Le Grand Chapiteau: KÀ

By the end of 2002 speculation ran wild regarding just what Cirque had up its sleeve. Casting calls became rare windows into just what the company had in mind, leaking out small details about the performances/acts under consideration for each. The MGM Grand show, slated to debut sometime in 2004, was looking for artists skilled in Archery and the Martial Arts -- Wu Shu, Kung Fu, and Akido with the ability to use a Sabre, Nunchakus or Katana. From the moment the casting calls went out we knew this show would be completely different from Mystère, “O”, or the NewYork-NewYork show.

It was in London in the summer of 2000 that Cirque du Soleil founder and CEO Guy Laliberté bumped into Lepage, the experimental Québécois film and stage writer and director. The pair had been flirting with collaboration for years. "Cirque du Soleil and I had kind of this on and off relationship forever," Lepage says. "We worked with the same people. They keep stealing my technicians and emptying Quebec of anybody who has talent," he says with a laugh. When Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte offered him "Ka," Lepage balked, took a week to think about it, then called back and declined. "I'm not sure I can do this. It's such a huge thing. My process is too organic for you guys," he told them.

But Laliberte cited his two tours, saying "it's obvious that you can control a chaotic environment, that you can make sense of it. (The concerts were) more than just razzamatazz. That's where we want to go." He asked Lepage to re-create the same dreamlike feeling with a thread of a story line. "I'd say even though it's a huge megashow, it is a very shy attempt at that. It's a first step (for Cirque du Soleil) into trying to tell a story and have some kind of logical order," Lepage says. "It is a complete change of mentality for Cirque du Soleil. It looks like a trivial thing, but it's actually radically different for them."

Set more or less in 17th-century Japan, the show tells the epic, broad-brush tale of Imperial twins, a boy and a girl (played by two sisters from San Francisco). Separated during a storm at sea -- an 1,800-pound boat subjected to vertiginous rocking by the actors -- the twins must endure trial and tribulation before finding reunion. It's a story line any vacationing farm family from Indiana will understand.

The project's original working title was Feu (Fire), which encompassed for Lepage the paradox of creation and destruction. "It gives us light and heat but also pain and death," he said in an interview yesterday. " Ka, in fact, is also one of the Japanese words for fire." The implicit duality was reflected in the ancient Egyptian notion of Ka, the spiritual essence that was said to accompany physical beings through the journey of life.

To be sure, the decision to impose plot gave Laliberté some pause. As Lepage explains it, "I told Guy that if he wanted narrative, he had to have conflict. And of course what Cirque is about is peace and harmony and Zen balance. So when we showed him some martial-arts demonstration tapes early on, he went, 'Whoah. That's not Cirque. I don't think we can do this.'" Later, he changed his mind, but encouraged Lepage and his creative team -- including British stage and rock-show designer Mark Fisher and American puppeteer Michael Curry -- not to emphasize the conflict. For Lepage, that mild restraint was more than offset by the virtually unlimited budget and the generous time -- almost three years in the end --needed to conceive, design, cast, train and rehearse.

Discord in Duality

One of the most important aspects of putting a show together is its creative team. During the “Dragone Era” (1990-1999), the creative team remained relatively the same – the same lighting specialist, the same sound designer, the same make-up designer, etc. Upon Franco Dragone’s departure, most of that team decided take a break as well (or broke away from Cirque du Soleil to follow Dragone). So for 1999’s Dralion and 2002’s Varekai, many of the creators were new or upcoming specialists who hadn’t worked with Cirque before. So when Cirque decided to up-the-ante in Las Vegas with two new shows it wanted a few veterans to join the creative process.

One of those creative veterans was composer Benoit Jutras, who composed music for Le Cirque Réinventé, Fascination, Mystère (with René Dupéré), and Quidam, “O”, La Nouba and Journey of Man (solo). He was brought on board the Cirque 2004 project early on; however, he left a year into the assignment citing “creative differences”. Cirque then turned to René Dupéré (who said when he left Cirque following 2004’s Alegría that he’d be interested in composing a score for a non-big top show), who joined the project and composed the score for KÀ.

