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| Sunday, September 26, 2004 | PRIOR ISSUE - ARCHIVES |
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| Cirque Du Soleil Reveals "KA", Mesa Grille & More Opens, Downtown Plans Entertainment District, Comedian Favorito Gets Gig, Celine Dion Extended, "Blue Man Group" Moves, "X" May Return, Oktoberfest Brewing At Hofbräuhaus, Wet 'n' Wild Gone, Krave Takes Blue Note Space, Palms Girl Twins, John Lee Hooker, Jr. Blues, More... | |
"KA," pronounced caw, is the latest creation from Cirque du Soleil that will begin Nov. 26 in an unprecedented 1,951-seat, $135 million performance space, the KA Theatre at MGM Grand.
Tickets, which are on sale now, cost $99, $125 and $150 for all preview performances from Nov. 26, 2004 through Feb. 2, 2005. KA will perform Fridays through Tuesdays and be dark on Wednesdays and Thursdays. There will be one show nightly at 8 p.m. from Nov. 26 - Dec. 7. There will be two shows nightly at 7 and 10:30 p.m. from Dec. 10 - Feb. 2, call 800-929-1111 or 702-891-7777.
The show's title, "KA," is inspired by the ancient Egyptian belief in the "ka," an invisible spiritual duplicate of the body that accompanies every human being throughout this life and into the next. That concept is 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 is influenced by Asian iconography.
"KA" combines acrobatic performances, martial arts, puppetry, multimedia and pyrotechnics to illustrate the nature of duality. Created and directed by acclaimed theatre and film director Robert Lepage, the show applies the visual vocabulary of cinema to a live spectacle creating a vibrant narrative that conjures an entire empire on stage.
"KA" 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 KA. 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.
Just in one week alone, Vegas press got to attend the opening of Bobby Flay's new Mesa Grille at Caesars Palace, the totally remodeled All America Bar & Grille at the Rio, the new I-Bar also at the Rio, comedian David Brenner in his new digs at the Las Vegas Hilton, a press conference for Celine Dion who had to miss it due to illness, a book signing at the Golden Nugget for "Whale Hunt In the Desert" written by Deke Castleman about Superhost Steve Cyr, and the topper a press conference unveiling the newest Cirque du Soleil show "Ka."
A downtown entertainment district is in the planning stages and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman hopes it will be "the epicenter for having good times in the valley."
A rock club, Take One, will open on the southeast corner of Seventh and Fremont streets any day now. The Beauty Bar, a saloon in the style of a 1960s beauty parlor, with locations in Los Angeles, New York City and Miami, could open in the heart of the district as early as January.
The famous redneck bar, Hogs and Heifers, is scheduled to be the first venue to open by early November on a resurgent Third Street that's being dubbed "The Block," The city has turned ownership of the block over to the company operating the Lady Luck and plans call for closing and widening it to through traffic.
Other projects planned for the block are Celebrity Las Vegas, a drag-theme nightclub; the Triple George Grill; and a French-style burlesque venue with a show produced by Frederick Apcar.
Superstar Celine Dion acquired an infection the day after her appearance on the World Music Awards where she received the Diamond Award for the biggest selling female artist of all time at the Thomas & Mack Center and sang "Love Can Move Mountains." She was supposed to hold a press conference after her show, but instead her husband Rene Angelil delivered her answers and comments.
The key news was that Dion has signed a one year extension with Caesars Palace. She is currently mid-way through her original three-year, $100 million contract. Dion is enjoying 4,000 people from around the world coming to see her in her $95 million Colosseum theater rather than having to tour.
The other news was her CD "Miracle" is due to be released on Oct. 12. The project is a collaboration with world-famous baby photographer Anne Geddes and highlights 14 songs that mothers would sing to their children and photos of 100 babies under three weeks old. It honors the unbreakable bond of love that exists between mother and child.
It's been announced that "Blue Man Group" at the Luxor will hold its last show there on Sept. 15, 2005 and then move to the Venetian.
Andre Agassi's 9th Grand Slam for Children fundraiser will be held on Oct. 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The lineup is strong as usual: Josh Groban, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Ray Romano, Robin Williams and John Mayer.
