One Minute World Arts- KÀ: “Magic” Created by Cirque du Soleil and Robert Lepage
KÀ, the first circus show with a fully developed narrative ever produced by the internationally renowned Cirque du Soleil, was directed by the acclaimed Canadian theater director, playwright, and actor Robert Lepage, who is often at his best utilizing multi-disciplinary ideas and approaches to charm the audience into the theatrical world he makes. Opened in 2005 in the MGM Grand Hotel Las Vegas after going through a creative process of 2 years, KÀ has played at the hotel for almost 2 decades – 10 times a week and 48 weeks a year, becoming one of the company’s most significant productions. The spectacular show combines dazzling acrobatics and gymnastics, as well as a simple story: A young prince and princess, twins in a Far Eastern Kingdom, are forced to separate by an attack from enemy warriors; they would then face difficulties and challenges, and eventually get to be reunited after many trials.
As the director of KÀ, Lepage demonstrated his strength in fixing one single object or image with multiple layers and meanings, and thus made the show both a commercial and artistic success. Hailed as the wizard of modern theater direction, Lepage has also engaged himself with big-scale productions, such as directing the 2012 Metropolitan Opera’s production of Wagner’s “Der Ring des Nibelungen”. In spring 2023, Courville, a semi-autobiographical work directed by Lepage in collaboration with his Ex Machina production team, will come to National Taichung Theater. Local audiences shall enjoy the opportunity of witnessing Lepage’s “magic” on stage very soon.
KÀ:羅伯.勒帕吉與太陽馬戲團聯手打造的精彩演出
迷幻絢麗的特技表演秀《KÀ》,是國際知名的太陽馬戲團(Cirque du Soleil)旗下節目中,第一部擁有戲劇情節的製作,並由擅長以跨域創作來撼動人心的劇場魔法師羅伯.勒帕吉(Robert Lepage)執導。《KÀ》秀的籌備期長達兩年,內容不僅承襲太陽馬戲團一貫的炫技娛樂,還加入了簡單直白的劇情,講述一對皇室雙胞胎兄妹,因遭遇外敵襲擊而被迫分散,一路經歷各種冒險乃至最終順利重聚的故事。《KÀ》秀於2005年在拉斯維加斯的米高梅大酒店(MGM Grand Hotel)內首演,每星期上演10場,演出至今已近20年,使其成為馬戲表演中最具標竿性的作品之一。
身為該劇導演,勒帕吉充分發揮他賦予單一物體或形像多重意義的編導功力,成就了這部叫好又叫座的馬戲經典。備受推崇的他,對於大規模的劇場製作也頗具經驗,曾於2012年執導紐約大都會歌劇院(The Metropolitan Opera)的華格納歌劇《尼貝龍指環》。2023年春季,勒帕吉與其「機器神」(Ex Machina)團隊所製作的《庫維爾1975:青春浪潮》(Courville),預計會蒞臨臺中國家歌劇院演出,屆時觀眾將可親自感受這位劇場鬼才的舞台魔力。
Photo Credit ©Isaac Brekken, Eric Jamison, Leila Navidi
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/05/theater/reviews/fire-acrobatics-and-most-of-all-hydraulics.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/17/arts/music/in-cirque-du-soleils-ka-hints-of-lepages-ring.html
https://lasvegassun.com/news/2008/dec/15/adventure-eyes/