Ka is different from most Cirque du Soleil shows in that it follows a story line. Well, my husband didn’t think so (“it’s a bunch of people jumping and flying around”), but Cirque advertises it as such. We saw it in July of 2007 at the MGM Grand. Having seen Mystere, O, LOVE, and Zumanity, all Cirque shows, I felt that this one was ranked 3rd out of the 5.
I was amazed, as always, by the ability of the performers, especially the crazy, evil dudes on the big wheel. (You’ll see what I mean if you go.) There was even some comedy in this one. One of the scenes was with some really good shadow puppets, while another had a giant turtle, and sand crab.
The story is essentially two royal brats, I mean children, a brother and sister, who are celebrating their birthday and their kingdom gets attacked. They get separated. The rest of the show is about what they go through trying to fight off the attackers and getting back to each other. They each find love, though I much prefer the brother’s story. The sister falls for some tree-hugging hippie in a glittery body suit, in some weird industrial rain forest looking set. The brother’s girlfriend at least has some depth.
The sets are the best thing about this show. It is quite obvious that the theatres are now built for the shows, rather than the shows fitting into an old theatre. There were many different “props” that became really cool sets. The same huge platform is used in many scenes, but in completely different ways. It is very impressive. This show ranks first in set design out of the 5 shows.
Ticket prices for this show are quite expensive. And unfortunately, they are not available at the half price ticket vendor. We paid about $160 each for ours, which was in, I think, the 12th row, just off center. Once we arrived in the theatre, however, I determined that there really weren’t any bad seats. The theatre is small, yet very spacious, if that makes any sense.
To sort of understand Ka, you should know that it does try to represent the four natural elements; first water, then air, then earth, then fire, via scenes in the show. If you know what you are looking for, you will see it. If not, you will see “people jumping and flying through the air”. Also, you should know that Ka represents duality in life or the life force. The ancient Egyptians actually thought you died when your ka left you. The duality aspect is more represented in this show, with the twins, and the obvious battle between good and evil.
In a nutshell, yes, it is worth seeing. Yes, it is a good show. But O, and LOVE are a little bit better. This show would have been better, in my opinion if I had know the story or understand the elements before I saw it.