Cirque's magical mystery tour through Beatles history

The Beatles' final live performance was a rough-and-ready, low-key affair. The contrast could not have been greater as the band's music was revived on stage in Las Vegas, with Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr looking on in awe.

Love, staged at a cost of $167 million and developed over many years, takes an audience of more than 2000 people a night on a spectacular magical mystery tour through Beatles history, with the help of a huge troupe of dancers and acrobats.

The surreal portrayal of the Fab Four's career, performed by Cirque du Soleil, even includes a re-creation of their final show in 1969, staged on the rooftop of their Savile Row HQ.

After the 90-minute premiere at the Siegfried & Roy Theatre at Vegas' Mirage Hotel, McCartney bounded onstage and yelled: "This is for John [Lennon] and George [Harrison]!"

The other surviving Beatle, Ringo Starr, said: "It was emotional, because two of us aren't there ... It really comes home when you're watching this."

The show features excerpts from 130 songs and unpublished material by the band, and includes characters from their songs such as the Walrus, Lady Madonna and Sergeant Pepper.

It takes the audience through key events that shaped the band's world, including World War II, the early-60s era of Beatlemania and the band's reclusive years of psychedelic experimentation, which produced songs such as Strawberry Fields Forever.

The Beatles' producer, Sir George Martin, worked with his son Giles to perfect the soundscape for the production at the theatre, which has been empty since the flamboyant illusionist Roy Horn was attacked by a tiger during a show in 2003.

Sir George joked that the late John Lennon would have been dissatisfied with the production, as always.

"If he saw the show, he'd probably say: 'Yeah, but it could be better'. John was never satisfied with anything that he ever did in his life. In his mind, he had a dream world which could not be realised."

Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, who attended the show wearing a large white hat and matching suit, drew loud cheers from fans.

She said: "When I was working on this show in the rehearsals, I thought: 'John should be here'. He would have enjoyed it so much."

Olivia Harrison, George's widow and another guest at the premiere, said: "I hope he [George] would like it."

Some elements have been placed in the show symbolically to refer to real-life events.

At one stage hooded figures throw knives at a cross, alluding to threats made by the Ku Klux Klan against the Beatles after Lennon famously proclaimed in 1966 that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus".

The show's creator, Dominic Champagne, said: "I tried to get inspired by the lyrics, but also the moments and motion of their careers.

"We tried to be spiritual and physical without trying to be too didactic. I didn't want to do the live version of The Anthology. We're not here to teach the Beatles story to people."

It was Harrison's interest in the Beatles' legacy, and his friendship with the Cirque's founder, Guy Laliberte, that prompted the project.

- INDEPENDENT