“They come down into this world with every intention to guide Wayne on a wholesome journey, but they fall prey to every temptation along the way,” Gilkey said.

One of the most powerful scenes in “Le Reve” evokes a cold, winter night. As snow falls, Wayne searches a city park for a friendly face, only to find nightmarish figures at every turn. Another scene celebrates the strength of the human body, as men begin climbing an enormous tree, swinging from branch to branch and launching themselves high into the air before falling back into the water.

The score, by composer Benoit Jutras, provides a haunting backdrop, with a mixture of live singing and recorded choral music from Serbia.

Waterworld
The Wynn Theater lends an intimacy to the show. Housed in a theater-in-the-round — a rarity for Las Vegas — with no seat more than 42 feet from the “stage,” the audience is pulled into the production. Because of the theater’s circular design, there is no backstage and no room to house elaborate structures in the wings. Instead, performers and sets appear from the depths below or from the soaring space above.

“When you enter this theater, you enter this enclosed world,” said Louis Parenteau, president of Dragone’s company. “You have a real intimacy with the performers. It’s as if you are in their world.”