Technically stunning, story was... hmm
by Dave P on 5/21/24Awakening Theater at Wynn Las Vegas - Las VegasChoices were made. The story itself wasn't terrible, but the way it was told left lots of room for improvement. It felt like they got feedback that it was too confusing, and overpivoted, dumming it down for grade schoolers. The show lacked a consistent voice; it was trying to be serious, and sweet, and campy, and broke out into a musical, etc. etc. It felt like there were too many cooks in the kitchen, and somebody needed to take charge and make the show feel consistent. A lot of the frustration I had with the way the story was told came back to the clown characters. Their role, more than anything, muddled the mood and tone of the show. Often when a story has a clown type character helping the protagonist, they eventually get their moment in the sun to show they aren't just a goofball sidekick. Not so here. When the dust cleared, we were left thinking the protagonist would have been better off if the clown characters just stayed home. All of that being said, the show was visually breathtaking. The venue and special effects were gorgeous. The magic was excellent, especially on such a large scale in a theater in the round. I felt bad for all the times in my life I've made fun of puppetry, because the puppetry in this show was incredible. I'm not sorry we went, because it was really something to see at least once. I was just disappointed, because I think it could have been so much better if the story was better told and the characters held together more cohesively.