Show Review: Criss Angel Believe

Location: The Luxor Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas, NV)

I first saw Criss Angel Believe last February when, during my first trip to Las Vegas, I was in need of a cheap show to see. The tickets were significantly lower than those for the other Cirque du Soleil shows, something I assumed was because of the poor reviews it had received. I had heard of these reviews only from the consistently unreliable Perez Hilton (love ya, Perez, but you're site has become increasingly inaccurate) so I took them with a grain of salt. I saw the show, relatively unaware of just who Criss Angel was (I just knew he was a magician), and I loved it. To this day, I still feel that it was a misunderstood masterpiece, a show that perfectly blended the magic of Angel with the artistry of Cirque du Soleil. Neither was dominant, a fact that bugged many critics, but both were very powerful and prominant. Filled with striking imagery and mind-freaking illusions, it was a beautifully haunting show that remained with me long after it ended. So, when I planned my second trip to Las Vegas just a year and a half later, I wanted to see it again, knowing that it had endured many changes since the last time I saw it. I never expected the new show I was going to see...for better or for worse.

It is not that the new Criss Angel Believe is a bad show...it's just that it's drastically different and not as good as it once was. Now, the touching story that was once the heart of the show has been completely stripped down and, in its place, is essentially a magic show on steroids. This should make those critics who insisted that it should be either a full magic show or a full Cirque du Soleil show very happy, because most of the Cirque elements have been removed in favor of more magic. I suspect that changes will still be made, as this current incarnation of the show feels more like a comma than a period. There are, after all, random moments of dancing that don't seem to be mesh with the rest of the show, and the costume and set designs seem out-of-place now. Unfortunately, I highly doubt that the version I originally saw, the version I truly loved, will ever be brought back to the stage. Its initial icey reception shot any chances of that occurring down without so much as a second thought. Alas, I don't think that the new show is bad...in fact, it's still quite good. That's because of Criss Angel, probably the world's most famous and talented illusionist, who is a charismatic and charming leading man who is now putting aside the acting elements of his old Believe role in favor of doing what he does best: being a great magician.

He is now the star of the show, whereas he was once just an element in it. Accompanied by four "ushers" and two beautiful women (the good Kayala, and the evil Crimson), Criss guides the show through a variety of magic tricks, including a particularly good new one involving a clear box elevated over the stage and an assistant who may or may not appear in it. Angel is a consummate showman who has a presence necessary to lead a Vegas show. In a city filled with all kinds of entertainers (from street musicians to Carrot Top to Cher), Criss Angel is one of the precious few who manages to stand out. He is at his best when he is interacting with the audience, spouting out a slew of risque one-liners that will amuse new fans and send his seasoned fans into hysterics (I loved his inclusion of the token "Houdini with a little weenie" line). You see, after I saw Criss Angel Believe last year, I started watching Mindfreak religiously and really came to admire Angel, both as a performer and as a person. His unabashed love for his family and his stark passion for his craft are things we rarely see in performers anymore. This helped me appreciate the new version of his show more. It was just nice to see him on stage, having fun and putting on a good show.

So, once again, I find myself the lone defender of something that so many others have criticized. Critics hated it, the audience members who didn't like it were most vocal, and those that did like it seemed to remain silent. Well, I say, to hell with it. I loved the Criss Angel Believe I saw last February and I liked the Criss Angel Believe I saw this week. There are a few kinks that need to be worked out to bring this new version up to the caliber that it once was, but I have faith that that can happen. Ultimately, not much needs to be changed; they just must be able to find a way to make the characters and settings fit into the show's new format or, if nothing else, be removed altogether (although, I sincerely hope they keep the rabbits). If they can accomplish that, then I believe that Criss Angel Believe might become the best magic show on the Vegas trip. The difficulty in that, though, is that the Cirque elements are terribly overt and specifically designed to accomodate a narrative that no longer exists and that the producers, knowing that bad word-of-mouth in a city filled with other options is deadly, would never dare to reintroduce that narrative. You see, they are moving towards a more commercial product and are about halfway there with this current production. How will they fit the non-commercial elements that were once such a huge part in the original production into the newly-rebuffed version? I don't know...but I trust Angel and I trust Cirque, so we shall see. I'm still a believer.