One of the most enduring Vegas productions, “KÀ” remains a dreamworld so serene it’s capable of lulling the audience to sleep.
“ KÀ ” by Cirque du Soleilis one of the most challenging show in Las Vegas . It ’s a thrilling spectacle of ken and sound , force back by the level itself , divided into levitating segments that use fluid mechanics to originate , free fall , turn out , and release at angles that are dangerously steep .
There have been more than 8,000 performances of “ KÀ ” over intimately 20 years in Las Vegas , sport a form of more than 80 performer in a colorful , multicultural existence that borrow elements from Asian , African , and South American iconography . Throughout the track of 90 moment inside the MGM Grand , the consultation wonder at rigid pieces like the Wheel of Death ( hamster - rack John Cage connected to a centralized arm ) and a da Vinci – esque flying machine that soar over the audience . It ’s not an exaggeration to describe “ KÀ ” as one of the most impressive and forward-looking stage productions on the Las Vegas Strip .
Yet I ca n’t help it : I ’ve fall asleep during the show at least twice . And I ’m not alone .
Art by Caitlyn Grabenstein for Thrillist
Google the musical phrase “ ka cwm fall gone , ” and you ’ll come across reviews mentioning the phenomenon on change of location site and social media . “ I saw four the great unwashed that fall asleep in my immediate locality , ” reads one 11 - year - oldreview on TripAdvisor . “ I am an insomniac and have been for many years . I legit fell deceased during ‘ KÀ , ’ ” writes oneReddit commentposted just five months ago . On X , you ’ll find tweets by citizenry who took a nap during “ KÀ ” in2013,2015,2019 , and2022 .
It continues to come up in conversations I ’ve had with sept who regularly attend Cirque show in Vegas . In fact , just a few workweek ago , I had dinner with a fellow diarist and without mentioning the premise of this story , simply asked , “ Have you seen ‘ KÀ ’ ? ” His contiguous response : “ I fell asleep . ”
It ’s even discourse among those who know and sleep with Cirque best . “ I have hear of audience members falling departed during a public presentation , and I do n’t necessarily think it ’s because the show is dull , ” Russo say about “ KÀ . ” He has a possibility as to why : “ The action raise your adrenaline and heart rate whilst the slower parting — the recovery from that action and subsequent floor menstruation — calms you down , lulling you into a sense of guard and security . One ca n’t serve but roll away if you ’re so inclined to do so . ”
Courtesy Eric Jamison
I think Russo is on to something here . “ KÀ ” is a balance of peaks and vale , and the quieter bit are driven by dreamlike environs — most notably , an underwater world that submit shape with particular issue after a wreck scene . Nothing rocks a weary vacationer to slumber quite like the image and sound of crash waves .
I run into a longtime “ KÀ ” cast member during a recent off - Strip art case . When I mentioned I ’ve fall asleep during the show , she asked if it was during the timberland scene . ( It might ’ve been . I do n’t remember . I was asleep . )
“ They changed the forest . They convert that music now , ” she said about the onstage sequence , built around an elegant , wild-eyed ethereal execution . “ They have petals [ fall ] over the audience now . They ‘ zhuzh it up ’ is what they say , ” have-to doe with to the product team . They do indeed change things up from clock time to sentence , but “ it still is [ about ] the story . They attempt to keep the story important . ”
While other Cirque productions rely on informal mental imagery and themes,“KÀ ” is the only one in Vegas with a concrete , linear storyline — and , to be good , the secret plan is n’t always easy to follow . It involves a distich of young Twin Falls — heirs to an unnamed kingdom in an unnamed existence — who are separated when a celebration gives way to an attack . Characters arrive and go . Some get captured . Some fall in dearest . People oppose . tough guys bend on one another . There is a lot happen , and the show ’s only instant of spoken narration lead place at the very beginning . Sometimes it ’s toilsome to keep rails of who ’s who and what ’s happening . If an interview penis loses focal point , drowsiness can creep in .
The venue itself is a factor as well . “ KÀ ” read place in an sexual theater that sense deceivingly enceinte , surround by four levels of catwalk with the warm glow of soft amber lighting and stage - area mist welcoming Edgar Guest at the beginning of each show . The music , performed live by mostly unseen musician , is heard throughout the theater on more than 5,000 speaker , including two in every one of the 1,950 seats ; it ’s a really immersive audio experience . But it ’s almosttoorelaxing — unless , of course , that ’s what you ’re after .
In the name of completing my research , I buy a ticket to see the latest edition of the show . I delay awake the full time , though the province of say inquiry was likely to give thanks for that . Just four days later on , a “ three - mo sketch ” showed up in my inbox , postulate inquiry like “ How satisfied were you with ‘ KÀ ’ at ‘ KÀ ’ house ? ” with blank space to provide a reception in detail . I had little to kvetch about . I enjoyed the show more than ever , make a point to focus on the visuals over the storyline — allowing any questions about the plot to float on by . It worked well that way .
The world will continue to turn in 2024 , doubtless dredging up more chaos than the twelvemonth prior . Who can argue with entertainment that is so escapist that it has the capacity to tranquillise you into a dream res publica ? “ KÀ ” is art , and sometimes art set up a whole step and create a humour . This class , my mood is “ KÀ . ”
