Quote: If you are at all interested in Cirque du Soleil, then Las Vegas is the place to be. There are currently (2007) 5 Cirque shows with permanent homes on the strip. Ka, O, Mystere, Love, and Zumanity. You know what that means, right? It means that at any given moment during the day, there are probably 400 people walking around the Vegas area who could scratch their ears with their toes while walking on their fingers and juggling fire.

But also, it means that there are choices to be made if you want to see a Cirque show. For us, it was a tough decision. We narrowed it down to Mystere and O, and decided on O. I'm glad we did. O has all the acrobatic wonders of any other Cirque show, but it sets this activity above a unique stage, comprised of a pool that can go from meters deep to bone dry in a matter of seconds. Just seeing the stage alone was worth the price of admission.

This show made me happy. The synchronized swimming was beautiful, and graceful, but there was also a lot of synchronized splashing - in a kind of joyful, playful way. I loved the fact that almost every act ended by sinking or diving or jumping into the water.

I've read that there's a plot running through this show. My husband (deep one that he is) claims to have been watching the progression through a man's life - birth, childhood, marriage, death. I am not a deep thinker - I saw a series of incredibly athletic acts, some mildly humorous clowns, a really cool stage, and a guy with a whip who kept showing up (I just didn't get that one). Both of us thoroughly enjoyed the show, though.

We paid about $110 per ticket, and sat in the front row of the balcony. The seats were great, giving a good overview of the action, and allowing for leaning over to get a better view when needed. There is no intermission, so be prepared to sit for two hours. There are two shows every night, Wednesday through Sunday, at 7:30 and 10:30.

Our only complaint was that there was always so much going on, it was hard to keep up with everything. There were so many "little" things happening around the edges of the pool, even while the main acts were occurring, it was difficult to keep focus in one place or the other! I guess this is due to the circus heritage of the show – think "three ring circus". We agreed we would probably see something new each time, even if we saw the show again and again. I’d be more than happy to try it and find out!
From journals Headin' to Sin City