Catch it while you can. Cirque du Soleil’s newest, but four-year-old Las Vegas production, Mad Apple, performs for the last time on Sept. 5. How does it rank among other resident shows on the Strip by the French-Canadian entertainment company?
1️⃣ O
When in doubt, go with O, the one Cirque show we all agree to love. The short "oh" sound in the name is inspired by "eau,” which is French for water — and 1.5 million gallons of it is used on stage at the Bellagio for splash-filled dives and other stunts.
2️⃣ The Beatles Love
The only live show ever officially licensed and approved by the Beatles parent company ran at the Mirage from 2006 until the resort closed in 2024. You couldn’t go wrong with the music alone, remixed from the master tapes for a custom sound system, but the vintage London imagery was a trip back to the 1960s.
3️⃣ Mystère
Launched in 1993 at Treasure Island, Mystère is the oldest Cirque production in Vegas, but never feels stale. It’s almost like a greatest hits of what Cirque is about — no theme necessary — and just trippy enough to not weird out the masses.
4️⃣ Kà
I have a soft spot for this MGM Grand production and its levitating stage, even though I once wrote a story about its habit of putting the audience to sleep.
Running for more than 13 years at Mandalay Bay, this dance-heavy production has some resilient staying power to match the enduring (or perhaps … rehabbed) appeal of Michael Jackson. The plotline is meh 👎 But the hologram finale ends the show on a high note.
6️⃣ Zumanity
Cirque’s only adults-only show on the Strip wasn’t afraid to get topless, have a drag queen host, and play around with sexuality. Despite its risque nature, it lasted seven years until the pandemic shut everything down in 2020. It never reopened.
7️⃣ Mad Apple
Mad Apple took over Zumanity’s old New York-New York theater in 2022 with a theme to match the casino itself. The show represented a new era for Cirque, toning down pricey production spectacle in favor of New Yawker energy and attitude, adding up to a Spiegelword-esque variety show with breakdancing, basketball dunking, and standup comedy.
8️⃣ Zarkana
I know I’ve seen this show. I remember nothing about it. Zarkana lasted four years before its theater was demolished in 2016 to expand the Aria’s trade show space — revealing where the real money is generated in Vegas.
9️⃣ Viva Elvis
Somehow, Cirque couldn’t make Elvis work in Vegas, perhaps reflecting the waning appeal of the King with younger generations. After debuting at the Aria in 2009, the show was scrapped in 2012 for Zarkana.
🔟 R.U.N
Cirque’s biggest dud tried to model itself after a moody action flick at the Luxor, but was underwhelming and violated the cardinal sin of giving us too much story. It was cancelled after just a year in 2020 … before the pandemic was even an excuse to do so.
Unranked: An un-Cirque-like collaboration with Criss Angel (Believe) and Blue Man Group, which the company bought in 2017.
- But really …. Which Cirque show is your favorite? 📬