What those creative differences were have never officially been discussed; however, in a 2011 interview Fascination did with Mr. Jutras he did say he’d been working on the project for a year before leaving “in a mutual parting of the ways.” We also asked if any of that music had been used in other venues. His reply: “Yes, actually. I did reuse a few pieces for Le Rêve and The House of Dancing Water. The main theme for The House of Dancing Water was originally created for KÀ. And there were two other pieces but [I only used] the ribs [of them]. I’m writing so close to the image most of the time that it becomes difficult to reuse the music. If I can I just reuse a few bars or the main theme. René has more of a tendency to write songs so it’s easier to move. My structures are shorter and so close to the action that when you take out the action it just doesn’t make sense anymore.”

René Dupéré’s score for KA incorporated a symphonic orchestra of 57 musicians and a choir of over 40 singers, making KÀ Cirque du Soleil’s most ambitious recording to date. And performing that music would also be one of Cirque’s ambitious undertakings. The orchestra is sampled and synched to a live (hidden) band during performances and piping that music to patrons took on new levels: every seat in the KÀ Theater has two speakers built into its headrest, which allows sound effects to be targeted, manipulated and customized to any of the theater’s 16 seating zones. Talk about an undertaking!

Duality in Motion

On September 15, 2004, Cirque finally announced the show to the world via a press conference held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. In the days after the official word had been released there were copious amounts of buzz regarding the announcement, in both media and fan circles. So much so that a plethora of questions had arisen regarding the production and sometimes those answers weren’t forthcoming. They certainly weren’t for this writer, who was quite preoccupied out of his home country — in the city of Kyoto to be exact — embarking on the second phase of a trip to Japan. I recalled with clarity eyeing the announcement as I read my email messages at K’s Backpacker’s House with curiosity, asking myself... what was this KÀ really all about? In Issue #38 – October 2004 – Fascination explored several of these questions.

Q. What does KÀ mean?

A. According to Wikipedia, in Egyptian mythology it is written the human soul is made up of five distinct parts: the Ka, Akh, Ba, Shadow and the Name. The Ka, therefore, is the spiritual soul of a person, existing in tandem with the living being and continuing throughout the afterlife. Readers with knowledge of the Japanese language may also recognize the word “ka,” a particle, which is used to change a statement sentence into a question and for comparisons, among other things. That concept was also reflected in the show's visual signature, which evokes the central theme of duality as personified by the twins and the symbolic use of fire. The logo was said to be influenced by Asian iconography. Fans may be interested to know that KÀ’s working title was “duality”.

Q. What is KÀ about?

A. KÀ is all about duality, or the concept of twins. It is that concept, one of duality (“personified by the twins and the symbolic use of fire”), which is reflected in the show’s vision and therefore transfers to the show’s title.

According to the Cirque press release, KÀ combines “acrobatic performances, martial arts, puppetry, multimedia and pyrotechnics to illustrate the nature of duality [and] tells the epic saga of separated twins-a boy and a girl-who embark on a perilous journey to fulfill their linked destinies. As the plot unfolds, danger lies in wait for them at every turn. Archers and spearmen hunt the twins relentlessly, as their quest takes them through a succession of challenging landscapes, from mysterious seashore through menacing mountains and foreboding forests.”

The show's creative elements are essential to invoking the world of KÀ. The costumes for the international cast of 72 artists have an Asian influence, as reflected in the lavish imperial court costumes and robust martial artists' warrior uniforms. Additionally, the mood is set by the original score, which incorporates soaring melodies and richly textured arrangements driven through an elaborate audio system that literally surrounds the spectator in sound.

Another important element is the ambivalent power of fire to create and destroy. "Fire is the one thing that holds everything together," says Lepage. "It's the storyline and the saga. It creates conflict and destruction as it gives life and light."

Cirque du Soleil Founder and CEO, Guy Laliberté, describes KÀ as "the most theatrical show we've ever done." It is scripted with a strongly defined almost cinematic narrative, with clearly identified characters and story arcs. The execution of that narrative called for more technologically advanced visual effects than Cirque du Soleil has ever attempted. "That's why I wanted Robert Lepage to write and direct the show. With his vast experience in theatre and film, his knowledge of the technology and his curiosity and innovative spirit, he was the only man for the job."

