The Sphere plans full-sensory ‘Earth’ show

Darren Aronofsky’s message for his show at The MSG Sphere is, to experience the great outdoors, head inside.

“I see Sphere as a great opportunity to pluck people from the bling and thrum of the Vegas strip in all its human constructed madness and immerse them as fully as possible in the wonder, awe, and beauty of the natural world,” Aronofsky said in a statement issued by Sphere Entertainment. “‘Postcard from Earth’ is a sci-fi journey deep into our future as our descendants reflect on our shared home.”

The Academy Award-nominated film visionary has been announced as the director of “Postcard From Earth,” the theatrical production debuting at The MSG Sphere on Oct. 6.

It’s a whale of a project. But Aronofsky is up for it.

Among Aronofsky’s credits are “The Whale,” led by Brendan Fraser’s Oscar-winning performance; “Black Swan,” for which the director was nominated for an Academy Award; and “The Wrestler.”

Aronofsky created “Postcard,” announced in April as the second production at The Sphere, opening Oct. 6, just after “U2 UV: Achtung Baby” closes its first run. “U2 UV” opens Sept. 29, with all 25 dates through December sold out on Ticketmaster.

Aronofsky’s involvement in “Postcard” project at The Sphere was first reported in this space in April. The project was developed at Big Dome, Sphere Studios’ prototype facility in Burbank, California.

The filmmaker has obviously absorbed Las Vegas’s image for flashy, aggressive entertainment. He stresses “Postcard” will be an escape from what the Strip offers in terms of large-scale productions.

“At its best, cinema is an immersive medium that transports the audience out of their regular life, whether that’s into fantasy and escapism, another place and time, or another person’s subjective experience,” Aronofsky said. “The Sphere is an attempt to dial up that immersion.”

“Postcard” is to be the leading revenue-producer at The Sphere, where construction costs have climbed to $2.3 billion. The show will play 23 performances a week, at its peak, to 10,000 ticket-holders (offering 230,000 tickets a week). Prices start at $49 (not including fees), with price points up to $200 for select shows, but the prices are susceptible to dynamic pricing, moving according to demand.

The show’s schedule is 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Fridays 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; and noon, 2:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday and Sundays (Saturday performances are online beginning in November). The show runs an hour, listed for ages 6 and older.

The show is dark during the week of the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix from Nov. 15-19.

“Postcard” utilizes what The Sphere promises are historically advanced, “22nd century technologies,” including the highest-resolution LED screen on the planet, the most advanced concert audio system ever (headphones sound, without headphones), and such effects as wind and scent to take audiences on a planetary voyage.

The show boasts multiple theatrical classifications. The director is not interested in pinning it to a single genre.

“Postcard actually has narrative elements as well documentary ones,” Aronofsky said. “We designed it to be as effective as possible to communicate the message we wanted to deliver in an emotional way, so it’s less about genre than about the audience experience.”

“Postcard” is the first production to use Big Sky, a bespoke camera system developed at Sphere Studios in Burbank.

Aronofsky said working with the new technology has been “a learning process,” a half-petabyte movie (500,000 gigabytes) using more than 160,000 speakers is “mind-boggling.”

“But honestly, every film is always a learning experience. You are always in a process discovering the language of the film and unearthing the story using the tools you’ve got at hand,” the filmmaker said. “Here it’s about how to make the beauty and fragility of our planet feel as potent as possible. The tools might be a little different on this film, but the task is the same.”

Pool shots

Mark Wahlberg is the imposing figure to appear at Palms’ pool since Damien Hirst’s “Demon With Bowl” statue loomed over the annex.

Wahlberg was on-site Sunday at SOAK Pool to pour shots of his Flecha Azul tequila. The hotel is serving Wahlberg’s brand, and turned the pool deck into a daytime party for the “Boogie Nights” actor.

SOAK used to be Kaos Dayclub, where “Demon With Bowl” stood impressively (and later lugged to an undisclosed location) before the place shut down in November 2019. But it’s a new day at the Palms, where this weekend Yachtley Crew plays poolside at 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The pool is free, open to ages 21 and over, and Walhberg’s elixir will be flowing.

Cool Hang Alert

The stylish, smooth-jazz artist Miss Melanie Moore says “soothe your soul” at her show Thursday night at Gatsby’s Supper Club at Gambit Henderson. Moore is backed by ace players Brenda Cowardt on keys, RJ Reyes on bass, Darren Motamedy on sax, Manny Gamazo on drums and Elektra Heavenly on backing vocals. Great presentation, vibe and food at Gatsby’s. Doors at 7:30 p.m., show at 8:30, go to aegrouplv.com for intel.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.