Magic in a Cathedral

THE STORY OF KÀ , PART I Copyright Lighting &Sound America April 2005 MAGIC IN A CATHEDRAL The designers of KÀ discuss the concepts behind their work By Mike Falconer 32 • April 2005 • Lighting &Sound America (Editor’s note: Even by its extraordi - Of course, if you take a risk, you’re nary standards, the new Cirque du certain to be criticized. Some journal - Soleil production in Las Vegas, KÀ , ists have commented that KÀ ’s represents a rarely seen fusion of emphasis on a story has caused it to design ideas and sophisticated tech - sacrifice its soul. To quote the late nology. For that matter, it’s often diffi - Douglas Adams, this is “a load of cult to tell where the production’s fetid dingo’s kidneys.” Although it design ends and the theatre’s design may be more difficult to read some begins. For this reason, we are pre - kind of deep spiritual meaning into senting a trio of stories, examining the assembled craziness of KÀ — different aspects of KÀ .) compared to the assembled craziness of other Cirque productions such as Yes, it’s another Cirque du Soleil O or La Nouba —it’s only because the show in Las Vegas. This time, the audience member has a general idea venue is the MGM Grand, in the of what is going on and why. space vacated by the extravaganza The bottom line is that KÀ is sheer known as EFX . In case you haven’t entertainment and spectacle, rather been counting, KÀ is the fourth than entertainment and spectacle Cirque entry to open along the Vegas masquerading as something else. In strip; many have wondered how many KÀ, the story drives the acts and the Cirque productions this town can technology. And what technology— bear. This time, however, the French- the Sand Cliff Deck may not be the Canadian troupe has redefined itself; star of the show but it is certainly in it has also managed to bowl over this line for a best-supporting role. overly critical journalist—not an easy Then again, each aspect of KÀ ’s task! staging, projections, lighting, and All it took was $165 million… sound design features unique ideas One thing that instantly sets KÀ and innovative technology, as a chat apart from other Cirque du Soleil with each of the designers reveals. shows is its linear storyline. Unlike many other Cirque attractions, this is Mark Fisher: Decompressing no dreamscape with acrobats; the Las Vegans various feats are built into a story Mark Fisher, who designed both KÀ about a pair of Imperial Twins who and the theatre that contains it, first undergo a series of wild adventures sat down in April 2002 with before their enemies are vanquished writer/director Robert Lepage to dis - and peace comes to their kingdom. cuss a new show for Cirque du Soleil. Another unique feature is a piece of Lepage is probably best known for stage machinery that many will con - his work with Peter Gabriel on the sider to be the star attraction; the 25’ 1992 Secret World tour and the 2002 x 50’ Sand Cliff Deck (much more Growing up Live tour. He is also the about this later) is simply awe-inspir - creative force behind such avant- ing—from the moment it first appears garde theatre pieces as The Seven in the guise of a canoe to its Streams of the River Ota, The Far T O M Catherine-wheel curtain call. Side of the Moon, and The Busker’s A S M Opera . Fisher, of course, requires no U S C introduction; he has created some of I O The Imperial Twins enlist of the help of N I C the Forest People in their fight against the most spectacular rock shows ever O the Archers. seen: The Wall and Division Bell for www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • April 2005 • 33 THE STORY OF KÀ , PART I Pink Floyd, Steel Wheels and Bridges decided he would need to “decom - ogy, where the physical laws of to Babylon for the Rolling Stones and press” them. With martial arts and a nature and gravity do not apply, Popmart and Elevation for U2, to Far-Eastern influence already in place Fisher and Lepage were keen to cre - name a few. as key components of Lepage’s ate a live show that would challenge “Robert had a neat diagram with a vision, the designer showed the the special-effects expertise of film. In squiggly line,” remarks Fisher, stand - director a picture of a 16th-century their vision, the traditional theatre ing in the transformed and completely temple, in Kyoto, standing off the side experience, where the physical rela - themed foyer of the KÀ Theatre. “It of a cliff on a vast undercroft of tree tionship between stage and audience started in the sea, then on a beach, trunks. “Imagine what