Awakening, the exquisite visual entertainment casting its spell on audiences at Wynn Las Vegas, has returned after a brief pause with even more fanciful fantasy featuring soaring aerialists, bounding acrobats, high-energy choreography, and comedic moments.
Awakening chronicles the adventures of IO, a dynamic heroine who must face the forces of Light and Darkness – frustrated lovers who can only briefly embrace at dawn and dusk. They rebel, causing chaos throughout nature, which leads the Creator to separate them, plunging all Creation into darkness.
IO is tasked with finding and reuniting Light and Darkness. She’s accompanied on her mythic journey by Boo and Bandit, two characters re-imagined as comic clowns.
Baz Halpin and his creative team have artfully retooled the opening with a brief monologue explaining the characters of Light and Darkness setting the stage for the journey ahead.
Along the way, Michael Curry’s captivating puppetry enchants; Mandy Moore’s choreography is spun with style and specificity; set designer George Tsypin creates entire realms with a minimal touch; and Soyon An’s lavish costume design serves up alluring denizens of Water, Earth, and Air.
A richly-layered score from acclaimed composer-producer Brian Tyler accompanies the visual wonders. And two-time Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins helps the audience along the way with his pitch-perfect narration.
This is revealed in a spectacular theater-in-the-round featuring an 60-foot, 360-degree multi-level prismatic stage that adapts and expands as each chapter of IO’s journey advances. While the audience surrounds the center stage, we are immersed in a galaxy of laser lights, LED screens, and theatrical alchemy.
We give Awakening five out of five stars. Truly a must-see live entertainment you can’t see anywhere except in Las Vegas. Performances Friday through Tuesday (dark Wednesday/Thursday) at the Wynn Las Vegas.
Where to stay in Las Vegas? The team behind one of Las Vegas’s most popular gay bars announced it will soon open an LGBTQ-centered boutique hotel, restaurant, gaming lounge, and nightclub. Described as a retro/mid-century modern hotel on Las Vegas Boulevard, Queen Las Vegas is expected to open its bar and nightclub in September.
Eduardo Cordova, owner of the uber-popular downtown gay bar The Garden, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “It has been my mission to create a vibrant and inclusive entertainment district for our LGBTQ+ community, and I’m thrilled to announce that Q Hospitality Group has secured a prime location on the iconic Las Vegas Strip to create the gayest destination in Las Vegas.”
Q Group Hospitality, led by Cordova, plans to take over 28-themed rooms (as well as communal areas) in the existing Thunderbird Boutique Hotel and giving them “a little gay touch.” The Thunderbird will continue to oversee the remaining 72 rooms.
The Thunderbird saloon will become the Queen restaurant and bar, open round the clock, serving light bites and entrees plus a weekend drag brunch. The Thunderbird event hall will undergo a metamorphosis, emerging as the Queen nightclub, complete with state-of-the-art laser system, floor-to-ceiling LED lights, and aerialists performing overhead thanks to 25-foot ceilings.
Additionally, the Thunderbird Chapel will remain a chapel but with a focus on weddings for LGBTQ folks.
Queen Las Vegas will open in phases, beginning with the bar and nightclub’s grand opening celebration in September. Reservations for the hotel rooms are expected to be available in the fall. For more info, click over to QueenLV.com.
Also for the LGBTQ traveler in Las Vegas:
• Absinthe – a sexy concoction of comedy and circus-style acts hosted by a ringmaster who loves to hurl comedic insults at the audience located in front of Caesars Palace
• RuPaul’s Drag Race Live serves up charisma, nerve, and talent at Flamingo Las Vegas with a rotating cast of RPDR alumni
• You have three more chances to experience Temptation Sundays at Luxor Hotel and Casino – the long-running LGBTQ pool party on the Las Vegas Strip – celebrating the final Sundays of its 13th sizzling season
