Real life CGI
By Caroline Fontein
KÀ at MGM Grand is an action-packed adventure story about Imperial Twins who are separated by an attack on their Far Eastern palace. Unlike other Cirque du Soleil shows in Vegas, this one has a distinguishable plot. The story is exciting, but what really captivates audiences is how it's told.
Apart from a brief narrative at the beginning of the show, there is no talking in KÀ. Instead, the plot is conveyed through the performers' actions and an awe-inspiring stage that cost $200 million and took two years to build. In KÀ you see special effects from the silver screen come to life before your eyes. In addition, the show's talented cast includes: gymnasts, martial artists, aerialists, a baton twirler and a specialty act that performers a daring routine on a giant spinning wheel contraption.
Just walking into the theater is an experience on its own. As soon as you enter, you are confronted with a postindustrial looking post and beam structure that lines both sides of the theater. Tribal warriors are perched on the structure. Don't be surprised if they suddenly drop from the ceiling. Some of them are wearing bungee cords, allowing them to fall to the ground and bounce back in a matter of seconds.
The surrounding stage elements make you feel like you are a part of the set with the action taking place all around you. Throughout the show, the performers enter the stage from the audience. If you are sitting by the aisle you might even see a warrior appear at your side with a bow and arrow in hand, ready for combat.
Instead of a traditional stage, the audience sits facing a seemingly bottomless void filled with smoke. The artists enter and exit from above, around and inside the void. They do almost everything, but walk from stage left to stage right like what you would see in any typical production. At KÀ the artists fly through the air or perform on two moving platforms that operate independently of each other and five stage lifts. The artists also perform on the post and beam structure that extends from the stage area over the audience.
The ever-evolving performance space transforms into a floating barge, a beach, a snowy mountain and a violent sea in the midst of a storm, among other varied landscapes. The changing platforms mean that the performers and their orientation to the audience is always changing too. At times it feels like you have an aerial view of the acts, even though you haven't changed positions.
The show starts with a twin brother and sister at a celebration before their palace is attacked by evil warriors. While trying to escape, the twins get separated, and they are each forced to embark on an arduous journey to find one another and reclaim their palace.
They travel through varied terrain and meet interesting characters who help them along the way. KÀ has all of the expected elaborate production elements of a Cirque du Soleil show, including acrobatics. In one scene, the sister lands in a tropical jungle where the inhabitants jump, flip and fly from swinging vines.
While the twins are finding their way, the stage once again transforms into the lair of the evil ruler and his warriors. It is amazing to see the scene instantly change from a beautiful lush forest to a dark, ominous looking hideout.
For the final confrontation between good and evil, the stage transforms into a vertical battleground where the twins must confront the heinous warriors to reclaim their home, but the twins don't go into combat alone. They're joined by some of the characters and friends they met along their journey. The scene is reminiscent of something from "Lord of the Rings" where people from different lands are united by their quest to defeat evil. A gravity-defying battle sequence ensures as the performers run and jump on the vertical platform. At times the performers change pace, making their actions look like a slow-motion fighting scene from "The Matrix."
Ultimately, the Imperial twins prevail, and the show ends in a glorious celebration with music, dancing and fireworks. If you've ever dreamed of embarking on a fantastical adventure, then make sure to see KÀ on your next stay in Las Vegas.
