Criss Angel: RJ Readers Chime In; One Claims Show Tix Handed Out Free At Time Shares

Are time share salespeople pawning off free tickets to Criss Angel's new Cirque du Soleil show, "Believe"? That's one of the things readers are claiming in their outpouring of thoughts, posted on my critical column today on Angel's new Cirque du Soleil show, "Believe."

One reader says: "I would rather listen to the death rattle of my first born child then to see this show again." Harsh.

If you haven't visited the column, it's here, and here's a taste of reader comments:

Miss McCain wrote on November 03, 2008 05:12 PM: Thanks for telling the truth, my friend. It's a nightmare in the making.

TimeRanger wrote on November 03, 2008 01:17 PM: C'mon Elfman, tell us how you REALLY feel

sigrfiredstiger wrote on November 03, 2008 12:38 PM: the whole time I was watching that mess I was hoping Sigfrieds tiger would jump on stage and maul him. Then later I was hoping Sigfrieds tiger would jump into the crowd and maul me. Anything to get out of seeing that disaster

obama1 wrote on November 03, 2008 12:34 PM: If I only had two hours to live I would go see BeLIEve again cause those two hours I spent on Halloween night seemed like an eternity.

BELIEVE it SUCKED wrote on November 03, 2008 12:10 PM: Interesting for sure the mystery behind how bad the show is I was also in Vegas and met one of Angel's Relatives that could not even get in to see the show because she was not even invited despite being family! They flew in to see the show and support him and were shocked that their names were not on the VIP list out of 300 tickets given to Angel for his own personal use. Angel always says he is so driven and grateful for his family but I guess not enough to let them see the show or maybe he did them a favor by not letting them see his nightmare?

babycakes wrote on November 03, 2008 12:09 PM: I would rather listen to the death rattle of my first born child then to see this show again

burn1 wrote on November 03, 2008 12:09 PM: the only way to fix this show is to burn it down with Criss in it

kenodave wrote on November 03, 2008 11:43 AM: They should bring back 'Havana Nights.' Latin music and pre Castro Cuba were the best. I feel like dancing....Yeah!!

Mike Ballard wrote on November 03, 2008 11:17 AM: I also expected it to be bad and it appears so. I hope they are quick to change things, especially changing Angel with a more respected performer. Until he is gone it will never work.

casinocon wrote on November 03, 2008 10:29 AM: Well, I don't like Criss Angel or Cirque and the pairing seems to amplify why they are both bad acts. I've seen both Cirque and Criss on TV and turned the channel. Oh wait, I did see the Cirque Horse show on a freebie, and as a horse person thought I could see better acts at any rodeo, circus, or specialty equine event. The surreal Cirque twist is just plain stupid and annoying. Someone needs to turn the movie "Showgirls" into a Vegas stage act -- I'm serious about this. "Showgirls" is a great guilty pleasure . . . I love watching that movie, so bad its good (intentional or not) hat a hoot! Nomi Malone in Goddess!!!

The Man wrote on November 03, 2008 10:19 AM: Now folks... can't you wait to see what the Circus O lay folks will do with Elvis ??
Elvis left the building years ago... Maybe the freak show needs to do the same...

NJ wrote on November 03, 2008 09:18 AM: He is from LONG ISLAND, NY.

Please don't insult NJ by linking it with him.

GladK wrote on November 03, 2008 09:05 AM: But .. but .. the mountain of advertising for Chris Angel is SO HIP! His ultra-cool customized motorcycles in a side hallway at the Luxor are SO HIP! A committee of MGM suits who green-lighted this fiasco are SO HIP! The "youth crowd" swarming into this dumb-dumb hotel are SO HIP! .. LOL .. not!

DW wrote on November 03, 2008 09:04 AM: Sometimes less is more. Criss Angel's TV show is good. He'seems like a nice guy from Long Island, NY. His illusions really have the wow factor - on TV. My own feelings on the Cirque shows is that they are over the top to the point of distraction. In this show, too much of a good thing is awful. Never thought this pairing was a good match from the start. They should have let Criss Angel's talents be stand alone. Lance Burton has a great show - Bette Midler has a great show-- because they are NOT overproduced and distracting! Midler and Lance Burton's shows let the talent shine through on it's own. Too many bells and whistles is a just a bunch of noise - and poor Criss Angel is overproduced here. What a shame. We were lucky enough to catch Johnny Mathis last week - what a joy. Great voice, great orchestra, great show - no schlock. Talent will shine through - no need for fog, lights, visual screens or distractions.

FYI wrote on November 03, 2008 08:58 AM: Tickets to this show are already on the timeshare circuit as freebies. That pretty much sums everything up!

Tom wrote on November 03, 2008 08:38 AM: How about a play on stage based around Brandon Fraser's The Mummy movie series. Something exciting and fantastic (Not Cirque).

DMCVegas wrote on November 03, 2008 08:32 AM: I said it once, and I'll say it again. Criss Angel is a hack, and bringing him here to Vegas was a huge mistake. The only truly amazing feat here is how he swindled $100M from Cirque. He's got 10 years left on his contract, I'd say reappoint him to a better position, like a janitor backstage.

People on vacation want to be entertained. They don't want to have to work at interpreting some pretentious performance art show. Some people might want to see this because of Cirque's name being attached to it, and others might want to see it because of Angel's involvement. Both have reputations, and everyone seems to agree that neither lives up to anyone's expectations.

