About Cirque's Love In 2006, the master artists of Cirque du Soleil conceived of a theatrical production springing out of the music of The Beatles. Love is that re-imagining, replete with the athleticism and artistry of all Cirque shows.

The Mirage in Las Vegas houses a theatre built especially for the staging which is the first joint venture that The Beatles' Apple Corps Ltd has waded into. Written and directed by Dominic Champagne, Love enlisted Sir George Martin, who produced most of The Beatles' records, and his son Giles to be music directors.

The project's beginnings date back to 2000, when George Harrison and Guy Laliberté, a Cirque founder, bounced the idea around. It would take three years of negotiating with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono (on behalf of John Lennon), and Olivia Harrison (after George passed away) to bring the idea to fruition.

Finally, in June of 2006, preview performances kicked off and the production was tweaked based on audience reaction and McCartney's input. Among the guests at the June 30 gala premiere were McCartney, Starr, Ono, Cynthia Lennon, Julian Lennon, Olivia and Dhani Harrison, and Sir George Martin. The event marked the most complete reunion of the core Beatles' group since the band broke up. At the end of the performance, McCartney asked the crowd to offer up "just one special round of applause, for John and George!"

The Love soundtrack was released in November of 2006. Love is the only Cirque show to use prerecorded music as opposed to live musicians. The selected tracks include many recordings from the original Abbey Road Studios sessions with new orchestrations. Drawing from 130 songs, some 26 musical elements comprise the score with one song trailing into another. A favorite track is the new rendition of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." It blends the song's first demo with a new, Love-specific string arrangement composed by Sir George Martin.

Love's theatre was designed by Jean Rabasse with 6,341 speakers and just over 2,000 seats surrounding a center stage. Every seat is fitted with three speakers, a pair of which are in the headrest. High-definition projectors shoot video images to enhance various elements and transitions. All told, the Love theatre cost over $100 million to build, replacing the Mirage's Siegfried & Roy theatre.

The costumes for Love were designed by Philippe Guilottel who aimed to infuse the fashions with Beatles' spirit. They also needed to reflect the historical period represented in the show. To this end, Guilottel collided traditional styles with more imaginative ones to create a colorful, almost cartoonish look.

The show's story runs through The Beatles' legacy from the group's humble beginnings through to mega-stardom. It even delves into their various psychedelic and spiritual leanings before landing in the band's 1970 dissolution. Love's finale number celebrates The Beatles' reunion represented by the show itself.

The characters that fill the story are drawn from various Beatles' lyrics. Eleanor Rigby, Sgt. Pepper, Lucy in the Sky, Lady Madonna, and Mr. Kite all inhabit the Love world. The cast counts about 65 performers in its ranks.

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