(Ed. note) The official opening of Viva Elvis was on February 19, 2010. Click here to read the ElvisBlog article covering our favorite on-line reviews of the show.
The long awaited trial run opening of Cirque du Soleil's new show VIVA ELVIS is just three days away. On Friday, December 18, 2000 fans will file into the specially built theater at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas to view this wonderful tribute to The King. Regular ticket prices start at $99 and go up to $175, but during the preview period through the end of January, all are subject to a 25% discount
A basic room at the Aria is $149 per night. If you want a spectacular view of CityCenter and the strip, it will cost $199. If you want to celebrate Elvis' 75th birthday by catching VIVA ELVIS and staying at the Aria on January 8, those room rates jump to $259 and $309.
The Aria website has a link with information on showtimes, prices, and a seating chart. It looks like the show will happen even on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. The site has this to say about VIVA ELVIS:
Viva ELVIS™ by Cirque du Soleil®, a harmonious fusion of dance, acrobatics and live music, is a tribute to the life and music of Elvis Presley. Nostalgia, modernity and raw emotion provide the backdrop for his immortal voice and the exhilaration and beauty of his music.
Created in the image of The King of Rock 'n' Roll – powerful, sexy, whimsical, truly unique and larger than life – the show highlights an American icon who transformed popular music and whose image embodies the freedom, excitement and turbulence of his era.
Significant moments in his life – intimate, playful and grandiose – blend with the timeless songs that remain as relevant today as when they first hit the top of the charts. Viva ELVIS focuses on the essential humanity of the one superstar whose name will forever be linked with the history of Las Vegas and the entire world of entertainment: Elvis Presley.
Here are some interesting tid-bits from Reed Johnson's LATimes.com article earlier today. They are from quotes attributed to Gilles Ste-Croix, Cirque Senior V.P. of Creative Content, and Stephanie Mongeau, Viva Elvis Executive Producer.
Evoking an extraordinary man and his shape-shifting times.
A retro-contemporized tribute that unfolds like a live concert.
None of the show's 75 artists actually will portray or represent Presley on stage.
Those unmistakable purrs and growls will be set to punchy new musical arrangements – like “Black Eyed Peas meet Elvis”
I will be interested to see the reviews of these Black-Eyed-Peas-like arrangements of Elvis' music. Personally, I'm rather fond of the Scotty Moore and James Burton sounds. There will surely be a soundtrack CD coming out soon (like just in time for Elvis Week, maybe?), so we can listen to the music even if we can't get to Las Vegas to see the show.
It may be a few years until I get out to Las Vegas and see Viva Elvis, but you can be sure that trip will be on my Christmas wish list every year until I do.
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