Click for printable version
Click to send to a friend

"O" divers Mike Neff, left, and Riccardo Canestrelli wait in the water while performers rehearse the Russian swing. During the show, divers are underwater, ensuring the safety of artists and handling props and rigging. Photo by Craig L. Moran. Mike Neff shows the scuba equipment he wears during performances of "O." As an artist taxi, he is primarily responsible for artist safety in the water, often providing them with oxygen. Photo by Craig L. Moran.

Sunday, June 09, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Divers help entertainers make a big splash in Cirque du Soleil's `O'

Editor's note: This is part of an occasional series of stories profiling Las Vegans with unusual jobs in hotels.

On the surface, Mike Neff the scuba diver seems to be a complete opposite of Mike Neff the theater lover.

One requires a body of water while the other needs a more solid medium.

But for more than three years, the Utah native has reconciled these different elements of his personality to do what is undoubtedly the most unique job on the Strip: artist taxi.

Five nights a week, Neff, 32, combines two of his greatest passions to earn a living as an underwater stage technician for Cirque du Soleil's "O" at Bellagio.

"I'm primarily responsible for the safety of the performers while they're in the water," Neff says.

It's a difficult concept to grasp for those who haven't seen "O," an entire production taking place in, on and under 1.5 million gallons of water.

One could say, accurately, that Neff works as a stagehand in the theater but that doesn't come close to what he actually does. One could say he's a scuba diver but again, some important information would be missing from that job title.

Neff is among 12 divers who stay underwater throughout every 90-minute performance of "O," directing the traffic of equipment, lifts, performers and props essential to the smooth running of the show.

The divers have different responsibilities, including rigging the safety nets to catch errant acrobats who miss their water landing; pulling props, such as a clown house, to center stage; or what Neff does, assisting artists.

The water, a 25-foot-deep pool listed in Guinness World Records as the largest underwater moving stage, is the star of the show.

Seven hydraulic lifts raise and lower parts of the stage to varying levels, making it appear as though performers walk on water, then vanish into an abyss.

All of the performers enter the 88-degree water at some point. When they do, sometimes at speeds up to 40 mph, Neff and five other artist handlers are waiting with regulators to give the performers oxygen and taxi them "offstage."

Neff can have up to 10 people breathing off of his apparatus at a single time. Performers require large amounts of oxygen -- often 30 tanks per show -- because they breathe harder with exertion, Neff says.

So much goes on underwater that the cast and crew refer to it as a whole other show, separate from the one on the surface.

"The audience sees a world that the show's creators want them to see," artistic director Rob Bollinger says, referring to the colorful costumes, makeup and the endless feats of acrobats, gymnasts, swimmers and fire-handlers who dominate the production. "But there's an underwater spectacle going on that's just as amazing to see."

What takes place often looks like a cross between an underwater invasion and an intricate dance that, if off a slight second, can upset the rhythm of the entire show, Neff says, and potentially put cast and crew in danger.

Lighting and bubbles, constant bubbles, interfere with visibility, making divers' jobs even more difficult. Currents caused by some of the water effects slow their efforts, forcing the divers to use more energy than what they use during a regular dive.

To ensure the safety of all involved good communication is necessary, Neff says. Two divers wear communication devices throughout performances while the remaining divers communicate with hand signals. Still, the job is not without its hazards.

Once, a performer dove into the water, kicking Neff in the chest. Other divers have been landed on, he says. Luckily, nothing has ever resulted in serious injury.

The bubbles and lighting mask most of the below-surface activity, so Neff and his fellow divers are invisible to the audience and out of earshot of their delighted applause.

But that's all right by him, because if audiences are cheering the performers, they are unknowingly cheering the technicians. Without them, there would be no "O," Neff says.

"Actually, the show relies on these technicians," Bollinger says. "The show would not be possible without the divers."

As far as Strip jobs that combine theater and scuba, Neff's is one of a kind.

Neff, who is single, had been working as a carpenter for "Siegfried & Roy" for four years when he saw "O." He was already diving for fun, having received his scuba certification in 1995.

Some friends of Neff's were working on "O" when a position for a carpenter-diver opened in 1998. Knowing of his scuba and theater background, they encouraged Neff to apply. They were looking for someone with stagehand experience who could weld or build sets. Neff had been developing that experience as a stagehand since his college days in Utah in the early '90s.

His scuba experience gave him a slight edge.

Now he's one of six scuba instructors who certify "O" cast and crew members at Lake Mead. Everyone who works on the set has to be scuba certified, Neff says.

Neff also goes diving in his spare time, taking trips to California, Australia and other scuba hot spots.

Many audience members who catch sight of the occasional diver's fin or the shape of one pulling a piece of scenery never realize there are people underwater throughout the show, says diver-rigger Riccardo Canestrelli. But there's a moment during each performance in which the director reveals the secret.

"One of my favorite moments is when the divers come up and get applause from the audience," Bollinger says. "They deserve that moment onstage to be recognized."

Don't worry, Neff says, knowing the secrets doesn't take anything away from the show.

"It adds to it for me because I know what's going on. Some things look more impressive under water. We could probably sell tickets to it," Neff says. "I love it. I'm just really proud to be part of a quality show."