My wife and I are thinking about seeing this show. Can anyone who has seen it comment on how good it is?

Doug,

I saw this show a while back, shortly after it opened. It may have changed some since we caught the show. Using a four star rating, I'd give it a 2 1/2.

The show I saw at the time felt like a poor man's version of a Cirque du Soleil show. Much of the music is similar, and some of the acts seem Cirque-ish. If I didn't see a Cirque show prior to seeing Imagine, I probably would have enjoyed it more.

If money is no object, than I'd recommend Mystere or "O". If you've seen either, you may be disappointed in Imagine. But, if you haven't seen either of those yet - Imagine is a fairly enjoyable show and won't put as much of a dent in your wallet.

Mark

[This message has been edited by Mark (edited August 22, 1999).]

I agree with you Mark. I saw Mystere before I saw Imagine and I was disappointed with Imagine. My friends saw Imagine only and thought it was terrific.

Doug, here's a little more Info for you - The review is a few years old but should apply to the current show for the most part:

10/03/97 Michael Paskevich LVRJ

"Imagine" a new production show that arrives minus many of the tired trappings we've come to expect from traditional Las Vegas production shows. "Imagine" an evening without fleshy parades of slow-moving showgirls, grinning principals lip-syncing to dated pop ditties, idle "Where ya from?" comedy, front-of-curtain specialty acts or a central "star" to bring it all together.

"Imagine" an ambitious and talent-laden effort that strives to be different yet, at this early stage, falls short of its goal of becoming a truly unique work that will up the ante for shows playing the Strip when the new millennium arrives.

Staged in the Luxor's lavish Egyptian-themed theater, a striking 1,200-seater valued at some $27 million, "Imagine, A Theatrical Odyssey" combines elements of "Mystere, " "EFX" and "Siegfried & Roy," and mostly manages to avoid being termed a derivative affair.

It's something of a hybrid, actually, and the moody journey played out in three distinct environments is an eye-pleasing and well-paced production that is often alluring despite some problems that can be overcome with a tighter focus and clearer sense of purpose.

Produced by Dick and Lynne Foster, a talented duo who have been turning out quality midsized magic shows ("Spellbound '97" at Harrah's Las Vegas) for three decades, "Imagine" marks a new direction for the well-regarded team that includes hard-working director David Gravatt.

For their biggest production to date, they've assembled a cast of 55 beautifully costumed dancers and featured acts that display their ample skills while live musicians directed by Dick Palombi lay down a progressive Cirque Du Soleil-styled score that fuses New Age sounds with flashes of opera, jazz and Third World rhythms.

The dramatic live music bolsters a colorful show that runs about 75 minutes and seeks to transport audience members into a world where anything is possible. The idea here is to simply sit back and let one's imagination run wild, allowing for individual interpretation.

Not a word is spoken onstage -- a couple of taped voice-overs set the diverse scenes -- and the show gets off to a sluggish start with a 30-minute journey into an uncertain past. After a trio of amusing jesters, dressed in black-and-white harlequin outfits, welcomes the audience with some silent antics, the ensemble dance cast arrives amid flashing pyrotechnics, carrying torches while clad in earth-toned costumes. The tribal feel is accented with innovative choreography by Craig Hempsted, which highlights the troupe's acrobatic skills and well-synchronized moves.

But there's little to latch onto moodwise, and the unannounced arrival of magician James Brandon hardly lifts the languid first act. He turns in a basket trick with a disappearing female assistant, a levitation and reappearance with modest impact, and needs more work if he is to become the show's intended wizard.

Dimensions in Flight, a trio of attractive gymnasts in silver bodysuits, fares far better with a strong display of body sculptures that make the impossible seem effortless. A circular central stage surrounded by risers and stairways is revamped for the second act in which "Imagine" captures the floating feel of a descent into the world beneath the sea. Blue and green banners bisect the stage, bubbles float from above and mermaidlike creatures trailing colorful seaweedlike fringe drift high above the audience, spinning head over heels to alluring effect.

It's here that "Imagine" finds the proper mood in a gentle setting that features Aerial Expressions, a two-man "strap act" that takes flight over the crowd with daring swoops and spins. By working from a thrust stage close to the front rows, the act helps remove a sense of detachment that can be linked to the deeply set main stage.

Lighting effects are consistently excellent and the stage is bathed in black light for a journey into a future that finds the cast decked out in neon greens and oranges. The quality musicians pound out an energetic backdrop to this final act, which includes more magic by Brandon and the show's scene-stealing bungee troupe from China.

The 15 bodysuited acrobats rise and fall from an angled metal structure that hovers near the front of the stage, and their closing finds them forming a human waterfall that drew the biggest applause from an early week audience. It's a tough act to follow and "Imagine" wisely segues right into its curtain calls, ending a pretty and physically demanding show that lacks the intensity and focus that could lift it above its mere pageantry. The talent is certainly there but the uncertain moods need to become more defined to fully realize the show's potential.

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Mark
Moderator - Entertainment
mark@talkvegas.com

Well, as luck would have it, Imagine is dark 8-31 thru 9-6. Guess that made my mind up for me. We had decided to see this show, then on the next trip Mystre, then O. Hope this is my only piece of bad timing. [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

Instead we are going to see Lance Burton @ the Monte Carlo. Same price range and I have read several good things about this show. So while my timing may have been bad for Imagine, perhaps my luck is better in that I feel Lance Burton will be a better show. [img]http://www.talkvegas.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

Doug,

Lance puts on a good show, I'm sure you guys will enjoy it. Hope that reserving the tickets a little in advance gets you some good seats. Have fun !


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Mark
Moderator - Entertainment
mark@talkvegas.com