This is bad news for Vegas as a whole, because people don't even need to see this show, they just have to read some reviews of it. People hear about how bad it is, and it makes them think that the economy is so bad that Shows in Vegas are now victims of cutbacks and are all of a lower quality. That in turn will scare people off, and bring down our tourism numbers even more.

Thanks allot, Criss Angel. You've successfully screwed over Las Vegas. How about for your next trick, you make yourself disappear permanently from our sight and never come back.

Peter wrote on November 03, 2008 08:27 AM: So Doug, tell us how you really feel? Don't hold back!

I saw the show and thought it even worse then this review. I live in Vegas and wanted to put a paper bag over my head to escape the Luxor.

Cirque du Soleil is now out of date and needs to make their final exit from the strip.

New blood and fresh ideas are the answer!

joe wrote on November 03, 2008 08:20 AM: Pat,

You do realize this recession is hitting a lot more than just Vegas don't you? The investment banks and big 3 US automakers are much bigger failures in my opinion. Vegas is far from being the only entity to have gambled foolishly the past 5 years.

Oh, Pat wrote on November 03, 2008 08:13 AM: "Las Vegas deserves everything it gets. A town that sold excess and abundance, died in the same manner. "Believe" is the cherry on top for a failed city."

Really? Oh, no! Not again! Not another Vegas doomsdayer among decades of doomsdayers. Are you bitter, Pat? Or hyper-religious? Or angry at your ex-husband/wife who ran away to Vegas? Or angry at yourself for losing your rent payments here?

Whatever it is, your comments are uninformed. Las Vegas a failed city? Um, no. Hard times, sure, as hard times are the norm of the world right now. A poorly executed show? Perhaps. We've had bad shows in the past. I mean baaaaaaad shows.

But Cirque (and the city) arguably offers better entertainment today than at any time in the past, "Belive" notwithstanding. Besides, why would anyone spend that kind of money to deliberately create a bad show? It's a misstep, that's all. A misstep that you try to turn into an indictment of Las Vegas. Not gonna work, Pat. Grow up and get over yourself.

WTF wrote on November 03, 2008 08:10 AM: Hey, "Don't Kill the Messenger":

Memo: We prefer visitors who have some sense of grammar and spelling. Amazingly, those visitors do not refer to themselves as "Joe Six Pack" nor do they worry about funding.

Terrible Reminds Me of... wrote on November 03, 2008 07:57 AM: You know, it's like the story of the Emperor With No Clothes On, if you have not read it, read it. You know, like Sarah Palin, she's dumb as a box of rocks and yet, "people" are still cheering like if she's the best thing since sliced bread.

5150 Dave wrote on November 03, 2008 07:54 AM: Well at least the show is at the Luxor... fitting for the Tomb.

54 degrees... cool unlike the show..

Don't Kill the Messenger: wrote on November 03, 2008 07:51 AM: Good luck with that Las Vegas, How in the HEll does Joe six pack get the money for the stupid show, and then the machines. I think not.
Then I heard Steve Wynn wanted michael (hide you kids)Jackson for his new hotel. Is that a joke. Have Las Vegas lost their mind. Middle Class Joe with a few Hundred dollars go to your city, wishing to allah to hit something. Memo: they can't afford it right now.

RHG wrote on November 03, 2008 07:50 AM: The "rock n roll" magician is now being exposed as the fraud he is without TV cameras to help with his "tricks". The only people he appeals to are the dumb-downed celebrity worshippers, the kind of people who vote for an empty suit like Obama.

Pat wrote on November 03, 2008 07:44 AM: "Believe" is the barometer of what really happened in Vegas the past year. Everyone in that town thought they were better and insulated from the rest of the country. Cirque figured they could never make a flop. The casinos thought "What recession? Let's build 8000 rooms!". The residents kept buying up property with subprime loans and no regards about tomorrow.

Las Vegas deserves everything it gets. A town that sold excess and abundance, died in the same manner. "Believe" is the cherry on top for a failed city.

Hey Jo... Don't Go wrote on November 03, 2008 07:06 AM: Let me see, A family of three. Hmmm.

That's 300 Bucks. Right?

I want you to read the words of the Producer of BeLIEve, Serge Denoncourt, before you waste your hard earned cash.

October 31,2008. Review Journal

Titled: 'Criss Angel Believe' Opening
by Mike Weatherford

Director defends magicians change.

QUOTE "Don't come. It's not a good idea."

Straight from the horses behind.

You can't make this stuff up, Jo.

We want you to enjoy yourselves while you're here. Please spend your money in an environment where, at minimum, they want you to at least be there.

If you want to see a Show that is truly in the Tank, Go to the Shark Reef. At least what you see is real.

Have a Great Time.

NJ ACCENT wrote on November 03, 2008 06:34 AM: NJ ACCENT.. NJ ACCENT.. YOU THINK HE HAS A NJ ACCENT???
HE SOO DOESN'T HAVE A NJ ACCENT.. HE HAS A LISP.. BIG DIFFERENCE.
THANKS FOR HAVING AN HONEST REVIEW AS NORM SEEMS TO BE HIS NEW FRIEND AND ONLY REPORTING NICE THINGS.
WHEN IS THE RJ GOING TO GET RID OF NORM?

..temujin ... khan of the yakka mongols ... wrote on November 03, 2008 03:44 AM:

...Anybody do the Philly Dog at the Party...???

Jo wrote on November 03, 2008 03:25 AM: Hi Doug, our family of three are coming to Las Vegas in December and we are all Criss Angel fans however we have seen many bad reviews for the show. Just a question even though it is terrible overall if we are all angel fans is it still worth it to see him? I guess kind of like the Lakers when they only had Kobe?