You’re headed straight for Uranus

KA:  Las Vegas — For decades, the primary Vegas entertainment other than celebrities was the Follies-styled “tits-and-feather” shows. Then in 1990, openly gay magicians Siegfried and Roy set up residence at The Mirage with a full-evening magic show that included plenty of spectacle, and no bare breasted ladies. Late in 1993, Canada’s Cirque du Soleil opened Mystere at the new Treasure Island Resort in a huge showroom that was custom built for their combination of circus and pageant. Over the next twenty years, they opened eight more major shows in Las Vegas.

The Pandemic closed all the Cirque shows, but one-by-one, five of them have reopened.  I decided to see Ka at the MGM. I first saw it in 2004, when it opened and frankly, it sacrificed connectivity to spectacle.  Upon its opening, the LA Times stated it “may well be the most lavish production in the history of Western theater. It is surely the most technologically advanced.”  Although it is described as a love story, it features dozens of Asian warriors who are constantly engaging in battles, large and small. Like most Cirque productions, any plotline is merely a hint.

I genuinely enjoyed the show this winter. For starters, the auditorium itself is overwhelming. It’s huge, and features floor-to-ceiling columns that have a steampunk sci-fi look. As you enter, warriors are crawling around openings in the wall, occasionally entering skirmishes or shimmying down ropes.  The technical staging effects are hard to describe but suffice it to say they are amazing. A 50-ton forestage rises, tilts, even finds warriors battling when the stage is vertical, stabbing spears into the stage to hold their positions.

The integrated circus acts include hand-to-hand balancing, various aerial acts, puppetry, and the climactic Wheel of Death. Because of the huge size of the theatre and two performances a night, you can often score discounted tickets at the various “Tix4Tonight” locations. Otherwise, check out Vegas.com or get a discount from the box office with your MGM loyalty card.

OPIUM:  Las Vegas – In 2011, a company called Spiegleworld opened a circus show in a tent on the Caesar’s Palace forecourt. The show, Absinthe, was designed to be everything that Cirque’s shows weren’t. It was small, seating 300 and featuring acts with one, two or three performers, but more significantly, they were considerably cruder than Book of Mormon.  That initial show was so popular that two more have followed. I wrote about Atomic Café a couple of months ago, but this time around, I checked out the middle child, Opium. Set onboard a spaceship named OPM-73, the libidinous crew delights in reminding you that they are headed straight for Uranus.

The first character we meet is a sex robot who occasionally mis-cues and starts to perform lap dances on audience members, usually males. Part of the Spiegleworld formula is plenty of vulgarity and sexual fluidity, and the guests who have flown in from Paducah seem to eat it up. There are characters such as the ship’s captain and his crew who sometimes enter the circus acts, or otherwise spit out colorful dialogue – or hump each other on stage.

The show closes with a pair of good-looking jugglers tossing flat rings across the room. There is also an amazing lady who manages to insert most of her body into a large balloon, finally popping it at the end.  A new act called the Boner Brothers has two acrobats lifting and supporting each other with the result that they each get, well, you get the jest from their name…. It’s a funny bit.

The night I saw the show it ran about 55 minutes. I don’t have a preference between Cirque and Spiegleworld. They both have their place in town, and each is enjoyable. Best Cirque show is O at the Bellagio, followed by The Beatles: Love at The Mirage. Best Spiegleworld show is Absinthe at Caesar’s, followed by Atomic Saloon at the Venetian.

OVO: Los Angeles – And if you want to see Cirque du Soleil without driving to Las Vegas, a touring production called Ovo will be at the Microsoft Theatre, across from the Staples Center, from March 17 – May 1. Like many of their shows, Ovo incorporates as much dance as it does circus skills. Focused on insects, the director has tried to explore movement – jumping, rolling, running, leaping — as well as plenty of dance.  Give up any expectation of a cohesive plot, relax, and let yourself get into the sensory experience. www.cirquedusoleil.com