Show Type:
Production Show

Location:
Imperial Showroom
Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino
3535 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Show Description:

Las Vegas Strip Map

Matsuri Las Vegas is often described as a Japanese Cirque de Soleil. This Las Vegas production show combines Japanese-inspired athletics and extreme sports with the music, art, and culture of Japan. Like the DAO Show at Riviera, which is billed as The Asian Celebration, Matsuri Las Vegas has a large cast of performers who display their talents in music, comedy, sport, dance, as well as daring and skilled physical feats, to celebrate a culture. While the DAO Show is first and foremost a Chinese show, Matsuri Las Vegas hails from Japan.

The 70-minute show features a cast of eighteen Japanese athletes who perform stunts such as the Foot Drums, Lion Dance, and Human Jump Rope. Audiences at the Matsuri Imperial Palace show can expect to be dazzled by the vibrant energy of the performance, while the daring acrobatic and athletic feats will keep audience members on the edges of their seats. The show is not only a mesmerizing display of physical movement, bu it is also a visual bonanza, with lavish set and costume design with a uniquely Japanese style. This Las Vegas production show is beautifully choreographed, so that the skills of acrobatics, athletes, and dancers are not only displayed, but woven into a unified whole, moving seamlessly from act to act.

Rare for a Las Vegas production show, the show is performed entirely without singing or dialogue. The silence of the show has led it to be called The Muscle Musical. But that doesn't mean that there is a communication barrier between the audience and the performers. In fact, the audience and the cast often come together, as there is a great deal of audience participation in the show.

The Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino is a great venue for what is hailed as Japan's Number One Show. The Imperial Palace has an impressive entertainment space, large enough to accommodate the energetic dances and acrobatic displays. The palace is popular as a venue, and is currently also showing the Las Vegas Motown show Human Nature. Audiences at Matsuri Imperial Palace are able to enjoy the facilities at the hotel and casino, such as the great gambling space, shopping, and upscale restaurants and bars. The DAO Show runs every afternoon from Saturday through Thursday, with an evening showing on Fridays.

Show Biography:

The Matsuri Show is popular partly because of its authenticity as a Japanese production. The director, Ushio Higuchi, is Japanese, and the members of the cast have learned their art in Japan. Matsuri translates as "festival," and Higuchi created the show to take inspiration from the color and energy of festive celebrations in Japan. Each performer has had to pass an extremely difficult audition, and each has a unique athletic skill.

The show established itself in its home country in 2001, soon becoming the number one musical show in Japan. It was first seen in Las Vegas in 2006, when it showed for just two months at the Riviera. After this test, it returned in 2007 at the Sahara for a longer six-month engagement. After this early success, there were several changes made to the Matsuri show, including the commissioning of the world-famous designer Junko Koshino to make the sumptuous costumes audiences can now see at the Matsuri Imperial Palace show. The show opened at the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino in July of 2009. Japan's Number One Show has now benefited from years of experience on the road, and is at its height.