Poker News

Len Butcher

I’ve been a busy guy this past week, and one of the things I did was to take in the new Folies Bergere show at the Tropicana. I can see why this show has been running for an unbelievable 45 years, every one of them at the Trop. The reason is simple. They keep it fresh with new numbers, new themes, great sets and costumes and, of course, theentertainers.

Keeping with my squeaky-clean image, I went to the early show to avoid looking at all those bare breasts at the 10 p.m. offering. Catch it when you’re in town. You won’t be disappointed. And while you’re there, have dinner at Pietro’s, the resort’s gourmet restaurant. It’s continental cuisine, not Italian, as the name may suggest. Try the Sole Meuniere.

From there it was off to see KA at the MGM Grand, my favorite of the four Cirque du Soleil shows in town, although all are excellent and you won’t go wrong seeing any one of them.

It’s when you see a show like this that your realize that you are living in the most exciting city in the world. Let me try to explain the show to you, as I can’t really find the words to describe the incredible theater MGM Grand built for the show.

First of all, KA is pronounced just as you might think — “caw”. The title derives, says Guy Caron, Cirque’s director of creation, from the Egyptian concept of each human’s spiritual “double.” It is the root of many disciplines incorporated into the show, such as kabuki, karate and the Brazilian martial art capoeira. Okay, so much for the history lesson, Butcher, what the hell’s the show about?

I must have the most impatient readers of any columnist, but I love you anyway (well, maybe “like” is more accurate). The show is about 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. This is when all hell breaks out on stage as archers and spearmen hunt the twins relentlessly, taking them through a succession of challenging landscapes, from a mysterious seashore through menacing mountains and foreboding forests. In keeping with Cirque du Soleil tradition, however, the story is told without dialogue. By the way, just so you can impress your friends, did you know that in most Cirque shows, the language you hear the performers speaking is made up?

Guy (are all these Cirque guys called Guy?) Laliberte, the company’s founder, says, “There are a lot of things here that people see that so far have been done only in movies and television with special effects. Here it is for real. Audiences will scratch their heads trying to figure out how it is possible to achieve such a thing.” Please let me know if you scratch your head when you see it. I know that even though I was impressed, I didn’t scratch my head.

The production combines circus acrobatics, martial arts, puppetry, video and pyrotechnics. An important element in the show is the ambivalent power of fire to create and destroy. “Fire is the one thing that holds everything together. It’s the storyline and the saga. It creates conflict and destruction as it gives life and light.” Hey, this sounds like an exciting show. It is. Don’t miss it, even though tickets are a pricey $99, $125 and $150. Of course, when you shell out an estimated $165 million to put it together, you gotta get your money back.

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