Rainbow

Rainbow

Saturday, March 9, 2019

Creativity Abounds in Las Vegas


“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 . . .”