Review of Wynn’s Revamped “Awakening” – Here’s What To Expect

Key Points:

• Awakening at Wynn excels at creating unique, awe-inspiring visuals.

• A circular theater, there truly isn’t a bad seat in the house. Even my top-row seat was fantastic.

• I paid $93 for my ticket and found the experience to be worth the money.

Given Wynn’s pedigree in Las Vegas, an unmatched experience is what I expected when the resort announced that Awakening would be replacing the long-running show La Reve.

The show cost $120 million to produce and calls the re-vamped Awakening Theater home, which boasts a 60-foot circular prismatic LED glass stage as its feature attraction.

Unfortunately, Awakening had to smash the “pause” button on performances shortly after opening due to sluggish ticket sales to tweak the production.

The reimagined show has since returned, and I’ve been itching to see it.

In this review of Awakening at Wynn, I’ll break down both what I enjoyed, and what I didn’t to help you determine if it’s a good fit for your itinerary.

What I Liked About Awakening

Awakening Theater

Granted, I just spent the afternoon watching shows at the comparatively inferior V Theater in the Miracle Mile Shops, but found Wynn’s Awakening theater to be a dream.

Not only are the seats absurdly padded and comfortable, but each seat has two built-in surround sound speakers on either side of your head that add some unique effects to the experience.

The Stage, Lights, and Visuals

*This* is why you buy a ticket to see Awakening in my opinion.

Awakening’s stage ranks among the coolest, and most unique in Las Vegas.

A circle, the glass stage, which also serves as an LED screen, rotates and shifts up & down in pieces or as a single unit, creating some pretty unique scenes.

The stage also rotates, ensuring everyone in the theater has a great seat.

During the performance, the main characters visit the realms of Water, Air, and Earth, and there’s at least one “WOW” visual moment in each.

While I’m not a big “choreographed dance guy” per se, the performers in Awakening ripped it, making the show both visually stunning and high energy. You won’t be yawning.

Here are a few pictures I took during the show:

Humor and Mystery

Although the highlight of Awakening was the visuals, there were a few moments (that I don’t want to give away) that I muttered to myself “How did they do that?!”.

In addition to illusion and mystery, there were some legitimately humorous moments, mostly thanks to Bandit and Boo, the Heroine IO’s sidekicks. I had a few healthy chuckles.

What Was Lacking

A “Meh” Storyline

I think Awakening did a solid job of making the storyline easy to follow. I knew what was going on from beginning to end, I just didn’t find it overly compelling.

The story follows the Heroine named IO, who is accompanied by the blundering duo of Bandit and Boo. Their mission is to collect 3 stones from the realms of Earth, Air, and Water to reunite a pair of lovers – Darkness and Light.

While the story’s ending was predictable, what made it fun to follow were the visuals I was treated to along the way.

Although I could take or leave the story, the same could be said about some of my favorite Cirque du Soleil shows in town, which have storylines that are abstract or difficult to follow as well.

Not a deal breaker at all, in my opinion.

This Isn’t a Cirque Show

On the topic of Cirque, it’s important to point out that this isn’t that.

While there are some acrobatic, high-flying moments in Awakening, that isn’t the focal point of the show.

If death-defying acrobatics are what you’re looking for, I suggest snagging a ticket to “O”, “Ka”, or “Mystere”.

Best Seats at Awakening

There is legitimately not a bad seat in the house, as every seat is within 75 feet of the stage. Given the fact the stage rotates, everyone has an equal view.

I sat in the last row of the theater and found the view to be great. In fact, I think I liked it more than if I were in the first few rows as I could clearly see both the stage and what was going on in the air above it.

The Verdict: Is Wynn’s Awakening Worth the Money?

Tickets to Awakening start at $99 when booking directly with Wynn, but can sometimes be purchased at a slight discount here, with Vegas.com. Shop both to get the best deal.

I purchased my ticket on Vegas.com as it was a better deal at $93.22 total ($79.00 ticket + $14.22 fees) and found the show to be well worth the cash outlay.

Awakening is different than anything else in Las Vegas. The visuals produced by the stage, the costumes, dancing, “Holy Crap” moments, and seamless transitions made it all worth it.

I can’t speak for the first iteration of Awakening, but I found the restaged version to be pretty darn cool.

If you don’t mind skipping the “Cirque-style” acrobatics and want to see a visually wowing production, then consider Awakening.

Related Shows in Las Vegas:

• Review of Atomic Saloon at The Venetian