Review: CRISS ANGEL Believe
Lightning Rod
Since the show's debut this past fall, I've heard from numerous dissatisfied spectators who vented their rage here at Magic.About.com (please click here). 
With few exceptions, most were not only disappointed, but despised the show. I think that few of those who submitted negative comments were Criss Angel-critics, they were genuinely let down by the show, which was then in previews.
As far as I know, this is the first review to be published since the show came back from a few weeks of retooling. For the record, I did not see the previous version of "Believe" prior to this recent hiatus.
Breaking the Magic Mold
When one attempts to break the mold - taking an entertainment art form such as magic into new directions - it's a definite risk. Angel and Cirque have merged magic and illusions into the context of an ongoing story.
It's a bold and creative move that I respect but the end results are also somewhat esoteric. In my opinion, this is not the type of production that will make the masses happy after they have forked over money to see it.
The Show
The first half of the show plays as a live magic stage show. Angel displays lots of charisma and even jokes with the audience. He's likeable and shows more personality here than he does in a typical MindFreak episode. With this more outgoing persona, he could easily carry a traditional magic show that presents a series of effects in the tried and true vaudeville style.
Angel then invites the audience to "journey into his twisted mind." It's an extended and confusing dream sequence that features an evil witch and dancing bunnies and ravens. Amid the dancing, huge props and projected video, Angel performs his illusions.
The second half, actually it's the majority of the show, is dark and dreary. I like the theme and accompanying visuals, but there are few light moments and comedy to break it up. (I admit that I like the vaudeville way of mixing things up to maintain interest.) I think overall that the production takes itself too seriously.
Muted Magic Response
The show features some stunning magic but the reactions from the audience are strangely reserved. In fact, a break dance segment receives more enthusiastic response than many of the illusions.
I have a hypothesis as to what is happening. First of all, none of the illusions are "proven" in typical magic fashion (the box is empty, there's nothing under here, etc...). The illusions simply occur during the course of the show. Would I want tricks "proven" in this production? Probably not. But this leads to my next observation.
And because illusions just happen, I think that as audiences watch, they accept that what they are seeing are special effects and it's as if they are watching a movie such as "The Matrix" where supernatural feats simply occur. This was an observation I also made with the Disney Live! Mickey’s Magic Show (please click here to read my review).
It’s Magic
The show features some innovative magic. Angel is sawed in half as he did in his television show; he performs his open metamorphosis (with more shrouding to accommodate the staging) and performs his version of a woman passing through his body without any cover.
There is also creative use of a large video projection screen. I think that one magic technique may have been used a little too often as well as overplayed. Lay people were probably catching on.
The show has high production values. The sets are lavish, the costumes are stunning and the dancing is mesmerizing and well choreographed. Seemingly, no cost was spared
Believe?
I appreciate and respect the artistic vision and creativity that went into this production. On the other hand, I can't recommend it to those who simply want to see a fun and entertaining magic show.
With CRISS ANGEL Believe, you have to come in with an open mind. And that's probably asking too much when you’re doling out $65 or more for the experience.
More Reading
Las Vegas Magic Shows
Readers Talk About "CRISS ANGEL Believe"
Interview with Criss Angel
Comments
This is an honest review. Actually, your take is pretty much analytically correct. Chris Angel does not make the show. Cirque du Soleil is the reason it can pass muster. With additional tooling the “dark” segments can be made lighter. It is quite possible that the Cirque du Soleil production could stand alone without the “name” draw.
I saw the show in November, and it is as bad as it has been described. This is the first Vegas show I have seen where the audience did not applaud wildly. You are waiting for the good part to arrive, but it never does. The end is a relief. And for the record, I am a Mindfreak and Cirque de Soleil fan.
Bravo, Wayne !
Your review was appropriate for all of the right reasons.Your decisions to create a summary/review was the fairest and non-predudicallyaccount of why you arrived at the stance you projected on this always interesting web site. I respect you immensly for not “playinginto”the possible majority opinion of your readers. It takes a lot of extra energy and wordsmithing to write a position paper that expresses a rational and enlightening belief.
