A few months later (July 2004) "The Beatles Meet Cirque du Soleil" show had been green-lit by Apple Corps, MGM/Mirage, and Cirque, under the direction of Dominic Champagne, to debut in early 2006. Other interesting bits about the new concept would come out two months later in a September 10th "Vegasbeat" column:

"The new Cirque show will feature music by the Beatles, but will definitely not be a production show similar to "Mamma Mia!," which wraps a plot around a popular music catalog. "It will embrace the imagery and spirit of the Beatles, and the best of what Cirque has to offer."

The unnamed Beatles-themed show began life several years ago in Cirque founder Guy Laliberte's Montreal living room when he was visited by George Harrison after a Formula One race. The two struck up a friendship and hit upon bringing a Cirque show to London based on "Yellow Submarine," the psychedelic 1968 animated film. After Harrison died, Laliberte convinced Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Yoko Ono to take in some Cirque productions, and eventually got permission from them to use Beatles music in a show, Baillargeon explained. "In the end they decided 'Yellow Submarine' as a show was too '60-themed, and they wanted to do something that was more current."

The contract "authorizes the creators of Cirque du Soleil to pick from the richest catalog of the most famous rock band in history. Cirque also got authorization to remix musical passages at will. The Beatles have never before authorized sampling of their catalog."

COME TOGETHER

The collaboration between Apple and Cirque came about as a result of a friendship between Cirque founder Guy Laliberte and Harrison. The two men, both Formula 1 racing enthusiasts, met in 1997 at a race in Melbourne, Australia. In June 2000 Harrison attended a race in Montreal and then attended a party Laliberte hosted for 1,000 friends, an annual event. During the party the two men first brought up the idea of a joint project. A month or so later the two got together in London, Laliberte said. "That's where the first seeds of a common dream were planted -- matching Cirque du Soleil with the Beatles."

The idea was discussed up until Harrison's death in 2001. Laliberte met with Apple's board and the members voted unanimously to proceed with the project. They first considered a production in London and other cities, including New York and Tokyo. Meanwhile, McCartney performed in Las Vegas and saw the relationship between the city and Cirque. "He came back and said, 'Why not Las Vegas?' " Laliberte said. "That took us by surprise."

Laliberte discussed the idea with Mirage president Bobby Baldwin. It was believed Siegfried & Roy would retire at the end of 2005 or 2006 and the Mirage would be looking for a replacement. "We thought we had plenty of time to work on the project, until 2007 or 2008," Laliberte said. "But then there was the unfortunate accident with Roy." When it was determined that Siegfried & Roy would not be returning, the Cirque project (referred to as "The Boys") was put on a fast track.

On October 14, 2004, Cirque du Soleil announced to the world that it too had been swept up in Beatlemania:

Cirque du Soleil, Apple Corps Ltd. and The Mirage announce a partnership in which they will celebrate the musical legacy and extraordinary experience of The Beatles in an unprecedented live theatre production opening in 2006. This joint artistic venture marks the first time that The Beatles' company, Apple Corps, has agreed to a major theatrical partnership.

The production will be Cirque du Soleil's fifth resident show in Las Vegas and will be presented at The Mirage, the resort that changed the face of Las Vegas when it opened in 1989.

The project was born out of a personal friendship and professional admiration between the late George Harrison and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté. "This show is about living The Beatles experience," said Guy Laliberté. "We want to bring the magic of Cirque du Soleil together with the spirit and passion behind the most beloved rock band of all time to create a single, simple statement of delight."

Neil Aspinall, Managing Director of Apple Corps, said, "In the past The Beatles have been approached with theatrical proposals which never promised much beyond a traditional presentation. However, in Cirque du Soleil, Apple is fortunate to have found a creative partner with the same passion for innovation and excellence."

Robert H. Baldwin, President and CEO of Mirage Resorts, said, "This partnership builds on the solid relationship that already exists between MGM MIRAGE and Cirque du Soleil. We too are thrilled that the union between two premier entertainment icons, The Beatles and Cirque, will come together at The Mirage."

Gilles Ste-Croix, Vice President of Creation and New Project Development at Cirque du Soleil, revealed key members of the artistic team will include Cirque du Soleil writer-director Dominic Champagne and The Beatles producer Sir George Martin.

