“Mystere” Celebrates 13,000 Performances at TI

By Scott Roeben, on August 24 2022
3 min read 4 comments
Las Vegas Las Vegas Shows

Cirque du Soleil is so interwoven into the fabric of Las Vegas, it’s easy to take shows like “Mystere” for granted.

Occasionally, though, there’s reason to pop a cork and salute these incredible shows and their performers. Today’s reason: “Mystere” recently celebrated 13,000 performances at Treasure Island.

That’s 29 years of “Did you just see that, Martha? How the hell did they do that? Did you know people could bend like that? Martha! There’s a giant baby, did you see that? What are we even looking at here? Those women are really fit, all due respect, Martha.”

Fun fact: There was only one remaining person named Martha when “Mystere” opened in 1993.

Confirmed: We have a physique like a Cirque performer. Specifically, the snail.

Now, if you find it difficult to remember which Cirque show is which, we’ve got you. You can check out our one-minute guide to all the Cirque shows in Las Vegas.

“Mystere,” of course, is as enthralling as Cirque says it is.

More than 17 million people have seen “Mystere,” and upwards of three of them were able to understand the storyline. (It has to do with the origins of life and how humans connect with the universe.)

Thankfully, as with all the best Cirque shows, one not need to be able to understand “Mystere” to enjoy it. (You also don’t have to understand English, a big selling point for foreign visitors to Las Vegas.)

That’s because the show is filled with eye candy, like flying trapeze artists, Chinese poles and teeterboard acts, all decked out in incredible costumes.

As with all Cirque shows, the performers spend most of their time making the impossible look like no big deal.

Incredibly, seven of the original cast and crew of “Mystere” are still with the production. They are Magalie Drolet, bungee artist; Sean Jensen, head of lighting; Adolfo (Chile) Medal, carpentry technician; Trevor Nassler, former planche artist and now props technician; Marc Solis, musician; Annie Wilkins, head of props and Donny Workman, head of carpentry.

Special shout-out to Donny Workman for having such a fitting name. Nailed it.

The folks at “Mystere” conveniently included some additional fun facts about the show in their news release.

First, Alice the Snail weighs more than 2,000 pounds and is pushed by four carpenters. Yes, “Mystere” has a giant psychedelic snail (see photo above). As with most Cirque shows, edibles are recommended.

Also, there are about 10,000 costume pieces in “Mystere.” We are a big fan of the skimpy ones, surprisingly.

You may be surprised to learn there are 70 people in the cast of “Mystere,” from 24 different countries.

Just another day at the office for the trapeze artists of “Mystere.”

Finally, more than 92,000 pounds of equipment “flies” during the show, requiring 7.5 miles of wire rope.

All of which speaks to the sheer scale of “Mystere.” It’s a lavish spectacle, the likes of which are increasingly rare due to how expensive such shows are to produce. (For some context, “Ka” cost $165 million to create.)

There are rumblings other Cirque shows are facing challenges, and “Love” is unlikely to survive the rebrand of Mirage to Hard Rock.

Still, we’re told by a “Mystere” insider the show is doing well, and may be the only Cirque show making a profit in Las Vegas right now. (We’ve heard “O” is also making a profit. Different insider.)

But now is not a time for fretting about the big picture. It’s a time to trumpet the incredible success of “Mystere.”

It’s time to marvel at the fact Cirque got its start as a group of a mere 20 street performers in Quebec. The one in Canada.

If you’d like to go down the rabbit hole of “Mystere,” check out the list of characters in the show.

Big congratulations are in order for the cast and crew of “Mystere.” It’s hard to imagine a Las Vegas without this mesmerizing show, and here’s to another 13,000 performances. Or possibly a luckier number, because it’s still Las Vegas.