I sometimes read your reviews on some areas of magic that I will not be performing, simply because I love your talent for written articulateness.
Thanks for the ongoing gift of sharing your talents.
Patricia
I was unable to change the spelling of my above e-note, as the message box was distorted.But do overlook that and read the meaning, please.
Patricia
I’m very disappointing with the show, I think my expectation was so high and I don’t see the real Criss Angel.
The Cirque du Soleil and Criss don’t make a good combination, my friends told me the same and other people too, and I feel the answer from the people in the show so cold.
I travel from Mexico City, It’s a Long way to see that´s kind of show.
I hope he can change in the future and make a real magic show (without the Cirque), and then maybe I can believe.
YOU ARE SUCH A FAKE
This show was a complete waste of time and money.
The Cirque should be ashamed to be apart of such a boring show!!
i thought believe was absolutely horrific in every way. it should be rated x and kids should not see it! it was completely disjointed, difficult to follow and morbidly disgusting, it physically left me ill. it was the most demonically disturbing show i’d ever seen in my life and it should be banned completely.
I am mad…no, not mad, ENRAGED! One cannot assume a part that brought fame in such a lousy way…and promoted as being the Criss Angel’s show from TV. I guess here’s the mistake, everybody’s waiting to see a version of the tv show, and guess what: you get to see doves, wires unhooked, and a verryyyy “scary” 1 million V cage…right!!! Chriss, sorry pal, I came from half world to see you, and it was more than horrible. I can’t even get my money back! The funniest part is that I tried to warn people not to go, and the answer was : “oh, don’t tell me that, I’m sure it is a great show!”. Isn’t it sad?? Oh, and by the way, once you cut a body in half, those legs are not supposed to move that long…you section the spine also…but yeah… you gotta go to school to know that…or at least google it!
The show should be pulled and allow room for another talent to express itself. This poorest show on the strip needs to admit failure and allow itself to die—as it does each time it is played onstage.
He is a dam good street performer, but the Luxor has really taken the wind from his sails. His show started w/one of his famous street acts, but then quickly turned in to a big theater production that went nowhere! Lot of dancing?!?! Sad he will be there for the next 10 years like he mentioned during his show. My advice watch his TV show and spend your $ elsewhere
Its a fair review. I went on the first opening night. I did have a open mind. Enjoying Criss and having seen many Circ shows.
Result not enough of Criss and not enough Circ. Dancers are ok but they are fill in at a Circ show. Its the talent of acrobats etc. Criss’s magic is trapdoors and wires. Expected MUCH more from both.
If its still a turkey after a year, maybe it time to change it, COMPLETELY.
More Criss, More Circ, actual magic that makes one go ooooh how did he do that? and actual acrobats where the same question is asked.
With Two such talents, we expect to be amazed.
Worst show I have ever seen. Period.
I just saw Criss Angel April 9th and please if anyone reads this please don’t waste your money and time. It is the worst show ever. I wish I have looked at the reviews before purchasing the ticket. I went by his show on T.V. The show is a joke I have been to Vegas and saw lots of shows and not once left saying I got ripped off. I saw David Copperfield and left amazed and wanted more. Criss Angel is a fraud and shame on him.
Ok thought Id check back to see if I was wrong guess not
So I have a solution if they wont fix the show. Turn it into a soon to be cult classic, kind of like Rocky Horror. Then at least there would be a reason to watch it, for a laugh!
If you read these reviews. Think about how many people just like to complain and be heard, since they have nothing else to do. 80% of the reviews are copied, and have the same fake tone. Don’t believe all reviews.
Or, read the reviews, and see how many people Hated It!
yes read our comments, decide for yourselves. I had a guy coming out yelling at our line saying go back dont go in. I didnt listen to him, should have saved my money.
difference between us and jaded reviewers is we are fans who expected more. Magic is more than escaping through trap doors, or walking on curtains suspended by a rope. Circ is more than snappy dancers.
