text: Based on the other reviews, this show certainly has plenty of fans.  I'm guessing most of them didn't know what Cirque du Soleil is famous for, because Cirque du Soleil this show was not.\n\nCirque du Soleil is, first and foremost, a unique art form that provides jaw-dropping, unforgettable displays of physical human ability.  It's not just my opinion; their own website proclaims as much.  This incredible experience is what causes people to book pricey shows weeks in advance. \n\nBut there were almost none of the signature Cirque du Soleil acrobatics.  Instead there were lots and lots of interpretive dance moves, running around in elaborate costumes, nonsensical random artsy monologue and dialogue - and, oddly, grunting.  (At least three of us thought said grunting had an awkward racial tinge.)  As a result, the show felt less like Cirque and more like a live action re-enactment of the multi-media displays of Beatles' memorabilia that I'd seen recently, of all places, interspersed between gameplay in the video game Beatles Rock Band.\n\nThis version of \"Cirque du Soleil light\" seemed to answer the question I had going in: how does one maintain the Cirque identity without upstaging the legendary Beatles?  Apparently the producers answer was \"We won't.\"\n\nWhile costumes, interpretive dance, and general weirdness are indeed part of Cirque du Soleil's identity, I don't think they're the parts that people come to shows for.  And based on the applause I heard, it seemed like I wasn't the only one in the audience that felt this way.  Not once was applause instantaneous, the way it is when a crowd is wowed by a performance.  And, to my own disappointment for the dutiful and energetic performers, not once was the applause prolonged beyond that required by courtesy.  In an earlier life, I spent a lot of time onstage myself, and weak ovations like this are heartbreaking, especially when the disappointment is not the fault of the performer.\n\nYet as I left the theater, I overheard at least four patrons (all women) remark on how much they loved the show.  It was unclear to me if this was genuine awe at the overall experience, a rekindled infatuation with the Beatles, denied guilt at having just paid $132 to watch a big music video with some interpretive dancers, or something else.  To some extent, I understood those who enjoyed the show. The Beatles songs I adore most - 'While my Guitar Gently Weeps' and 'Hey Jude' among them - were the ones I remembered most fondly.  It suggested to me that those who thought they loved the show actually just loved the music.  The sound quality was impeccable, delivered through a massive custom audio setup including stereo in-seat speakers that made the Beatles' music come alive in a way even my higher end multi-speaker car stereo cannot.  When combined with the light show and special effects, it was often a better-than-average way to experience Beatles' recordings.\n\nBut the standard should be much higher than beating your car stereo.  To receive 5 stars, this show needs some changes: first, drop the \"Cirque du Soleil\" branding.  Second, advertise it as an interpretive dance plus Beatles music multimedia show.  Third, lower the price by 3x to be cheaper than the Beatles Rock Band video game.  Finally, have the surviving Beatles make cameos.\n\nI imagine none of this will happen anytime soon.  In the meantime, Beatles fans, rest assured that Cirque du Soleil did not upstage the Beatles.  And Cirque du Soleil fans, make sure you get tickets to a different Cirque show.