All You Need Is LOVE

What I learned about creativity from working with the Beatles

- By Daniel Lamarre. Photographs by Getty

Cirque du Soleil, the global entertainment company with annual pre-pandemic revenues of $1 billion, is known for trafficking in multi-million dollar extravaganzas with acrobatic feats that stretch the boundaries of the imagination. For 20 years, Daniel Lamarre was the chief executive officer responsible for bringing these fantastical productions to life. In his new book, BALANCING ACTS, Lamarre, now executive vice-chairman of the board, shares his insights into the nature of creativity as an essential part of management in all industries. In this excerpt from his book, Lamarre describes the genesis of the unique collaboration between Cirque and the Beatles, which resulted in the only live show in which Beatles recorded music and images have ever been used since the breakup of the legendary band more than 50 years ago—and one of the biggest shows in Cirque’s history.

AS THE AUDIENCE SETTLES IN THE playing Liverpool sailors climb ropes dangling from the ceiling. The lush a cappella harmonies of Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison fill the air.

It’s August 26, 2021, our first showing of The Beatles LOVE at the Mirage in Las Vegas after a 17-month pandemic intermission. As the CEO of Cirque du Soleil (I’ve since transitioned to executive vice-chairman of the board), I’m a bundle of nervous excitement. Whenever I see this production—even 15 years after its premiere—I can’t relax and watch like everybody else. Sure, I’m dazzled by the acrobatics, the dancing and the rich trove of characters and stories culled from more than 120 Beatles songs that were sampled to create the soundtrack. But I can’t stop my mind from racing back to the long series of improbable events that led to the staging of this spectacular show and how my life—in fact, my whole approach to business and creativity—was changed by working with the Beatles.