I don’t have much time to write today, but I wanted to get this thought out there. I haven’t seen the new James Cameron movie Avatar yet, but from the commercials and the reviews, I think that it might be the best cinematic comparison to City Center. It’s worth noting that they’ve been “in production” for about the same time and both of them push the technical envelope in their field. Despite the positive reviews, there’s still skepticism about how both will do.
On a slightly related note, here’s another idea that might be thought-provoking. With all of the talk of how the Elvis Cirque show “isn’t ready,” I was wondering what whether it’s a good fit for Aria at all. I think it is, because you’ll get two groups of people: Elvis fans who want to see the show because it’s about a performer they love, and those who think that Elvis has a kitschy appeal. I don’t think we should ever underestimate the power of kitsch.
But I can think of something that might have been a better fit for Aria. With all of the attention paid to environmental stewardship and whatnot, imagine how cool a Cirque show based on Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring would be.
Here’s the London Symphony Orchestra performing Rite of Spring in 2007:
If you’ve got a short attention span, it really starts cooking at 3:38 or so. The modernistic music seems to be a good companion to the modern architecture. And if there are reservations about ballet music working on the Strip, it is about a pagan sacrifice, which might be fitting for Sin City.