The ballad of Paul and Yoko as rivals let it be

They are not often seen in the same room together, let alone this close.

Sir Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono, the widow of his former bandmate John Lennon, showed they have put their past differences behind them after years of rowing.

The pair were attending the opening performance of Love, a surrealistic portrayal of the Fab Four's career performed by Cirque du Soleil.

Opening at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, McCartney and Ono were joined by Ringo Starr and Olivia Harrison, the widow of George Harrison.

Crowds of more than 5,000 fans turned up to watch the remaining Beatles walk up the red carpet for the premier performance.

Ono, wearing a large white hat and matching trouser-suit, drew large cheers from fans.

She said: "All this time I was working on the show in the rehearsals, I thought, 'Oh, John should be here.'

"That's the only thing that I regret, the fact that he's not here because he would have enjoyed it so much."

Ono and McCartney have suffered a turbulent relationship, including a long-running dispute over songwriting credits for the Beatles hits.

The show, a celebration of the Beatles' musical legacy, is a dance and acrobatic spectacle filled with characters from their songs, such as the walrus, Lady Madonna and Sgt Pepper.

Using parts of 130 songs and unpublished out-takes, the show takes the audience through the Second World War, the 1960s era of 'Beatlemania', the band's reclusive studio years and their psychedelic period.

The production is the first major theatrical partnership for Apple Corps, which has earned a feisty reputation for having sued companies from Apple Computer Inc to record label EMI to protect the band's legacy.

It also marks the company's most significant endeavour since 2000 when it released 1, a CD collection of 27 No 1 singles that has sold more than 24 million copies.

The show's creator, Dominic Champagne, said: "I tried to get inspired by the lyrics, but also the moments and the motion of their careers.

"We tried to be spiritual and physical without trying to be too didactic. I didn't want to do the live version of The Anthology. We're not here to teach the Beatles' story to people."

When asked if he thought Lennon would like the show, George Martin, the Beatles' long-time producer, said: "John? Who knows about John? If he saw the show he'd probably say, 'Yeah, but it could be better.'"

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