it would be like member does not change, would be then up a mountain, then down the if we carved our theatre out of this radically re-envisioned. “When you go mountain, into a forest, a meadow, undercroft, so that we created a to a movie, the director moves the and finally ended up in a city. This cathedral-like space?” says Fisher, camera everywhere and gives you dif - squiggly line was to be a journey, and remembering his conversation with The Post and Beam network of catwalks, the journey a metaphor for the transi - Lepage. “You would recognize it highlighted by Color Kinetics LED units, tion of a child—eventually a set of instinctively as a cathedral, even connects the stage area and auditorium and is central to Fisher’s immersive design. twins—from childhood to adulthood through it wasn’t one. It would have a through a series of tests.” Thus he rhythm, an uplifting sensation, height, ferent points of view,” explains Fisher. was introduced to the first Cirque openness, and spirituality. That is “We had to defy gravity, and the per - show with a true narrative. what the audience needs to feel in formers had to defy gravity. My job Fisher’s design has two main order to be in the right frame of mind was to provide the armature upon goals. First, to tell this story to an for the show.” which Cirque could do all this.” audience overstimulated by the fre - Second, with Hollywood churning The end result was a “stage” area netic pace of the Vegas Strip, Fisher out movies, typified by the Matrix tril - that is, in fact, a void; its dimensions 34 • April 2005 • Lighting &Sound America are 120’ wide, 120’ deep, and 149’ thing that is much more. We couldn’t rotate it by 360° and tilt from flat to high. The distance from stage level to really change the structure of the 100° simultaneously. It first appears the high grid is 98’, with the lowest building, because the casino was all as a canoe, becomes a beach, then a floor level at 51’ below that. Although around it.” Nevertheless, the designer cliff, and so on. The effect is an the theatre has a proscenium arch— removed the false ceiling of the EFX incredible suspension of disbelief. Fisher pointed it out to me—the theatre and increased the width of the From the opening moments of the designer has gone to great lengths to auditorium, essentially leaving only show, it is obvious how the Sand Cliff disguise it. The performers appear on the front and rear walls of the theatre Deck works, yet it still astounds, even an array of five stage lifts, the 30’ x intact. However, given the enormous when performing the most obvious 30’ Tatami Deck, and the enormous amount of open space in the the - actions. 25’ x 50’ Sand Cliff Deck. atre—almost 2,000,000 cu. ft. when “Way before anyone else knew the Bridging, literally, the staging area you include the stage area—the fur - project even existed, we were dis - cussing the proposal that the beach would turn into a cliff,” says Fisher, Fisher : “We had to defy recalling an early meeting with Lepage. “I asked, ‘What do you do gravity, and the per - with the sand?’” The reply: “We will tip the sand off, and in the process of formers had to defy the deck becoming a cliff, the audi - ence will see the sand tip off.” It’s a truly magical moment, worthy of the gravity. My job was to applause it receives. Nevertheless, says Fisher about provide the armature the deck, “It is only the framework that the performers use to make their upon which Cirque performances on. It is not the star of the show. It came about as a piece of could do all this.” equipment from the analysis of this storytelling proposition. It was not at all the kind of process where we said, ‘Let’s think up the most ridiculous T O thest any audience member is from machine we can and then build a M A S the stage is 116’. This creates an show around it’. It was absolutely the M U S C incredibly intimate performance reverse. Robert is a very technology- I O N I space for a 1,950-seat theatre aiming savvy director and I have obviously C O for a cathedral like ambiance. spent most of my life doing this kind Onstage, the various platforms are of thing. Our conversations were very the key set elements. Of them, the solution-driven and we just took it for and the auditorium is a network of Sand Cliff Deck arguably provides the granted that neither of us was going columns and catwalks called the Post most visually stunning moments in to sit around talking about things we and Beam, which covers each side of the show.

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