Producers of the Beatles‘ Love stage show thanked fans for 18 years of success after the curtain came down for the final time in Las Vegas Sunday night.
Originally conceived by George Harrison in 2000, the concept was developed in association with contemporary circus troupe Cirque du Soleil. It premiered at the Mirage in Las Vegas in 2006, with input from Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Olivia Harrison and Yoko Ono.
The show was described as “a multi-sensory journey” and a“theatre-in-the-round technological and psychedelic spectacle.” Its Mirage residency was interrupted by the pandemic but reopened in August 2021.
Beatles’ ‘Love’ Show Was Seen by Nearly 12 Million People
“The Beatles’ Love has taken its last bow,” Cirque du Soleil said in a statement. “After bringing together more than 11.8 million fans from around the world, this… masterpiece will forever be celebrated as one of the most exhilarating and colorful performances in Cirque’s history.”
Giles Martin, who eventually used 120 pieces of Beatles music for the soundtrack, reflected in 2017: “Love was a project where I constantly thought I was going to get fired… This was such a ridiculously stupid idea that anyone would let George Martin’s son come into Abbey Road, touch the untouched tapes of the Beatles and chop them up to create a show in Vegas… pretty deplorable.”
He said of the circus troupe: “They have this great thing, which is so refreshing in artistic life. They don’t believe anything is impossible. And we work in a world, especially in music nowadays, where everything is slightly regimented and it’s difficult to break rules. And with Cirque, if you have a mad idea they’ll go for it.”
The Beatles’ ‘Love’ Dazzles in Las Vegas
Photos from Cirque du Soleil’s Production of the Beatles’ ‘Love’
Gallery Credit: Cirque du Soleil