 I was vividly
reminded of the old saying "The more things
change the more they stay the same" this past
week when my wife and I revisited Mystère at the
TI. Sure, in 1994 when we first witnessed it,
the drive from our home to the strip was 8
minutes instead of 20+, Vegas was attempting to
transform itself into a children's playground
and eradicate the old "sin city" image, and
pirates frolicked in Buccaneer Bay. I remember
playing video poker quite often at the Treasure
Island back in the previous century when said
game was still beatable, and was fortunate
enough to be invited to see
Mystère
shortly after it opened in December 1993. I was
skeptical of course, having little knowledge of
Cirque du Soleil or how if differed from the
circuses of my childhood.
 Now, some thirteen
years later Vegas has discarded the kid friendly
image and reverted to its roots, deeply
entrenched in the "adult" forms of entertainment
which brought it success at the outset. We are
now the "gentlemen's club" club and "ultra"
lounge capital of the world and advertise
ourselves as the ultimate resort destination for
those who wish to remain anonymous. We now have
god awful traffic congestion and smog instead of
fresh air, but its all in the name of "progress"
and record growth which has surpassed the
expectations of pioneers like myself who moved
pre-1990,before it was quite so chic. All of
which is why I return to
Mystère
every several years (this was my fourth visit)
as it reminds me that part of what I love about
Vegas hasn't changed.  I could go on
forever lauding the individual acts but will not
take up your time in an attempt to describe in
words what needs to be seen to be fully
appreciated. Suffice it to say that the aerial
cube juggler, Chinese acrobats, aerial flyers,
giant bungee and plank athletes and the tour de
force brothers who perform literally atop each
other on a giant dome are as mind boggling and
accomplished at their craft as they have been
continuously for thirteen years. The live music
is haunting to the point of distraction. To this
day, I play the CD frequently and can't get over
how much I love this multilingual unintelligible
sound, it simply defies description.
It is only fair
that I warn you there is no nudity, no salacious
dialogue or anything you really need to feel
guilty about witnessing. So bring the kids who
will like the clowning around pre-show or don't
bring them as you see fit; but if you have yet
to see Mystère you are making a monumental
mistake and need to rectify it immediately. I
can guarantee one of best 90 minute
entertainment experiences of a lifetime. One
which will leave you shaking your head in
disbelief, smiling from ear to ear, and
delighted that you are able to tell your
friends you were there. In short, Mystère et magnifique!!!
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| Treasure Island |
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| 3300 S. Las Vegas Blvd. | |||
| (702) 894-7111 | |||
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Performance Schedule: Monday - Wednesday, and Saturday 7:00pm & 9:30pm Sundays / 4:30pm & 7:00pm Thursday & Friday / Dark* |
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