From the moment I stepped foot into the 1,950 seat theater inside the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, I was awe. With the set of KA expanding along the sides and rear of the theater, the pre-show had Archers and Spearmen swinging about from platform to platform and above audience members as they searched for their seats. As I took my seat I faced the stage that seemed to be floating above a smoke-filled crevasse, sitting in wonderment as the entertainers kept performing while also trying to take in the enormity and design of the set throughout the theater. I knew I was in for something special. KA is the story of the Imperial Twins, a brother and sister, played by real-life siblings Jennifer and Cheri Haight, who are separated after a vicious attack by the Archers. Inseparable from birth, the twins have never known life apart from each other or away from the blissful Imperial Court for that matter. Both are trained in martial arts and now must travel a dangerous journey if they are to find one another again. Twin Brother is aided by The Court Jester (played brilliantly by Kleber Conrado Berto) who is not just the dazzling entertainer he appears to be, but also a tremendous warrior who will protect his young leader-in-waiting no matter what the cost. At the same time, Twin Sister is accompanied by the Nursemaid (Gail Gilbert) as they discover one magical experience after another during their plight to find Twin Brother.
The villains are of the classical mold with The Chief Archer (Viken Kayabalian) being sinister but at the same time a respectable adversary, and The Counselor (Jorg Lemke), the conniving voice that guides the Archers. KA is the archetypal battle of good versus evil as the forces on the dark side want to see the Imperial Twins, and the good they represent, destroyed.
KA is a spectacle that must be seen in order to grasp its beauty, grace and astonishing costume and set design. With a stage that rotates 360 degrees and – at the same time – tilts from flat to 110 degrees, the action scenes are simply breathtaking. The scenes change smoothly into each other and can go from The Deep in which Twin Sister and the Nursemaid appear to be sinking into the ocean’s depths, to The Forest People that takes everyone into a colorful wooded wonderland that includes an 80-foot snake, giant bugs and daring acrobatics. One of the most sensational scenes is the climatic battle towards the end in which the audience can see the aerial view as the warriors move perpendicular to the ground, many of which fall to their apparent deaths in the black abyss. The choreography in that scene alone is breathtaking to no end.
Ultimately good triumphs and peace is restored as everyone is reunited once again.
KA features 80 extremely talented artists from all over the world and that’s just scratching the surface when it comes to the involvement of this production. Seventy specialists worked more than 35,000 hours in making the first full set of costumes used in the show. The detail and precision is almost unfathomable, from applying the makeup to making the giant puppets to producing its incredible special effects. The engineering behind putting such a production together are impressive to say the least. But as Cirque Soleil are always made to top their last incarnation, how can we expect anything less?
KA is unbelievable and is something you will remember for years to come.
