My wife and myself went to Las Vegas and had two planned shows to go to: KA by Cirque at the MGM Grand and Penn & Teller at the Rio. For KA, my wife was the fan and I was just going along. For Penn & Teller, the other way around.\n\nMy wife really wanted to see Ka, and from the trailers we found on the site and reviews in a few places we decided our first Cirque experience would be Ka. The idea of the sand and fire themes seemed interesting.\n\nRight away, the theater impressed. It was huge, but clearly built so that there was no such thing as a bad seat. In addition, there are multiple tiered levels built almost to the back of the theater, so you immediately have the sense that the show will take place on more than just the front stage (which bellows fireballs as you sit waiting). The ushers were all in character, and I overheard many speaking multiple languages to people who did not speak English, allowing them to help everyone find their seats or just chat.\n\nOnce the show started, it was an instantly immersing experience. The acrobatic performers run through the aisles, soar overhead on cables, and jump from the central rotating platform onto the stage wall only feet from the front row. At every moment, there is a simply staggering display of athleticism and choreography at work. Even for for someone like myself with zero interest in gymnastics or musical theater, I was taken aback by the performance. If there's one thing that was mediocre, it was the story, which was very familiar. Luckily, it's also not very important to the overall show.\n\nCirque is really a fascinating idea, the combination of theatrics and acrobatics with a dash of innovative set / costume design thrown in. Truly worth seeing at least once by anyone.
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