The first such show in Vegas to incorporate a giant tank of water into the act, O by Cirque du Soleil is one impressive and gorgeous production. The show is set in a specially designed 1,800 seat theater made to resemble a European opera house, and it is a big, grand, and lavish production.
Unlike director Franco Dragone’s independent follow up, Le Rêve at Wynn, O is not set in a theater in the round, but has a more traditional stage. However, the action is so big and the staging so vast that you feel immersed in it throughout, much as with Le Rêve.
The pool in the production is huge, with 1.5 million gallons of water in it. This allows for everything from synchronized swimming to diving to tumbling into the water from the sides and from above.
The show is broken up into eleven acts, each with its own unique theme. The acts include Synchronized Swimming, Duo Trapeze, High Dive, Contortion, and Aerial Hoops. Each act is more spectacular than the one that preceded it, and the action and stunts throughout will simply amaze you.
In the High Dive, for instance, includes divers jumping from a platform an amazing 60 feet above the water, landing in the huge pool below.
The show’s costumes are spectacular and diverse in their inspirations, which range from Baroque to Commedia Dell’arte. They were specially designed to stand up to the water in the show.
The music in the show is as eclectic as the costumes and includes bagpipes, African guitar and harp, Chinese violin, and Colombian guitar, just to name of the few instruments used.
The show is closer to Mystère in story, in that there is little attempt at a coherent plot, and the action is more structured around concepts, ideas, and modes of performance.
O is a great show and one that even kids might love, if they have the patience to site through a longer performance. The action is fast paced and non-stop, and you will certainly be awed and thoroughly entertained throughout.
