exploding on the stage, in the wings, on the LED screens around the room, through the speakers just inches from your head, no mere mortal can effectively make out the story line. Their objective is to reunite these two.Įven with legendary actor Anthony Hopkins’ smooth, authoritative narration, this is where “Awakening” comes loose. Their saga is a journey, following central figures IO, Boo and Bandit through the fantasy portals Water Realm, Earth Realm and Fire Realm. These numbers are intertwined in the central story line of the characters Darkness and Light, who separate at the top of the show. Magic acts figure prominently into the plot, featuring several advanced but familiar disappear/reappear routines (characters vanish from cloaked boxes, then reappear in the audience, for instance). The dance numbers in “Awakening,” headed up by lead choreographer Nolan Padilla, impressively mix traditional styles with the show’s powerful light-and-sound technology. The show cast its dancers for all genres, and we see why. It’s as if An and her team raided the Liberace collection, and went on an alteration binge. (Maybe one day we’ll outfit the entire audience in VR headsets for “Awakening 2: The Sony PlayStation Experience.”)Īn’s costumes are sensational, and also functional, flowing with color-splashed beads, rhinestones, crystals, lace, gold flaking and feathers. The effect restricts a theater-goers ability to converse with a seat mate the speakers are kind of in the way.īut it does open the possibility of advancing in-seat theatrical experience. But if you lean to either side, you can catch some wonderful detail in the sounds. These speakers are not adjustable, there is no equalizer or means to move their position on the seats. Tyler’s original soundscape seeps through a 3D sound system, with a new feature - a pair of speakers set on every seat, delivering Tyler’s whimsical compositions on either side. Its five segments rise and drop, separately, throughout the show. The round, 60-stage is made of dichotic glass, pulsating with colorful LED images. The former Le Reve Theater bursts with new technology. * Kelly Sue DeConnick, the comic-book visionary who invigorated the 2019 “Captain Marvel” movie.

* Brian Tyler, the composer behind “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and Iron Man 3” costume designer Soyon An, who has dressed Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez for the stage, among other stars.

* Michael Curry, behind the live-action puppets in “The Lion King” on Broadway and (from 2010-2011) Mandalay Bay, and also the crab monsters in “Ka” at MGM Grand. * Baz Halpin, the cagey director behind Katy Perry’s “Play” at Resorts World (another show that toys with your mind), Harry Styles’ Coachella appearance, and Cher’s original production at the Colosseum. * Bernie Yuman, the former Siegfried & Roy and Muhammad Ali manager and master of hyperbole. A host of live-production superstars have joined this pandemic-created project. The resort is represented by CEO Craig Billings and Entertainment General Manager Rick Gray. “Awakening” is the original, $120 million show conceived and co-produced by the Wynn. All that was wrong with “Le Reve” was its uninvited guest, COVID-19, that halted production and provided Wynn execs an opening to try something new. This is the show supplanting “Le Reve” at the Wynn, a show that ran for 15 years, more than 6,000 performances and - in a noble achievement - continued to improve. And I’ve not felt that degree of sensory overload again in Las Vegas. Twenty-six years on, “Mystere” remains a personal favorite. It didn’t matter that a lot of it went over my head, metaphorically and for real. I walked away stunned, impressed at what these artists had achieved. I was happy to watch the blue-costumed performers vault to the sky from their magic teeter-totters. What’s the story here? About halfway through I just gave up.

I tried to figure out the message of this show. This adventure was filled with costumed humans flying across the theater, climbing up poles 40 feet high, slamming oversized taiko drums, and bounding over the audience on bungee cords. Weeks after moving to Las Vegas, I attended my first big production show on the Strip. (Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Wynn Las Vegas) The premiere of Awakening at Wynn Las Vegas on Nov.

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