Angel seeks to put emotion into magic

So you thought Cirque du Soleil was weird and surreal before.

Wait till you get a load of the giant rabbit with the Victorian-era ball gown and bondage mask.

The costume is part of "an homage to all those rabbits that lost their lives in the line of duty," explains Criss Angel. The bunnies remain a universal symbol of a magic act. Only this time, "they control me. They pull me out of the hat," says the illusionist.

The creepy creatures were part of a brief peek behind the curtain of "Criss Angel -- Believe," one offered by the creators of the upcoming Luxor show to promote the launch of open ticket sales today (early sales were limited to fan club and preferred casino customers).

The show's director, Serge Denoncourt, says "Believe" won't be "the Criss Angel you see on the street," or even his A&E cable series "Mindfreak." Instead, "it's what's inside Criss Angel."

And that, the illusionist is quick to add, is "scary. Very scary."

Beyond the dance piece and the Francis Bacon-worthy costumes, last week's sneak preview inside a Las Vegas warehouse was still just a glimpse of a production Angel promises will be "revolutionary" on the magic front. Creators are still holding most details close to the vest.

The production will have a story. Or it won't, depending on what you call a "story."

"Everything is connected. This is a story from beginning to end," says Wade Robson, the choreographer who has a high profile from dance-competition shows on MTV and Fox.

"We are all about story line," Denoncourt agrees. "Magic is a tool to tell a story in a way that nobody can do without Criss Angel."

"For us it's a literal story," Angel says, but the person watching it may "come away with a story that's completely different from what we intended it to be."

On this much they agree: There won't be any "boxes" -- magicians' lingo for all varieties of funny-shaped crates and contraptions in which lovely assistants or manicured tigers get turned into manicured tigers or lovely assistants.

"The proscenium is the box," Angel says. "Everything outside one illusion -- a tribute to Houdini -- is in the open."

"We don't hide," agrees Denoncourt, a Quebec native who has directed Chekov's "The Cherry Orchard" and Mozart's "Cosi Fan Tutte" and admits he's not a big fan of Vegas magic.

"That's what I love so much about (this) show. When you try to tell a story and you have to put the girl in the box every five minutes, it's really difficult to tell a story," says the director, who also shares story credit with Angel. "We don't have that problem."

Angel's voice gets intense when he talks about bringing "the magic of emotion back to the art of illusions."

"When Houdini was around, he connected to people on an emotional level. It wasn't about the escape out of the straitjacket. It was about, 'If the underdog can get out of this impossible situation, you can get out of poverty. You can better your life.' That connection is the strongest form of true magic."

The show is in previews Sept. 1-11, with tickets discounted 25 percent in all price ranges. Regular performances begin Sept. 14, at regular prices of $59-$150 before tax.

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.