More is required from both. He could have made a circ performer levate, disapear, anything. They should have blended the talents together.
I saw the show last year before the official opening and it was absolutely horrible. I went in April with a friend who is a huge Chris Angel fan and I was again extremely disappointed. I only detected a couple of small changes and they made no difference. This show is a total flop for Cirque and should be mothballed before any hardworking people spend their money on this terrible thing!
Yipes! That was the worst show ever! The only good part was when he “disappeared” at the end because I knew it was over. I can’t believe he has a show in Vegas still….even the locals warned my family about going (unfortunately, we already purchased the tickets).
I watch this show a few nights ago. It wasn’t quite as good as I expected, but I still enjoyed it. There wasn’t enough Criss, but it was still good.
This was the biggest waste of time and money we’ve ever spent in Vegas. As someone else posted you keep waiting for something to happen. We are Chriss Angel fans and also have seen almost every Cirque show but this combination doesn’t work. If I wanted to see a bunch of dancing nonsense I wouldn’t have wasted my time with this show. 3-4 so-so illusions also didn’t impress anyone in our party. We all left with the same feeling of 90 minutes of our lives that we will never get back.
A group of us just went and saw the show on 06/25/09 and it was the worst show i’ve seen in Vegas. There was nothing to believe about it or much magic. I saw KA show and it blows this one away. Don’t waste your money!!!!!!
I was with a party of 6 for July 4th 2009. We paid $155 each for our tickets. We were all very disapointed. There is creativity, beautiful costumes, & choreagraphy, but the illusions were bad, Criss was a bad MC, actor and did not have the mystic appeal that he had on TV. We needed more explanation on the story line. The show really needs some revamping. Most want to see him succeed and be “awed”, but this show just did not accomplish that for the majority.
Having seen all the resident Cirque shows and given them at least 10 out of 10 i convinced my friends we should see this show. Within 10 minutes i wanted it to be over. At approx $150 per ticket it was a waste of money. It was neither a good example of a magic show nor a good example of a cirque show. The worst of any show in Vegas i have seen, weak illusions, and a weak cirque performance. The dancing and costumes were excellent but i expect more from Cirque. Not one i would ever recommend. It would struggle to get 5 out of 10.
I am a big Chris Angel fan, to see his show was one of the main reasons I even went to Las Vegas. Paid almost 200 dolars for the tickets and was expecting the best show. This show turned out to be so bad, it was a real big dissapointment. Chris may have done two tricks disappear or levatate and they were both lame as hell. He could have just done tricks from his show and I would have been happy. If Chris ever reads my mind the word will be REFUND that show was so bad I might not even watch Mindfreak anymore, and if I do I might just think it’s more camera tricks than actual magic.
HORRIBLE!! This show is plain awful. The magic sucks entirely! feels like a 5 year old’s birthday. There is NO cirque du soleil, despite what they claim. Criss has to BEG for applause because nobody applauds. Please dont waste your time or money. It’s horrific!!!
I couldn’t beleive how bad this show was. It started off by having to go through a metal detector to get into the theater. He was like a first year magician. You saw where he fell through the state when he “disappeared”. Cirque doesn’t even exist in the show. There are dancers dressed as rabbits, that the Cirque. Save your money. Go see LaReve at the Wynn. It’s a great show. This one stunk. It was a waste of $128.00 a ticket.
It was great getting free tix to this show because if I had to buy them I would have killed myself. Predictable tricks with look a like Criss as he disappears and reappears somewhere else. Don’t waste your money and your time with this show.
I too am completely disappointed with the I believe show. I just saw it this week and actually walked out after an hour. I have seen a number of magician and cirque shows in Vegas so I am not a first time visitor to the town. There didn’t seem to be anything original about the illusions, in fact they seem to be mere copies of others, ie. the flying birds, see Lance Burton, or the woman walking through Criss’ body, saw Siegfried and Roy do this. So in summation, a sad excuse for a show. Time to pull it.
