{"id":11918,"date":"2015-08-19T20:31:21","date_gmt":"2015-08-20T03:31:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/vitalvegas\/?p=11918"},"modified":"2015-08-21T11:27:55","modified_gmt":"2015-08-21T18:27:55","slug":"free-ka-open-house-at-mgm-grand-will-fill-your-brain-with-awe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/vitalvegas\/free-ka-open-house-at-mgm-grand-will-fill-your-brain-with-awe\/","title":{"rendered":"Free \u201cK\u00e0\u201d Open House at MGM Grand Will Fill Your Brain With Awe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you’re looking for something new, fun and free to do in Las Vegas, check out the new open house at MGM Grand’s “Kà.”<\/p>\n

“Kà” is easily one of the best shows in Las Vegas, Cirque or otherwise, and at the new open house, you’ll gain an even deeper appreciation for the sheer technical miraculousness involved in making the popular show spring to life.<\/p>\n

\"Ka
The “ka” is an invisible spiritual double that accompanies us into the afterlife. Probably. We are a blog, not an Egyptologist.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Kà” began its new open house on Aug. 18, 2015, and we stopped in on opening day to check it out. The tour will continue into the foreseeable future, according to show reps.<\/p>\n

The open house happens each Tuesday, at 11:00 a.m. and again at 11:30 a.m. Guests of all ages are welcome. Each tour lasts 20-30 minutes.<\/p>\n

\"Ka
Photos are encouraged? You’ve won our heart already, “Kà” open house.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The behind-the-scenes tour starts in the “Kà” theater lobby at MGM Grand.<\/p>\n

The lobby features a huge, colorful dragon in the lobby, originally a prop in “Zaia,” a Cirque du Soleil show once staged in Macau, China.<\/p>\n

\"Ka
We’re adding this to our list of “Best Photo Ops in Las Vegas Which Do Not Involve Selfies With Claire Sinclair.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Also in the lobby is one of the world’s largest stringed instruments, the Earth Harp, created by William Close. Yes, we actually took notes for once in our life.<\/p>\n

The Earth Harp is played by two musicians before every performance of “Kà,” so turn up 15 minutes early to catch the stroking. Or strumming. Don’t make it awkward.<\/p>\n

\"Earth
The Earth Harp, in effect, turns the theater lobby into an instrument. MGM Grand had to pull a lot of strings to get it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Next, the tour moves into the massive “Kà” theater. This is sort of where the awe kicks in.<\/p>\n

We’ve attended “Kà” a couple of times, but have never seen the theater in its dormant state, between shows, and our jaw may actually have dropped. Not especially attractive, but it happened.<\/p>\n

\"Ka
As you enter the “Kà” theater, you feel like you’re shrinking. It’ll pass.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Kà” is a $165 million production, and it shows.<\/p>\n

Once inside, a presenter named Jane shows off her encyclopedic knowledge of the show. Although, we’re not entirely sure there are still encyclopedias. You get our drift.<\/p>\n

The tour includes an incredible amount of information about the technology involved in the production of “Kà.” The presentation pulls aside the curtain and gives guests a rare chance to appreciate what goes on backstage. “Backstages,” technically, since “Kà” has seven moving stages.<\/p>\n

\"Ka
Tours can accommodate up to 1,950 people. Seriously. We asked.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tony Ricotta, Company Manager of “Ka,” makes the point that guests really shouldn’t notice all the technology of the show during the show.<\/p>\n

Tony Ricotta says, “I think that’s part of the atmosphere Cirque tries to create. They want to immerse you in an environment. We don’t want to beat you over the head with all of the little tricks that are being used to make you feel like you’re being transported to a new place, a new world. I don’t want you thinking about the speakers during the show. I want you to enjoy what’s coming through the speakers. But this is the time to appreciate the complexity of the engineering and the feats that went into making the ‘Kà’ theater as special a place as it is.”<\/p>\n

One of the more impressive feats of engineering is the “Sand Cliff Deck,” a 50-ton stage that seems to float on thin air. Here’s a look.<\/p>\n

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