“Le Reve” at Wynn Provides an Over-the-Top Escape
We figured it was high time to dive into “Le Reve” at Wynn Las Vegas, and the dazzling show certainly doesn’t disappoint.
“Le Reve” at Wynn is quintessential Las Vegas spectacle, and it’s no secret nobody does spectacle better than Sin City. Or hangovers. But mostly that first thing.
“Le Reve,” French for “The Dream,” is a water-based show performed in the round. Most of the action takes place in a 1.1 million gallon water tank. Sorry, “aqua theater,” because it sounds fancier.
It’s said no seat is more than 40 feet from the action at “Le Reve,” so there are no bad seats in the house. Unless you sit behind an Abraham Lincoln impersonator.
Because of the hat.
We’ll wait.
Many Las Vegas visitors mistakenly believe “Le Reve” is a Cirque du Soleil show. It’s not, but the show was created by Franco Dragone, the creative force behind “Mystere” and “0,” the Cirque show most likely to elicit comparisons to “Le Reve.”
There are two big differences between “O” and “Le Reve.”
First, where “O” involves lots of diving, “Le Reve” features dangling and dropping. It’s impressive dropping, to be sure. At one point, someone plummets about 10 stories into the pool below, an exhilarating thrill to behold.
The second difference is there are no “clowns” in “Le Reve.” This comes as a great relief to those of us who put “clowns” in quotation marks because Cirque “clowns” are never very “funny.”
“Le Reve” checks a number of boxes when it comes to successful Las Vegas shows, including the fact you don’t have to speak English to enjoy it. We’re fairly sure the show claims to have a plot, but ultimately any attempt at a story would distract from the non-stop, intoxicating eye candy.
Just about every sequence in “Le Reve” captures the imagination, and one can’t help but marvel at the technology involved in such a complex production.
There are a whopping 90 performers in the cast, or slightly less than the number of people who live in Vermont. Each member of the cast is scuba certified, and all are extraordinarily fit. They’re also scantily-clad. Hey, it’s still Vegas.
Fun fact: Pretty much all the male performers in “Le Reve” are muscular, bald and pasty. Think War Boys in “Mad Max: Fury Road,” but shimmery.
“Le Reve” opened in May 2005, and was mercilessly panned by critics. The show appears to be doing brisk business now, and recently got yet another creative overhaul.
Insiders share that the new incarnation didn’t pass muster with Steve Wynn when it was unveiled, so he essentially scrapped the retooled show at great expense.
From what we understand, some of the elements from the revamped show remain, and are probably the reason the show feels uneven in places. The best example is the closing sequence. The dramatic tone suddenly takes a hard turn into a Disney-style “Under the Sea” number even those involved with the production admit is a bit of a trainwreck.
Setting the closing number aside (and the distracting, hit-and-miss music throughout), “Le Reve” is, in fact, dreamlike, including standard things you find in dreams: Sex, mysterious characters, flying, vivid visuals and lots of random WTF.
Inverted, synchronized swimmers in red pumps spring to mind.
“Le Reve” at Wynn Las Vegas is surprising and engaging and a feast for the eyes. From the aerial feats of daring to the pyrotechnics and dancing fountains, it’s everything you could ask of a Las Vegas show. Plus, it’s at Wynn Las Vegas. Where else but the Wynn can you leave a show, and as you’re passing through the theater lobby take a selfie with a $28 million Popeye statue? The art formerly in the space, “Tulips” by Jeff Koons, has been shipped off to Wynn Palace in Macau.
Tickets to “Le Reve” start at $115.
For $175, you’ll get “Dream Seating,” with plush seats, more leg room and a monitor providing live backstage and underwater video during the show.
Enjoy more exclusive photos from “Le Reve,” below. Oh, and did we mention audience members are encouraged to take non-flash photos during the show? For a Las Vegas blog, that is indeed a dream come true.
Le Reve at Wynn Las Vegas
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