For complete details, see Cirque du Soleil's KA page.
KA is another very well done show from Cirque du Soleil. The theatre alone is amazing. It's very well themed and has speakers in the incredibly comfortable seats. Cirque du Soleil never does anything half-way and they did a wonderful job creating KA.
There were a couple slow points in the show, but overall, I really enjoyed KA and would recommend it to anyone who will be in Vegas. I'd rank it third in the Vegas Cirque du Soleil shows, behind 'O' (my favorite Cirque show anywhere) and Mystere, but it is very enjoyable and well worth taking the time to see.
As usual, every act in KA is amazing and fun to watch. Check out KA if you have the chance, you won't be disappointed.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2007, Best Musical, Cirque du Soleil, dancing, gymnastics, Vegas
Reviewed by Kat at the 9:30 PM show | 0 screams
See Cirque du Soleil's Love page for complete details.
I'm not a huge fan of the Beatles, so bear that in mind. I do really love some of their music (pun intended), but unfortunately, my two favorite songs weren't used in the show. My favorite song that they used was butched in a way (it was funny, but the music was totally removed and it was shouted as a poem). Other than that one bit, the musical was wonderful. The dancing and acrobatics were great.
Love is definitely not the typical Cirque du Soleil show, but as long as you go into the show knowing that, it's wonderful. It's energetic, creative, and beautiful. If you love Beatles music, you should definitely see Cirque du Soleil's Love! If you liked other Cirque shows, you'll probably enjoy Love. Just go into it realizing that it's not the same kind of show as their traveling shows (though it's similar to Delirium in many ways) or their other resident shows. It's more about the music, dancing, and art.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2007, Cirque du Soleil, dancing, gymnastics, musical, Vegas
Reviewed by Kat at the 9:24 PM show | 0 screams
Cirque du Solei's Zumanity site provides the details.
As my husband put it on our way out of the Zumanity Theatre, "Zumanity is the least Cirque of all the Cirque shows." Although that sounds like a silly statement, I think most people who have seen a few of the Cirque du Soleil shows would agree with David. Having seen 8 of their shows (and seeing one twice), so far Zumanity seems like Cirque du Soleil's only real attempt to capitalize on the angle of sin city in Las Vegas. Most of their shows could exist anywhere for years and years and have sold out shows forever. Zumanity really only fits in Las Vegas. Zumanity wasn't as far out there as I'd been lead to believe by the buzz, but it was definitely not the typical Cirque du Soleil show.
It was a good show, but I'd definitely recommend seeing any of the others in Las Vegas instead (though I have yet to see Love or Ka). I did learn some new tidbits about upcoming Cirque shows, when we bought our program the day before seeing Zumanity so we wouldn't have to carry it with us to dinner. Apparently, Saltimbanco is being reconfigured as a stadium show, which is really cool. I've only seen that on Bravo or PBS, but it will be great to see it live in the new version! There is also a show in development (to open in 2008) that includes a magician. Sounds like a great combination. And, of course, we'd already heard about the show using Elvis music, which is apparently not opening until 2010. I'll see them all at some point, I'm sure.
The music of Zumanity was pretty disappointing when you compare it to all of the amazing soundtracks they've produced for their shows so far. I was pretty surprised that I wasn't very impressed with most of the music.
If you want a combination of Cirque du Soleil and the stereotypical Las Vegas show with lots of nudity, Zumanity is for you. If not, it's probably not your show - see 'O', Mystere, Ka, or Love instead. There definitely aren't as much of the typical Cirque du Soleil amazeming acts in Zumanity as there are in all of their other shows, but it was entertaining and as a huge fan of Cirque du Soleil, I'm glad we saw it.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2006, Cirque du Soleil, dancing, gymnastics, musical, Vegas
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
This show was scheduled by Tom, amazing leader of Dude (okay, and some dudettes - mostly PSU alums) Weekend 2006. I hadn't seen Penn & Teller since 1991 at Penn State and I was really happy that Tom arranged for us to all see this show (I thought it was just going to be for the Dudes).
