Siamese twins walk on water & air--simultaneously (img: Tomasz Rossa)

Rendering Le Reve into some version of a reader-friendly review is gonna be tricky. Christened after a Picasso painting, the popular Vegas show’s moniker means “The Dream” in French, and, as we all know, dreams rarely make much sense (not that there’s anything wrong with a little nonsense). That being said, I will do my best to give you a glimpse into the Wynn Hotel-housed spectacle. First of all, Le Reve is a water show. A water circus, of sorts. In this case, it’s likely designed to conjure the subconscious mind. The “stage” is a one million-gallon capacity, technologically sophisticated marvel; different sections of it take turns emerging and submerging into a large circular abyss. Synchronized swimming often happens when portions of the set are underwater, and performers also do a lot of diving off props that either descend from the ceiling or ascend from the abyss. Sometimes they walk on water. Everybody gets wet. I haven’t seen Cirque du Soleil’s O yet, but Le Reve creator Franco Dragone apparently directed it (among others) before leaving the Canadian company to conceive Le Reve. The “plot” seemingly centers on a lover’s debate over whether to take the next step in her relationship. In the first scene, she is offered a flower by the man she has just finished dancing with. All other action apparently happens inside her single moment of contemplation. Rain pours from the ceiling. Fire leaps from the water. Angels in white suits become dove-producing magicians. Capoeira, the athletic Brazilian art form, is dabbled in. Gymnasts pose and do stalls in a tree. Trapeze artists fly through the air, then dive into water. A swan stalks a lone performer to Jaws-like music. Couples tango when a disco ball appears. Three suitors take turns trying to woo the leading lady. One performer breakdances in a puddle. Bald men practice advanced partner yoga. There’s a levitating candlelit table. Snow falls. And finally, the bed where the original lovers are “sexpected” to consummate their relationship on descends. Once they are astride it and rising, oversized psychedelic flowers blossom from each of the four bedposts. The lighting is alive the entire time with colors and patterns. Not that any of the previous descriptions of action do the show justice.

Actual dreams could learn a lesson or two from Le Reve.