KAOS, the Circus Musical

By Anton Diaz
Topics: Musicals

KAOS, an original production by Resorts World, is the name of the land where the entire circus musical is set. The title is inspired by the actual name of the white lion in the show. It is a Chinese Acrobatic show+ American Circus + Cirque de Soleil + Broadway Musical rolled into one.

Here are the highlights…

 
KAOS is performed in the Newport Performing Arts Theater. It is the “IMAX” of Theaters in Manila with a 1,500-seating capacity. It makes Meralco Theater look old.


On the sides are two projection screens that provide the narration for the hearing-impaired and translation for the Asian audience.


The backdrop of the stage is the largest LED Wall built in the country. The show also makes use of state-of-the-art lights (and sounds) technology, enabling faster backdrop changes throughout the 90-minute show (no intermission). Nevertheless, the stage sets are still manually pushed.

When we watched, the sounds were a bit muffled in the first few rows. They should have fixed it by now.


KAOS is a classic, romantic fairy tale about a handsome prince (Gian Magdangal of RENT Manila and Wedding Singer fame);


a beautiful maiden (Fil-Canadian actress Martha Joy);


and an interfering advisor (musical theater veteran Joel Trinidad).

World-class performers indeed!


Various acrobatic showcases and circus acts are integrated in the musical.

I still think the story was a bit pilit, though. I guess it didn’t help that the songs were original and not that popular (except for a few). It would have helped if there was a souvenir program with the song lyrics so that the audience could follow the story better.


I loved this part! The acrobats looked like they were flying, with a full moon in the background. Very romantic…

Spanish master illusionist Enrique Polo performed some magic tricks, like the Human Cannonball. (It’s amazing! No spoilers here. 🙂 )

Enrique brings with him three animals showcased in the show, namely:


Betty, the yellow tiger;


Sito, the white tiger; and


Kaos, the white lion!

I also enjoyed watching the South American performers of the Human Time Machine:


I especially loved the finale, when one of them used a jump rope while the machine was moving.


I was also surprised that the award-winning Philippine All Stars hip hop group performed as part of the show. It was a great number!


The Belarus Power Duo, with Martha singing in the background.

I first saw this feat in the Mystere show of Cirque de Soleil. I can’t believe such world-class acts are now here in Manila.


There’s also an acrobatic act with a sensual vibe…


with some audience participation for the front row seats. 🙂


I found Martha beautiful and musically talented (great singing voice!), but I don’t think she can act that well.


The visual effect for the romantic scene between the prince and the maiden was a feast for the eyes. The dancers’ dresses were illuminated and the edges were lit with LEDs.


For me, this was the best circus act — the Cycle of Life with 5 Spanish riders spinning inside the globe cage, which then splits into two, with 2 riders below and 3 riders on the upper part. Galing! (Usually kasi apat lang.)


The Manila Symphony Orchestra provided the musical score for the KAOS performance.


Congratulations to the KAOS team for creating an awesome show right here in Manila!

Highly Recommended! Don’t miss it! 🙂

KAOS
Newport Performing Arts Theater inside Resorts World Manila.
December 1, 2010 – May 29, 2011 (6-month run only)

Schedule:
Wednesdays: 8:00pm
Thursdays: 8:00pm
Fridays: 9:00pm
Saturdays: 3:00pm & 9:00pm
Sundays: 3:00pm

Ticket Prices at Resorts World Manila:
Upper Balcony – P 988.00
Balcony – P 1,188.00
Deluxe – P 1,888.00
Premiere – P 2,688.00
VIP – P 2,888.00

Resorts World Manila Members Discount:
Emerald Card 10% | Silver Card 15% | Gold/Platinum Card 20%

NOTE: Only kids 3 years old and above are allowed.

For more info: Kaos Official Website


We had our family photo taken after the show with Sito, the White Tiger (P600 for 1 shot,;P1,000 for 2 shots).

Live an Awesome Life,

Anton 
Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Call or Text Me: +63917 5683-627 (LOVE-OAP)
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Full Disclosure: Our friend Benson, who is connected with the Resorts World management, treated us to watch Kaos. That is also the reason why we got special permission to shoot the entire show, which is usually not allowed. We paid for the P1,000 photo with Sito, the White Tiger.

P.S. If you plan to watch, I suggest you consider watching on January 27, Thursday, which is a fund-raising event entitled, Fulfilling Dreams Through The Magic of KAOS. It is a benefit show for Living For Christ Foundation’s Housing and Social Development Project for the poor in San Simon, Pampanga.

