All Together Now

George Harrison once came up with the idea of building a Cirque du Soleil show around Beatles music. This probably had something to do with the fact that Guy Lalibert, the founder of Cirque du Soleil, was one of Harrison's best friends. But before it all could come to fruition, the Beatles guitarist died of cancer in 2001. All Together Now is a year in the life of the preparations for the premiere of the gigantic spectacle that would ultimately be put on under the title "LOVE." The rehearsals are coordinated with a maniacal perfectionism, which is understandable, considering the production of a Cirque show costs around $180 million these days. With that kind of money at stake, risk management is essential. And as if that wasn't already cause for enough stress, all the horsing around with Beatles songs takes place under the watchful eyes of Yoko Ono, Olivia Harrison and Paul McCartney. According to one of the producers, it's akin to "playing with the Holy Grail." And in the telling words of Paul McCartney, "Don't worry, they would say: The Cirque and The Beatles. Very good. And I'd go: No. No, no."This illustrates the constant tension and uncertainty among everyone involved. They are all working with the risk that someone like McCartney will pull the plug on the project by withdrawing his music. All Together Now is an account of the thousand highs and lows in the behind-the-scenes artistic process.