“Because the world is round
it turns me on . . .”
So begins the Cirque du Soleil The Beatles – Love extravaganza.
Last month, my kids whisked me away to Las Vegas as a
Christmas/birthday surprise overnighter. Wow!! What a transformation from my
previous trip in 1970 when all small-town Vegas sported was a quaint strip.
I was blown away by the creative explosion that is Las Vegas
today, and not just with the Cirque du Soleil show, though that exuded a wealth
of creativity in and of itself.
My kids were seasoned tour guides and delighted in showing
me the sites along the strip. The hotel architecture astonished me, my head spinning
from the glitz and glamor: The Bellagio with its intricate classic mosaic
floors, and its stunning fountain, the water swirls like harps—tugging at my
heart strings; The Venetian with its canals, bridges, and singing gondoliers; The
Paris replete with its Eiffel Tower; and The New York Hotel boasting
skyscrapers, a Statue of Liberty, and a Coney Island roller coaster. And yes,
my son persuaded me to ride on it – the up-and-down as well as the sideways 360
rolls – the whole deal. I never thought I would ever dare go on one of those
crazy rides – but heck, in Vegas I felt like a kid again.
Our two days in the city fell during the Chinese New Year,
and every hotel lobby was festooned with elaborate oriental decorations
illustrating the year of the pig. Creativity abounded in the designs and the
ornate flower arrangements – it looked like a miniature Rose Parade!
We even rode in a Lyft driverless car – yet another example
of creativity – this time technologic – at its finest!
Ah, but the The
Beatles – Love show! I had a continuous grin on my face during the entire
performance!
What depths and cascading layers of creativity! It all began
with the songs originally dreamed up and orchestrated by the genius Fab Four.
Then came the sparks of ideas emanating from the Cirque creators that connected
the Beatles music to the Cirque du Soleil format.
What followed was a fantasmagorical waterfall of expression:
the music arrangements that connected the Beatles original tracks with segue
orchestration; the script that connected the acts with the songs; the fabulous
sound, projection and light systems that dazzled; the artists that dreamed up,
the sets, the costumes, the makeup; the impressive infrastructure that raised,
tipped and rotated the stage and platforms, that moved a van and a VW bug,
suspended performers with ropes and cords; the machines that spewed
red-white-and-blue confetti and floated a sheer, humungous filmy curtain over
the audience. That’s not to mention all the behind the scenes managers, stage
hands, all creative in their own right.
And what about the people that managed the copyrights, releases
and contracts? One might think these individuals to be less creative, and more
practical, but then again this production introduced a new concept merging a
world renowned group with the Cirque organization, and there were surely
elements of creativity involved in the legal fashioning of contracts,
agreements and copyrights, all needing to be finalized and fool-proofed to the
last detail.
Our culture abounds with creativity and it’s up front and I
found it visually mind-blowing in Vegas: over the top, elegant, sensual,
sumptuous, voluptuous, and decadent.
That’s all fine and good – or not fine and wasteful,
depending on how you see it – but how can we channel creativity into helping
humanity and the earth? How can we use our creative talents to equalize the
economic extremes: to balance the haves and the have-nots? How can we create
ways to solve global warming, develop clean energy, clean up our bespoiled
environment?
Is the problem that our creativity has gone amuck in the
world? Or does it merely flow where it will? If creativity comes from the Divine
as Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way
suggests – is Las Vegas and all its excesses a reflection of the Divine?
“What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” so the saying goes,
but I want the creativity that happens in Vegas to NOT remain in Vegas. My deep
desire is that creativity be channeled into helping humanity and the earth, and
I believe that this is already happening. Creativity knows no bounds and I
think it is spilling into all areas of life, and into every corner of the world.
I am reassured by that belief. Many are creating and implementing solutions to
our serious humanitarian and environmental issues, and they are fueled and
heartened by the notion that:
“All you need is love, love
Love is all you need . . .”
