Viva ELVIS

Ongoing

ARIA Resort & Casino
www.bestofvegas.com
877-253-5847

Las Vegas

Elvis Presley is synonymous with Las Vegas. His legacy can be seen in the city's gift shops and wedding chapels and felt throughout Nevada's entertainment capital. Now, at long last, the King returns.

The new Cirque du Soleil production, "Viva ELVIS," is not a show about Elvis; it is a show starring Elvis. "You can hear him, see him, and feel him in this show," Armand Thomas, Cirque du Soleil director of creation, says. "He is not just some icon that we are singing about, he is the star of the show." "Viva ELVIS," which opened in December at CityCenter's ARIA, is the first Cirque show to include a spoken theatrical aspect.

An actor portraying Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker, will provide a theatrical through every line of the show, carrying the narrative from act to act, place to place, and time to time. "The only Elvis you hear or see singing will be the real one on our screens," Thomas says. "We would never put some guy onstage, make him sing, and ask you to close your eyes and pretend that it's Elvis." The music is rearranged and pulled from master recordings. His songs are intermixed with a live band and four female backup singers. "This is Elvis new again, and that is something truly special," Thomas adds.

"Viva ELVIS" is a grandiose combination of song, dance, rock 'n' roll, and explosive acrobatics. Presented on a large high-end stage, the production is full of lifts and flying apparatuses that allow the cast to swing and dance their way into the audience. "This show pays homage to a man who was larger than life, so the show can be nothing less," Thomas says. "The show is geared to not only bring out Elvis as the phenomenon he was in the entertainment world, but to show that he was a likable and approachable human being."

Photo: Used by permission, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

Show dark Sundays & Mondays.

Upcoming Dates: