Here Comes the Soleil

''We were adamant that it not be a Mamma Mia!-type thing,'' says Giles. ''The last thing we wanted was 'The Beatles play Vegas.''' One early rule was that no one would portray the band onstage; as director Dominic Champagne says, his mission was to ''tell the Beatles' story without the Beatles.'' The Martins quickly created an example of the approach they had in mind: a mash-up that put the drums from ''Tomorrow Never Knows'' under the vocals from ''Within You Without You.'' ''It works jolly well,'' says George Martin, and when they played it for McCartney, Starr, Ono and Olivia Harrison, ''to our great surprise, everyone loved it.''

A version of ''Girl'' incorporates a drone from ''Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,'' a drum roll from ''Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite'' and a guitar figure from ''And I Love Her.'' An underwater treatment of ''Octopus's Garden'' starts with the strings from ''Good Night,'' mixes in the drums from ''Lovely Rita'' and then breaks into ''Polythene Pam'' for a middle section. (A Love soundtrack album is planned but not yet scheduled.)

Though there are no previously unreleased songs in the show, several tracks feature significant portions of new music. Director Champagne wanted to use one number to illustrate the creative process, so the Martins crafted a new version of ''Strawberry Fields Forever'' that starts with John Lennon's very first home recording of the song and builds through multiple takes up to the final, finished release. The acoustic demo of ''While My Guitar Gently Weeps'' from the Anthology series is fleshed out with a new string arrangement by Martin -- the only music composed especially for Love.

As it came time to put Love onstage, Champagne says that he strove for ''evocation more than duplication.'' The costumes and staging allude to Beatle iconography, including the 1964 landing at JFK airport, the Sgt. Pepper's album cover and the final rooftop concert. Elaborate projections add to the Cirque's characteristic visual explosion. After watching the full run-through last month, Ono said that ''it's simply exciting'' to see the show develop. ''It's getting better and better,'' she said.

Giles Martin acknowledges that some may view the alteration of Beatles songs as heresy, but he feels that if the new versions inspire people to really listen to these familiar songs again, Love has done its job. ''It's like the Sistine Chapel -- taking off layers and finding the brightness underneath,'' he says. ''Or like seeing a woman you love with a different haircut.''