Steve Wynn’s creative genius ‘not diminished,’ says show director

In the middle of it all, Wynn Las Vegas’ aquatic production show has been overhauled.

“Le Reve,” which opened the hotel in 2005 and has served as one of Steve Wynn’s many pet projects over the years, boasts new scenes, staging, costumes and a new music score. This work had been enacted before Wynn stepped down from the company on Feb. 6, amid a burst of reports of allegations of sexual misconduct at his Las Vegas properties.

Similar to “Steve Wynn’s Showstoppers,” which closed its three-year run last December, “Le Reve” carries Wynn’s ever-present artistic imprint. He was involved in every facet of the show from its early development under then-director Franco Dragone to its revamp over the past two years.

The man who worked at Wynn’s side during that two-year stretch, famed director of spectacles Philip Wm. McKinley, has plainly stated his opinion about Wynn’s creative contributions. When asked if he would miss working with Wynn from a strictly artistic standpoint, McKinley responded with theatrical grandeur.

“The simple answer to that is anybody who ignores or devalues what Steve Wynn has done for Vegas is an idiot,” McKinley said during a phone interview last week. “I mean, I’ll be blunt about it. Do you take everything away? Do you take every single piece of success away? His value as a creative genius is not diminished. His talent doesn’t all of a sudden vanish into the ether.

“So, yes of course, as I would miss anyone with whom I’ve had such a relationship and collaborated with.”

In the revamp of “Le Reve,” McKinley has also worked on a tight team that included Wynn General Manager of Entertainment Operations Rick Gray; music director Benoit Jutras and lyricist Maribeth Derry, who developed 13 new songs in the new show; choreographer Marguerite Derricks; costume designer Suzy Benzinger, and lighting designers Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer.

Relaunched a couple of weeks ago, the production refocuses the story line of main character, “The Dreamer,” who is driven by competing forces, “True Love,” and “Dark Passion” (I fall off that story arc in the first four minutes, to be honest).

Moving away from the more obscure, implied plot line was important in keeping the performances sharp, McKinley said.

“The show has been amazing, and the performers incredible, while dealing with an art form that is abstract in its very existence,” McKinley said. “It is not an art form that lends itself easily to linear storytelling. So, the first thing he wanted was a clearer story line, and the first thing we focused on was the story of the Dream Master — how to create that by integrating the principal performers more thoroughly through the show. We wanted to tell the story while not losing the abstract nonlinear quality of linear art.”

But there are plenty of linear, sensory-stimulating qualities to the new “Le Reve.” The show features 16 fire-belching devices, 172 fountains, a dozen umbrella-fashioned waterfalls, a rain curtain of nearly 50 feet tall, and also a 360-degree wall of water in the theater-in-the-round design.

As has been chronicled previously in this space, Wynn dismissed multiple Academy Award-winner Alan Menken’s under-development music score deep into the revamp process. That decision shifted the musical responsibility back to Jutras, who conceived the show’s original score a dozen years ago.

“It was a matter of making a decision about the musical score having to support the action, almost like a movie … Alan’s score was beautiful, but the decision was made to go in another direction,” McKinley said. “It wasn’t that the music was not right, but it was decided to maybe keep the same feeling that Benoit had used years ago when it was created.”

A passionate artist in all of his projects, McKinley said he plans to remain a part of the Wynn creative team for the foreseeable future.

“I would enjoy that very much. I enjoy being there, I enjoy working with Rick Gray, and we have worked together a lot already,” McKinley said. “This process makes me exercise every aspect of my creativity, and that’s what I love about it.”

He then chuckled and added, “In a week or so, we’ll know about a new project that will be happening in Las Vegas. I’ll tease you just a little bit.”

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.