Q. How much did KÀ cost to produce?

A. According to the Las Vegas Sun, Cirque du Soleil spent $30 million to bring KA to fruition. The MGM Grand spent $135 million on the theater, bringing the total price tag to approximately $165 million US. To bring this number into perspective, it was reported that it cost $66 million to produce Zumanity at the NY-NY Hotel/Casino, $90 million US cost for “O” at Bellagio ($70 million theater/$20 million production) and $20 million plus for Mystère at Treasure Island.

Q. How many/what are the acts?

A. During the media preview at least one of the “acts” was presented, “The Wheel of Death”. The Wheel is a remarkable looking contraption that seems more like a ride that might be found on your local fair’s midway than in a Cirque du Soleil show. It consists of two “wheels” attached at the end of two moving arms in which performers climb into, around and on top to perform their feats of acrobatics.

The actual list of the rest of the “acts” has not been presented, however there have been rumors. Such tidbits include that the show will feature “acrobatic dance, martial arts, puppets, bungee aerial acts, and trampolines.”

Q. How many performers are in KÀ?

A. There are currently 72 performers assigned to KÀ.

Q. What is the KÀ Theater like?

A. Not too many details regarding the KÀ Theater have been released up to this point, but suffice it to say the theater is a remarkable performance space. It sits 1,951 patrons and, as reported above, came at a cost of $135 million US.

"The arrival of KÀ is the crown jewel in the renaissance of MGM Grand," says Gamal Aziz, MGM Grand president and COO. "Throughout our reinvention, we have strived for the best in dining, entertainment and service. With the unveiling of KÀ, MGM Grand is taken to a new level."

Previously the spectacular shows EFX and EFX Alive occupied that space, however, if you’ve seen them and know the theater get ready for a shock — the space was totally renovated and remade to specifically house KÀ. It is said there is no definable stage as we know it. Instead the fixed stage has been replaced by “a fog-filled ‘void’” in which platforms and riggings move in and out as needed.

“There are a lot of things that people will see that so far have been done only in movies and television with special effects. Here it is for real,” said Guy Laliberté. It’s “the most theatrical show we’ve ever done.”

Q. When does KÀ premiere?

A. Special preview performances begin on November 26, 2004 at 8:00pm. One show per evening will be held from November 26th through December 7th, when a two show per-night schedule will begin at 7:00pm and 10:30pm (though this may change). KÀ is scheduled to perform Friday through Tuesday (Dark Wednesday/Thursday). Children under five-years of age are not permitted into the theater and guests under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

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With as many questions as could be answered before the show premiered we waited... After a slight technical delay (the show was scheduled to premiere on June 25, 2004, then July 9, 2004 - "They're not really problems, they're obstacles," said director Robert Lepage. "In the Buddhist philosophy, obstacles are your friends. We've made a lot of friends in this production.") KÀ is designed to be 90-minutes long; however, according to production manager Stephane Mongeau, the first run-through on October 11, 2004 took nine hours. "We stopped a few times," he mused. By October 24, 2004, the production came in just under three hours. The November 5, 2004 run-through lasted two hours, as did the first "Lion's Den" performance (a full run-through with the boss, Guy Laliberté) on November 6, 2004 (originally scheduled for November 5th). A second “Lion’s Den” on November 12, 2004 shaved off a few more minutes, "we did it in one hour and 45 minutes without stops," Mongeau said. Preview performances began on November 26, 2004 and later held its official gala opening on February 3, 2005.

A few changes have come to the show since then. First, the removal of the Pillars act (learn more by exploring KÀ here at Le Grand Chapiteau) – done so due to the difficulties of presenting this act night-after-night, the injuries it has caused and (as rumors suggest) at the behest of Robert Lepage who felt the act did not ultimately fit into the story (although it has also been suggested that the show needed to be trimmed for time and Pillars was the logical choice). Second, a new visual identity (January 2007). And third, the addition of an aerial duet featuring the firefly boy and the twin sister (November 9, 2007).

Since its debut, KÀ has been lavished with generally favorable and positive reviews; however, if there’s been one negative comment regarding the production, it’s leveled at the show’s stage. “The stage itself is the main star of the show, overshadowing the performers and ultimately resulting in a weaker show.” Never-the-less, the show has received the prestigious “Thea Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement”, and continues to delight crowds night after night.

"It's show business. We're not making art here, we're making pleasure and excitement. We're making escapism."