Details

Summary

In Adrian Will's documentary All Together Now the audience follows the creation of the Beatles and Cirque du Soleil's Love from its inception in a wintry Montreal to opening night at the Mirage in Las Vegas.

In the beginning George Harrison met with Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte to discuss a possible collaboration between the two groups. The key was that both the Beatles and Cirque would not give up creative control of the project. Unfortunately soon after their original meeting Harrison died. Harrison's widow Olivia, along with Yoko Ono, Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr vowed to keep the project going.

The documentary follows the process of getting the show on stage. Starting with concept meetings in Montreal we move through casting and recreating the Beatles music for the show. There are extensive interviews with musical directors Sir George Martin nd his son Giles on how the original music was remixewd for the show. Interviews with Apple Corps representatives detail the concern that the music be performed by the Beatles and not stage performers.

After five months the show moves to its new home in Las Vegas and the creation of the theatre is shown along with the creative changes that were mandated by the production crew and director Dominic Champagne. Champagne explains at one point his concept for the show: "I wanted to create a Beatles experience rather than a Beatles story, taking the audience on an emotional journey rather than a chronological one, exploring the landscapes and experiences that have marked the group's history."

There are meetings with the surviving members of the Beatles and the widows and chilgren of Lennon and Harrison and the production moves into high gear as preparations are made for opening night. The film ends with clips from the premeire.

All in all this is a well made documentary that takes the audience through the creative process. It will appeal more to those who have seen Love than those who have not but it is still a worthwhile viewing experience. The DVD also features three shorts on the production.

Credits

Beatles & Cirque Du Soleil

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