Criss Angel Believe

Delve into the unknown

Staff Report

Criss Angel takes audiences on a mystifying journey through the haunting inner workings of his mind and the surreal world created by Cirque du Soleil performers in his show Believe, directed by Serge Denoncourt.

Even the name for the show has a mysterious origin that spawns from the death of famed magician Harry Houdini.

"After my death, many people will claim that they are still able to communicate with me. If their claims are valid, they will be able to tell you a code word - that word is believe," said Houdini to his wife before he died.

The show starts with a video montage of Angel’s death defying stunts from his hit television show “Mindfreak.” After the video and the “Mindfreak” theme song have stopped playing, Angel appears to greet the crowd.

“I have the best loyal fans in the world, and I thank you,” shouts Angel as members of his devoted fan based branded “The Loyal” rise to their feet and cheer.

Angel explains that he is going to perform one of his most dangerous stunts where he goes inside of a metal cage with six million volts of electricity. The illusion goes awry and Angel is rushed off for medical treatment. Live footage of him being wheeled away in a stretcher plays on a screen hanging over the stage.

This event sets the premise for the rest of the show as the audience is taken on a curious journey through Angel’s mind after experiencing a traumatic injury.

His first thoughts are of honoring magicians’ rabbits that have died during their time of duty. Dancers in varied and ornate rabbit costumes file onto the stage and perform a riveting dance. From there the journey is full of twists, turns and a cast of strange characters. Some of the characters and scenes are whimsical while others have a macabre tone.

Angel’s illusions are interwoven into the different scenes. He does several disappearing and reappearing acts, so you never know where he is going to turn up next or in what form.

On his journey he meets two women, Kayala and Crimson who reappear throughout the show. Each of the women represents a different side of femininity as they compete for Angel’s affection. Kayala is sweet, soft and innocent while Crimson is a wild vixen who will do anything to win over Angel’s heart.

One of the stunning scenes in the show is of a field filled with red poppies that gradually fill the stage. It is reminiscent of the scene from “The Wizard of Oz” when Dorothy and her friends find themselves lost in a field of the brightly colored flowers.

Instead of having a fluid story line like some of the other Cirque du Soleil shows, the different scenes seem to come randomly, much like that of a dream. If you try to analyze how the scenes fit together while watching the show, your effort will be to no avail. Instead it is better to understand that various characters and scenes can pop-up arbitrarily, so you can focus on the cutting edge choreography by Wade Robson and innovative costumes by Mérédith Caron.

This show is a unique combination of two distinct art forms, Criss Angel’s clearly carved out persona as a magician and Cirque du Soleil. The different elements create an avant-garde dose of entertainment that you need to see to Believe.