Sir George, who will oversee the music element of the show, said today, "After spending more than 40 years of my life working with The Beatles and their wonderful music, I am thrilled to be working with them once again, on this exciting project with Cirque du Soleil. The show will be a unique and magical experience."

While the project has the approval of Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, Paul and Ringo will not appear in the production. "It is a fantastic project for us and I personally am excited to collaborate with such a great creative team," Paul McCartney said.

"How excited can I get -- The Beatles, Cirque du Soleil, an incredible venue in Las Vegas - what could be better," said Ringo. "I'm looking forward to the first show 'cause I'm going to be there and I hope you are too."

"The Beatles and Cirque; I think it's a great combination: The Beatles' agile mind and Cirque's agile body," said Yoko Ono. "George and Guy shared the same vision. They planned to utilize the extraordinary creativity of the Beatles and Cirque du Soleil to produce an uplifting moment in time. We are all very happy to see this project come to fruition," said Olivia Harrison.

Additional details of the content of the show, which aims to revisit the excitement of the remarkable era when Beatlemania ignited the world, are in creative incubation.

And they’d remain there for two years until Cirque du Soleil was ready to announce the show to the world.

HERE COMES THE SUN

On April 19, 2006, Cirque du Soleil revealed its view of The Beatles to the world:

Using the master tapes at Abbey Road Studios, Sir George and Giles have created a unique soundscape for LOVE. "I think we will achieve a real sense of drama with the music, the audience will feel as though they are actually in the theatre with the band. People are going to be knocked out by what they are hearing!" said Giles Martin.

Dominic Champagne directed and wrote the original concept for the show which captures the essence of love that John, Paul, George and Ringo inspired during their astonishing adventure together. LOVE evokes the exuberant and irreverent spirit of The Beatles. "When we embarked on this extraordinary adventure in 2002," said Gilles Ste-Croix, Show Concept Creator and Director of Creation, "we set out to create a timeless, three-dimensional evocation of The Beatles music. Drawn from the poetry of the lyrics, we developed a preliminary concept that explored the content of the songs in a series of scenes inhabited by real and imaginary people." The international cast of 60 channels a raw, youthful energy underscored by aerial performance, extreme sports and urban, freestyle dance.

LOVE would be presented in a custom-built theatre at The Mirage featuring 360 degrees seating and advanced high definition video projections with 100-foot digital, moving images. The panoramic surround sound system will envelop the audience who will experience The Beatles music like never before...

LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED

Since The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil had its premiere in 2006 the show has celebrated a number of highlights, such as:

On September 22, 2006, almost 200 Cirque du Soleil “Passionates” descended upon the theater for the 7:30pm performance, giving their brand of LOVE to the performers. (CirqueCon 2006: Las Vegas!)

On June 26, 2007, in celebration of its first anniversary, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon, Olivia Harrison and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté took part in a special dedication ceremony in honor of John Lennon and George Harrison. Two plaques designed by Cirque du Soleil creators were unveiled in the LOVE Theatre Lobby to celebrate the two former Beatles and their contributions to the production, LOVE. Paul McCartney said, "It's great to be unveiling this because the guys aren't here and the show's been such a great success. They were magnificent men and it is an honor to unveil this plaque to them." Ringo Starr said, "George was a great musician, he was a dear friend. I love him and miss him. God bless him and I'm sure wherever he is, he's smiling right now."

Yoko Ono said, "I'd just like to say that John would have been very happy and glad that this show was such a success and also that Paul, another magnificent man is here to present John's plaque." Olivia Harrison said, "I'd like to thank The Mirage for giving us a home here and also to Guy and to Cirque and their artists. This show is so demanding on them and their lives revolve around 10 performances a week. I don't think George would be surprised at the success of this collaboration." Guy Laliberté said, "It's our first anniversary but I think it's much more than that. I think it's a celebration of a great journey that started a year ago. And you know at Cirque du Soleil, we can only be proud to have done what we've done in Vegas so far."

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It’s been a long and winding road from initial spark to the eventual staging of The Beatles LOVE, but through dedication and working hard eight days a week, Cirque du Soleil has given us a smashing spectacle that’s just getting better all the time.