If you've seen Penn & Teller already, I have to tell you that nothing I saw in the show was exactly like the show I saw almost 15 years ago. This was the third time I saw Penn & Teller and I'd see them again in a heartbeat. Definitely see the new show - especially if you haven't seen one in their theater in Las Vegas. The theater is amazing!
Penn & Teller are as funny and entertaining as ever. I love that they show you how a few of their tricks work, while allowing the most amazing tricks to leave you speachless. Some of the tricks are truly astounding and if you haven't seen Penn & Teller, I highly recommend you check them out!
So, what do I say to those who (like my friend Meli, Tom's wife) weren't impressed with Bullshit!, their TV show? Go see the show anyway! My husband had somehow managed to have never heard of Penn & Teller (don't ask me how, sometimes I swear it's not possible that he was raised in the totally with it area of southern California) and I wanted to show him who they were, so we recorded an episode of Bullshit!. We were not impressed and I am a fan of almost everything else they've done. Something about the format really didn't appeal to me. So, even if you didn't like that or other TV appearances, take my word (and Meli's - she was worried when she originally heard we were going to see Penn & Teller) and see them anyway!
Granted, there are tons of things to see in Las Vegas and I'm not necessarily saying Penn & Teller are the best, but in my opinion, they put together the best magic show in Vegas or anywhere else. If you want to see a magic show, this is the one! If you only have one night in Vegas and it doesn't have to be magic, I'd say to see 'O' by Cirque du Soleil, but if you like magic (especially if you like seeing how things are done with the cool inside perspective they offer in this show), see Penn & Teller!
Grade: A-
Reviewed by Kat at the 9:00 PM show | 0 screams
I can't imagine seeing a show by Cirque du Soleil and not loving it, though I didn't think I would be as impressed with Mystere as I was with some of the newer shows and I was wrong about that.
If you haven't seen a Cirque du Soleil show, you must see one! 'O' is still my favorite, but Mystere is something you can get tickets to without staying at the Belagio, so I still highly recommend it! If you've seen other Cirque du Soleil shows, know that their first permanent show is just as amazing as their other shows. Go see it!
Grade: A
Labels: 2005, Cirque du Soleil, dancing, gymnastics, musical, Vegas
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Another wonderful Cirque du Soleil show! Tent shows are never as comfortable as the shows with their own theatre, but Cirque du Soleil is always amazing. I highly recommend Varekai. I'm sure it will be touring for years to come. In fact, I recommend any show put on by Cirque du Soleil if it's in your neighborhood or if you're in Las Vegas or near Walt Disney World in Florida. Enjoy the wonderful music and the amazing talents of all the performers.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2004, Cirque du Soleil, dancing, gymnastics, musical, tour, Vegas
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:00 PM show | 0 screams
What a show!! I really enjoyed the other Cirque du Soleil shows that I've seen, but 'O' is more amazing than I could have imagined. Even those who are unimpressed with the normal Cirque du Soleil shows (if a friend of mine wasn't one of them, I wouldn't believe these people exist), I think that they could simply enjoy watching the set move as the show progresses. I could see 'O' again and again and never get bored. There is a lot going on at once, as there is in any show done by Cirque du Soleil. The music is beautiful and very well performed and all the acts are amazing. The set defies all concepts of a normal stage. The way the water appears and disappears in seconds will impress anyone who goes to see 'O'.
In my opinion, the only reason to stay at The Bellagio, which really didn't impress me very much, is to get good tickets to 'O'. Unless you're a big gambler, it's the only way to be in one of the first sections. Of course, the theatre isn't very large, so even if you were in one of the sections that are farther back (which sell out as soon as they're released 3 months in advance), the show would be amazing.
I look forward to seeing 'O' again in a few years and getting to see Mystere and any future shows Cirque du Soleil puts together. I highly recommend that you see 'O'!!
Grade: A+
Labels: 2003, Cirque du Soleil, dancing, gymnastics, musical, Vegas
Reviewed by Kat at the 10:00 PM show | 1 screams