Criss Angel Believe
I find the observations fascinating because they so closely agree with my review of the show from a few months back. Easily, Angel's show has been one of the most controversial topics here at Magic.About.com.
"Unfortunately, there is an insurmountable problem," says the review. "Shorn of the traditional framing of set-up and reveal, the tricks are reduced to feeling more like stage effects than illusion. 
Without the necessary rigmarole of lulling the audience into a suspension of disbelief - eg audience involvement or patter explaining why such a feat is impossible - the impact of all the magic is terminally diminished."
"Believe is a fascinating and stylish experiment, but one that probably won’t be repeated," says the review. "As a magic show, it doesn’t stand up to the best Vegas has to offer, and as a Cirque du Soleil production, there are also more spectacular options."
More Reading
Review: Criss Angel Believe
Las Vegas Magic Shows
Readers Talk About "CRISS ANGEL Believe"
Interview with Criss Angel
Comments
What’s WRONG with this sentence, directly from the review:
“Tricks are interwoven with the story, the highlight being a wonderful number in which he produces scores of doves from his sleeves.”
Doves come from sleeves!?
I haven’t seen the show, but there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with that sentence. The greatest trick seems to be that a lot of doves come out of Criss’s sleeves. Also, the tricks fit within the context of some sort of storyline.
Am I missing some double entendre or something?
Unless it was changed, he produced nothing that was supposed to be seen coming from his sleeves during the dove routine. And what was done, was done rather sloppyily.
Having seen the show 2 months back, the dove reveal was pretty ordinary. The show just didn’t make sense to me – I have enjoyed watching Criss on TV, but after walking out of the Luxor, I felt I could have spent my money more wisely.. The other two magic shows I saw in Vegas – Mac King and Dirk Arthur, I enjoyed them better and they were a quarter of the price.
‘Criss Angel Believe’ Has to be the worst show in Vegas! You expect to throw your money away in Las Vegas, losing money gambling would be more entertaining and fun than watching Angel try to perform.
The magic makes it painfully obvious that Angel is a showman whose gift was creating you out of your money, the trickery is concealed by the cloaks, or fog machines. Big whoop. Angel’s speaking role is a double-edged sword of a nightmare. Spend your money at gambling it would be more enjoyable.
I saw this show (7-29-09), never thinking to read reviews prior to purchasing tickets. The other Cirque du Soleil shows we’ve seen have been good to great. A new Cirque show featuring the talents and charisma of Criss Angel should be sure winner. Or so we thought. If you haven’t bought tickets yet, but you are thinking about seeing Believe, READ THE REVIEWS! Most are spot-on. Sadly, Angel’s show was a huge disappointment. Awful. And I hear it’s been recently “improved.” I would hate to have seen the previous show. Anyone who gives this show a good review has to be a paid employee, desperate to keep Believe from going permanently dark.
If you want lots of magic and amazing illusions, you won’t find it in Believe. The few tricks Angel does show come across as simple and low-budget: now-I’m-here, now-I’m-not, and birds-up-the-sleeve stuff. Ok. So maybe it’s more of a Cirque show than a magic show, argue a few of the paid-Believe-employee-critics. Cirque fans should be as equally disappointed as the Angel/magic fans. The sets pale in comparison to those at other shows, as do the performers / dancers.
Criss Angel will irreparably ruin his career if he does not immediately fix this horrible show or end his involvement in it. Similarly, Cirque du Soleil should pull the plug on this dud until it can be brought up to the standard of it’s other shows that audiences have come to expect.
I saw this show when it first opened back in October 2008. It was a travesty then as I have read from recent reviews it is still now. I am still stinging from the 4 tickets I purchased which cost me $588. My kids from North Carolina wanted to see their idol. He is no longer their idol. They were very upset that they wasted their time with me in Vegas to see this show. Come to find out that the only reason he is still their is because Cirque has a 6 year contract with Angel and I guess they want to milk this show for as long as they possibly can.
Criss Angel is a pompous moron… His show sucks humungous horse balls… Avoid this show like the plague…. My gf used to TIVO mindfreak, when we got home from Vegas she deleted the timer…
STAY AWAWY!!!!! THIS SHOW IS HORRIFIC. IT IS HORRIBLE…YOU WILL BE HIGHTLY UPSET FOR PAYING FOR THE TICKETS. I WAS ABLE TO GO FOR FREE. IT “MAGIC” TRICKS ARE ELEMENTARY, DOVES COMING FROM SLEEVES, ALOT OF SMOKE AND FOG WAS USED, NO ANTICIPATION TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT AND THE SHOW WAS MORBID…YOU WILL BE GREATYL DISSAPOINTED IF YOU SPEND YOUR MONEY ON THIS. I’M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO LIED TO CIRSS?
I can’t stress it enough how badly this show was. I just came back from Vegas. We were so excited to see the it and the result at the end was “What da hell was that???” A beginner magician could do much much better then this guy. I’m still so upset for the time and miney I wasted on this stupid show.
I just watched Criss Angel’s I believe show. It really make me disappointed.
The show is NOT magic show.It wasted my time and $$$. He played 3 easy magic and dance for 15 mins. OMG ….. i give this show 8/100 ….yup its 8 out of 100 …..FAIL
If u still wanna watch this show. go to discount ticket to buy it because the price is drop down to $59.99 or less