Le Reve; KÀ

When Daniel Gauthier and Guy Laliberté opened their first version of Cirque du Soleil in Montreal in 1984 it would have been clear to really wise observers that, even then, they and Las Vegas were destined for each other. Spectacle is the norm for these shows and spectacular is what they’ve become within the confines of Sin City.

I saw KÀ first and I was blown away. Four days later I saw Le Reve and my world was rocked again but in an entirely different direction. Amazing shows both and only alike in their reach for the stars in talent, production values and, yes, spectacle (there’s no other word for it).

KÀ, although basically plotless, has a tenuous storyline which follows an epic tale of twins on a Candide-like journey. It uses incredible acrobatic and aerialist skills, the action of martial arts and various multimedia and hydraulic techniques (including dangerously tilting stages) to tell the tale of twins on a perilous journey to fulfill their shared destiny (that sounds like a program note but, really, I made that up). Even the individual acts within-the-act, like the best baton twirler in the world and the cage-of-steel walkers you might have seen at Ringling, are intertwined within the storyline, albeit sometimes tenuously. Regardless of how everything is presented you can rest assured your heart will be stuck in your throat a lot (along with your popcorn if you’re not careful) and your eyeballs will flow with tears and astonishment. The color palette is continuous and fascinating, being ochre and sienna and every shade of brown invented; the flash comes in the performances.

Le Reve is more of the same with the riot of colors being mostly in the blue/green spectrum. It also leans toward bizarre spectacle but is totally coated in water, if not immersed in it. This time a single, young, beautiful woman, apparently abandoned by her paramour (maybe his departure symbolized death or maybe she’s dreaming the whole damned thing). Anyway, the beginning of her quest includes the appearance of not only some bizarre otherworldly creatures, but four clowns (who could only be French Canadian to my eye--and street performers to boot) and some mighty flashy synchronized swimmers wearing bright red high heels, mostly thigh deep (head down) in sparkling water. For Las Vegas flash there’s even some totally drenched samba dancers twirling and swirling their way through a couple of inches of water on an encircling platform.

It’s actually a good thing when our heroine gets scooped/swooped away by some sort of Obi-Wan of the Waters and proceeds on her quest for…er…what? Happiness? Her lost love? A pair of those fabulous heels? Her particular journey (through time; through the heavens, through her libido?) includes the worlds greatest hip-hop-dancer, who does his stuff in six inches of water and the balancing act of two giant, muscular men in seemingly impossible (and sometimes compromising) positions, also soaking wet. As in KÀ, Le Reve features incredible aerialist feats on various types of apparatus; all disguised as birds or winged creatures of another time (both the future and past).

Trust me; both shows have happy endings and nobody gets hurt. At least I didn’t see anybody writhing in pain even though there seemed to be every opportunity to call 911 at any given moment. In both shows people seem to fall from great heights to heart-stopping effect. In Le Reve they at least hit the water with a satisfying splash; in KÀ they just plummet out of sight, hopefully caught by a net of some sort. Whatever; it was gasp-inducing every time, wet or not.

The music in both shows is opulent and complete; sometimes achingly remote and beautiful and sometimes eccentric, eclectic, electric and sometimes vaguely ethnic; but always appropriate and interesting (and loud).

The Cirque shows are now worldwide but I think there is something like eight of them in Las Vegas alone. In today’s economy those production budgets must be crushing and I’m sure they are feeling that crunch since tickets are being offered right now at what seems to be almost bargain rates. The shows continue to soar even though they, like the prices, are plummeting, sometimes wetly; sometimes without a whisper, hopefully into safety nets below.