"Le Reve: A Small Collection of Imperfect Dreams" is playing inside the Le Reve Theatre at the Wynn Las Vegas. This show has been one of my favorites on the Strip for years. It is brilliant in so many ways, and I am happy to see it again and again. There is a constant process of revising and making changes to show in order to make it better, and while sometimes I disagree with some of the changes that are made, I appreciate the consistent effort. Created by Franco Dragone, this show is an amazing adventure into a surreal avant-garde world that is stunning, dynamic, sensual, and thrilling. The cast is exceptional. The theatre is stunning, and the music is outstanding.

The biggest change to the production occurred last year when Steve Wynn bought out Franco Dragone's interest and took over personal control of the show. The technical upgrades and changes that Wynn has made are well thought out and executed. They are a great addition to the production. The artistic changes that have been made are not so well thought out and don't make the show better…have you ever had a favorite restaurant that changed ownership? It's still a great restaurant, but a lot of your favorite menus items have been altered and changed, and it's just not the same. This is sort of how I feel about this latest incarnation. The show is still very easy to sit through, but it is more of a celebration now. We used to see the good, the bad, and the ugly...we now mostly only see the good. It dose not possess the layered complexity that it used to.

One of the other changes that was made last year was the addition of a new theatre seating area...the VIP Indulgence Package is a new and wonderful way to experience this show. The package includes overstuffed chairs, champagne, strawberries, and a server that was so adept at keeping glasses filled that we nicknamed her the ninja-waitress. There is also a video screen that rotates through different views of the production...before the show, we are given backstage views of performers getting ready, and during the production, and the screen flips through overhead and underwater views of the show. It lends to a Busby Berkley feel to the evening that is really interesting. You are sometimes torn with the visual overload with which view to watch, but it is a great addition.

When the show first opened, it didn't get off to the best beginning. Asked to open at the same time as the hotel, it was presented to the public before it was really ready to begin, and it suffered from the inevitable comparisons to "O"---a well seasoned and proven production. Most of Dragone's shows have had substantial time for previews. "Le Reve" did not, and subsequently did not receive the best press from the start. In order to re-work the production and make the needed changes, the number of shows per week was reduced. The general sense from the public was that they wanted to wait and see a finished product rather than pay full price to see a show while it was still in rehearsals. Word on the street had been fairly poor, but now, that can all now change. The show is great. Ignore the words that "were" and see the show that "is."

Are there striking similarities between "O," "Mystere," and "Le Reve?" Of course there are. Dragone created them all. Why wouldn't there be? The point should be though, that as Dragone has created each of these productions, he has been able to refine the process and the vision, and he keeps getting better. Even the titles of the shows seem insignificant---they are almost all interchangeable. It is the progress of the work that is consequential, and this show has become a masterpiece.

This unique world emerges as soon as you enter the performance space. The theatre is superbly crafted to encompass the audience. You get the sense of being part of this experience as it occurs all around you. It supports several levels of multimedia effects that enhance the experience. Like the work itself, it is complex, layered, and beautiful.

Several of the sections stand out...what I will call the "red shoes ballet" and the "girls in the globe" immediately come to mind. There are several other sections of note as well. There were of course other sections that I didn't care for as much, but it is really a matter of taste, and the areas in which this show triumphed certainly out weighed any complaints that I might have. The show is incredibly sensual, and the cast makes the complexity of the production look simple. It is an intriguing celebration of metaphors, similes, symbolism, and images.

The music in the show is, once again, amazing. It is not often that I want to buy the CD of show music, but this one is the exception. I've already gotten the soundtrack for myself---and ten of my friends.

It is unfortunate that "Le Reve" got off to an inauspicious beginning. There have been several shows that couldn't overcome a bad start---even when they had improved. I don't see this fate for "Le Reve." They are fortunate because the Wynn Corporation has always stood behind them. Additionally, this show is worthy of a place on the Strip. It deserves lauds, praises, and accolades. I can't wait to go back...again and again. Like I said before, it has been one of my favorites.

Photo Credits: Tomasz Rossa


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