I received free tickets to the show after creating some of the props for the show… and even though I saw it free, I wanted my time back. I can’t imagine leaving there knowing I had spent $150 on that disaster. I really wanted this show to be a success, as the work I did for it would have been a great addition to my resume. Alas, I’m ashamed to admit any involvement with this mess.
Saw the show this past weekend. Tickets were part of a package, so I didn’t look at reviews before. Assumed it would be cool like his TV show. WRONG. Was so perplexed by it that I had to go online to see if anyone else thought the same. Now I see from all the reviews I am not alone. I actually felt it was INSULTING. What nerve they have packaging this up like a superstar show. There is NO magic, everything was done behind a huge cape or fabric, or in the dark, or in a cloud of smoke, or facing back stage so they could fix things up and “amaze” you when he turned around. It’s the first time I was at a show where I didn’t have the slightest feeling to applaud. It was truly disappointing, the audience started out so excited then the energy just drained out and we left the theater stunned, like “what the heck was that?” Also, if you think it’s probably at least ok for kids — do not take your kids. He curses, a girl gives the finger to him, he tells “random” mom from audience he’s having bad thoughts about her, sexual innuendo, etc. Not for kids. Not for anyone.
Hi Criss, I saw your on 26AUG09. I was disappointed. Your magic tricks and Cirque show was not a very good fit. You should stick to “magic”. I am surprised you do not feel that the audience is left empty and wondering “where is the magic?”. I was more satisfied at the Price is Right show because I got exactly what I expected. Your show leaves me feeling empty and disappointed. You have what it takes, do it right and drop the circus act. Sorry Criss… just the truth.
I bought my tickets on line and they were expensive. When I got there, my seats were at the last row at the top. At the hotel ticket booth, the same tickets were 59$, alot less than half the price I paid for. I got ripped off, not to mention the rip off of the show it self. I saw a better magic trick at the Statosphere at a trick shop than at the show. I was a big fan of Criss but not anymore. So sad to say, Criss! do something good with the salary they are paying you for your fans. Your stage show was a flop. Even you Criss, showed on stage that you didn’t feel the audience. You kept saying “so what do you think of that trick”. BORING you were. The best trick of the night, was that you made the audience disappear and sure for them not to come back.
I am waiting to watch Criss Angel turn his teen girlfriend Sandra into a real woman.
Criss your band performing in a music video in the late 1980’s is fantastic compared to your show today. Do a show like that and people will love it. Even your moon walk is sharp.
While the first review reads as fair and balanced, it is still much too polite unfortunately. I am a huge fan of Cirque, I’ve seen most of their Vegas shows and a few shows out of Vegas. And I’m also a fan of Chris Angel and his tv show. I wish I could say I was a fan of Believe. The show is disjointed and does not express the true talent of either party. Somehow even in the attempt to take the audience into the subconscience mind of Angel, Angel still plays the everyday role of a Las Vegas magician. The sets are imaginative and fun, as well as the costumes. And when obvious mistakes in the magic aren’t being made (mind you we weren’t sitting in the front and could still see the fake) there are a few tricks by Angel that you find yourself thinking…oh wow that was cool! But the show overall seems to not know what it wants to be. There is no line to carry you from the beginning to the end. Things are constantly disrupted by akward set ups and odd transitions. The show appears as if it’s still working out it’s kinks and yet time has moved far beyond that now. It was a disapointment to say the least.
Dont’ waste you money
Cirque Dusoleil should be ashamed of themselves for putting their name on this show.