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Comedian Vinnie Favorito, who is a quick-witted comic from Boston, will debut his ongoing stand-up show at Binion's Horseshoe downtown on Oct. 5. He will perform Tuesdays-Thursdays at 8 p.m. and Fridays-Saturdays at 8 and 10 p.m. in Benny's Bullpen. Tickets will be $29.95, call 702-366-7344. Favorito began his stand-up career in 1986 and was noticed nationally as a Star Search champion. He made his way to the Las Vegas circuit in 1998 and is best known here for his performances at The Improv comedy club at Harrah's, where he is closing a week's gig tonight. Back East in Boston, Favorito recently served as host of "The Chronicle," a magazine television show, and was guest radio host on Boston's EAGLE 93.7 FM. Other credits include winning the San Francisco International Comedy Competition his 1998, appearing on "Comedy Central," the "Late Late Show with Craig Kilborne," the "Martin Short Show" and "Clueless," and being one of the country's "top roasters" for celebrities including Tom Arnold, Jerry Springer and Larry King. There's talk that the racy show "X" that played successfully at the Aladdin for a year has settled a lawsuit and may be back in town in the future. Viale, which is Italian for "avenue," is a new Italian-style sidewalk café that has opened at Caesars Palace and sits along the Strip. It's open daily for breakfast (pick up only) from 7 - 11 a.m., lunch from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., and dinner beginning at 5 p.m. One change that has been mentioned for the new Planet Hollywood (formerly the Aladdin), is P.F. Chang's going through renovations that will allow for a front door to the property instead of having to enter from inside the Desert Passage mall. The first food and beverage outlet being brought in by Planet Hollywood will be Pink's, which is a famous Los Angeles establishment serving up Hollywood's finest Hot Dog's at the same location since 1939. Aqua at Bellagio has been re-named Michael Mina, in honor of the celebrity chef who runs it. Green Valley's The District will have a new eatery soon. The D'Mustard Company, which is a gourmet hot dog and burger joint in an upbeat environment, has announced a move to Las Vegas. The Forum Shop expansion that's underway will offer more food and beverage outlets. There will be the revolutionizing sushi bar from Sushi Roku and the steak and lobster fare from Boa. The legendary Joe's Stone Crab in Miami Beach, which serves only Stone Crab and closes from May to October, will open a different outlet and offer other seafood and steak choices. Il Mulino will be delivering an old world Italian outlet to the mix. New York's Ferrara's Café owned and operated by the Lepore Family is another east coast eatery moving here. Another Forum addition will include Chocolatier Katrina Markoff's third Vosges Haut-Chocolat outlet at the mall. Oktoberfest is being celebrated at the Hofbräuhaus on Paradise through Oct. 31. Festivities include food, Bavarian beer, and entertainment. German singer Cornelia will sing, Oct. 6-17; the brass band Schwabenmusikanten will appear in the beer garden on Oct. 12; and beer stein painter Friedel Michels will be there through Oct. 3. For more information, call 702-853-2337. The last day for Wet 'n' Wild's existence on the Strip is today. The following seasonal nightclubs will be closing for the winter: Skins at the Palms on Sept. 28; Rehab's at the Hard Rock on Oct. 3; and Moorea at Mandalay Bay in earl October. The popular House of Blues Sunday night event, Juice, has been canceled indefinitely. KRAVE, a new nightclub by Los Angeles impresario Sia Amiri, will open in the space formerly occupied by the Blue Note on Oct. 1 at the corner of the Strip and Harmon Avenue. Las Vegas is becoming a city of high-rise living. Developers have announced plans to build a $1 billion condo-hotel complex at the corner of the Strip and Harmon Avenue on nearly nine acres of land just south of Bellagio. The complex will consist of two 53-story condo-hotel towers with 2,400 condos, timeshare units, and hotel rooms, plus 500,000 square feet of casino, convention and retail space. Completion is expected in early 2008. The winners of the 1st Palms Girl Search turned out to be blonde identical twins Ruth and Ryan. Pictures can be seen at palmsgirl.com. You can help the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to raise funs now through November by buying an 8-ounce bag of new special "pink and white" M&am;M candies. The makers of M&M are donating 50 cents per bag. The Cannery located in North Las Vegas at the corner of Craig and Losee roads will host blues musician John Lee Hooker, Jr. for a special Oct. 15 performance at The Club. Admission is free and shows are at 8 and 10 p.m. Hooker, Jr., son of the legendary John Lee Hooker, began performing at the age of eight in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan. By the age of 18, he released his first recording, "Live@Soledad Prison," a collaborative effort with his father. Hooker, Jr. has enjoyed recent success by being named Comeback Artist of the Year by the Bay Area Blues Society, and by winning the California Music Awards Outstanding Blues Album for the 2004 release "Blues with a Vengeance."
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