BAD BAB BAD
We bought our tickets ($140 x 2) 1 month prior to the performance. It was with great anticipation that we filed into the theater and prepared to be “WOWed”. WOW… I NEVER saw my $280 again!!! It completely disappeared!!! It was amazing. Generally if you spend $280 on a show, you get something in return for your money. But this was a MAGIC show: POOF… the money was GONE. There was no evidence that the money ever existed in the first place (or I would have been entertained…RIGHT?). Criss Angel is a f&^%ing GENIUS!!! The money disappeared AND there was no show. That’s right… there was no show!!! I guess he made that disappear too. There was some egotistical jack-ass wandering around the stage, but there was no show. GENIUS I SAY!!! I think I can do the money trick though… somebody send me $280 and I PROMISE that you will be just as entertained as my wife and I were at this colossal piece of crap.
You are being kind the show is much worse then you have described anyone thinking of attending this production don’t waste your time, my wife and I saw the show the week of September 20th 2009 and actually walked out 40 minutes into the act!!!
Poor produced Cirque Production
Went to see Criss Angel for my birthday 9/29. I was so excited to be going to the show and it ended up being a huge disappointment. Definitely wasn’t worth my money or time. I had way more fun with my free lap-dance from Taco @ Dick’s! Oh and I “Believe” it can be better!
Just saw the show. It seemed disjointed and underwhelming. Bad wedding of concepts. Half way through the audience gave what felt was an obligatory applause for something that happened on stage. I had the feeling it was more for justifying for them putting out the money than anything else. They had to clap for something, or did they?
I also got the impression that on his t.v. show he uses a lot of cut and paste in his film editing in order to allow us to be impressed at home … cannot do that live, so, it seemed he resorted to unimaginative tricks. The only good trick was putting a drap over the woman and have her instantly appear 100 feet away on the stage.
In conclusion, save you money and go see Jersey Boys or Terry Fater (sp).
Perhaps we were expecting to see the impressive tricks we see on television, but I don’t recommend this show. I enjoy magic and I enjoy Cirque du Soliel, but the two of them aren’t compatible.
I would also advise against bringing the kids along. It was kind of creepy and contained sexual jokes. I don’t think children would appreciate comments about Criss Angel’s penis.
As mentioned in a previous review, the story had no flow to it. Nice attempt, but as a whole, it doesn’t work. Please spend your money on a show that’s worth it!
The wife and I saw “Believe” 10/19. Don’t waste your money. We too kept waiting for the type illusions I’ve seen him do on TV but they never came. He received weak applause for a weak preformance.
I love criss angel and his show. Some people just need to get a grip. I think the show could use some fixing but they don’t have to fire the star he just has to deliver more of what he does on his television series. They can turn up the lights a little bit and he can do some more magic in his show to. He just needs to remember that his show is alive and well and should not leave it because of a few people. He just needs to believe in himself and anything is possible. And he needs to remember that he needs to think like a child and anything is possible.
Believe
Love you forever criss angel!!!
This show sucked!!! This was a total waste of money. Alot of hype and one BIG let down!
Cut the crap about his show not being good. I thought it was very good and I loved the dark feeling it have you. Criss could fix his magic tricks and add more when he can. Things don’t just happen overnite you know. We are lucky we have another houdini around because in my opinion the world would be boring without magic. I hope criss reads this and fix what can be fixed before I come back. He should believe in himself and that anything is possible.
Believe what you see and what you see is what you get.
BELIEVE!!!!
LOVE YOU FOREVER CRISS ANGEL!!!!
A total waste of money and time. He must think that the people that come to the show are idiot’s his tricks have been performed by other magicians for the last thousand years. Don’t go save your’e money and see LE REVE.
i want my money back that how much sucked his show.
on the tv he is so good at luxor it was so bad i was comin out from the show with tears in my eyes
I THOUGHT THE SHOW WAS GREAT, IF YOUR EXPECTING MORE I UNDERSTAND, BUT I CANT SEE HOW ANYONE COULD SAY THEY DIDNT ENJOY THEIRSELVES
went to his show on halloween, the worst!!! red sheet got stuck on trap door so when the flames came out you can see criss face go ohh sh#@! u can tell the fake cause he always has his back turned! when he walked down the dress u can see the strings and every time he does a levitating trick (like the dress) his help comes rushing to pull the strings off! waste of money and time