There will be prizes raffled off during the show through the generosity of Genting Hong Kong:

  • Original 180 1-night cruise packages (good for two) aboard the Star Pisces, departing from & returning to Hong Kong
  • 12 cruise packages (also for two), departing from Singapore, Malaysia, and Taiwan
  • Grand prize: a 7-day Western Mediterranean trip for two onboard the new Norwegian Epic.

For more details, contact:

Anna Lyn Agosto
LFCF Office: 710-9318
Mobile: 0917-828-5320 or 0917-531-2233
E-mail address: livingforchristfoundation@smartbro.net or sybangayan@gmail.com

P.P.S. Some more tips when watching the show:


The lines are Kaos-tic when entering the theater, so please be patient.


Kaos, the white lion, isn’t available for photo ops, so you can only take your picture with Sito, the white tiger. The management is thinking of having a baby white lion instead.

Still, it is best to be on your best behavior when around the tiger. It is still quite dangerous to go near a big cat. (You wouldn’t want to be the next youtube star with this type of video — Circus Lion Attack Caught on Tape.)

Last na…

One of the reasons I don’t blog about Resorts World Mall is that it is NOT kid-friendly. The entire mall is a smoking area and the non-smoking areas are found inside the restaurants. It is designed for gamblers and not for families.

KAOS is the first attempt to attract families and kids, and I heard they will be building a giant playground of sorts on the top floors.

28 thoughts on “KAOS, the Circus Musical”

  2. Really a world class production! Light years ahead of PAGCOR’s Wanders and Flow. The time machine and the motorcyclists were definitely the highlights. I wish I’d known about that special staging on Jan. 27. Winning that Norwegian cruise would have been epic.
    Also felt that the dancers “interacting” with the audience had a DOM vibe to it. Hope that the storyline improves as well, that this isn’t a set act but an evolving one.

    Reply

  8. Hi Anton, thanks for making a post on Kaos. Been wondering about this show. Just wanted to ask, which section/seats would you recommend? Thanks again!

    Reply

  13. hi anton. i do recall your being quite vocal against the reported animal cruelty against the dolphins in the araneta dolphin show last christmas, so i think it would interest you to read the following.
    *from spy bits column by babe romualdez, philippine star, jan. 18, 2011
    “We received reports alleging animal cruelty against a rare Siberian tiger as part of the show “Kaos” (pronounced “chaos”), produced by Resorts World Manila, a luxury casino resort across the NAIA Terminal 3 in Pasay. According to our sources, the hotel reportedly refuses to put the tiger in an air conditioned room because of the additional costs, so the animal spends the whole afternoon in sweltering heat before the show at the resort’s Newport Performing Arts Theater.
    And since the animal is larger than life, the Siberian tiger cannot ride the elevator, forcing the handlers to bring it to the venue using the fire exit stairwell — which an animal expert says makes this kind of condition extremely dangerous, because this could easily agitate the animal and make it violent. There have been so many instances where tame show animals turn ferocious and attack their handlers, like what happened to Siegfried and Roy in 2003 and at Moscow Circus in 2006 where a tiger mauled his trainer. Then in 2009, three circus tigers attacked their trainer during a show in Germany. The poor man lost his hand and suffered serious head and chest injuries as a result. Last year, a trainer at the Shanghai Zoo died after a tiger attacked him.”
    If the reports are indeed true, then I am indeed very disappointed that you may have shown a bit of bias in openly denouncing the dolphin show and discouraging people to watch it, whereas you pulled all the stops in highlighting kaos and enthusiastically marketing it to the public. as a boggler, i think your responsibility to your readers is equal to that of a journalist (and even more so since you are a very popular and well-read blogger). you yourself admitted that you are close to the people behind kaos, but i think you should have also verified how the animals are treated before actively promoting the show, just to be fair to all other animal shows and to be truthful to your readers.
    further, if the reports are indeed true, this would be even more alarming since, unlike the dolphin show, the tigers are definitely more capable of attacking not only its handlers, but can you imagine, also the audience members and people who want to have their picture taken with it (which you have also enthusiastically encouraged).
    in the light of this, please do verify the reports and be unbiased in whatever your findings are (notwithstanding the fact that you are good friends with the people behind the production). you owe it to your readers.

    Reply

  14. I actually asked the living conditions of the tigers and the answer was they invested in an airconditioning environment in the roof deck of Resorts World Manila. So it seems odd to hear this alleged blind item reports. The tigers will indeed be agitated if they are not comfortable, but they look comfortable and relax in the show. 
    I'm not really close to the owners, my friend is close to the management of Resorts World. I will ask and investigate further. 
    Anton

    Reply

  18. i love resorts world, been there a couple of times.
    i also watched kaos, which is really impressive for a local production. amazing stunt and acrobatic acts! i just wished it had a story talaga.

    Reply

  19. Hi. Mr. Anton, I just wanna ask if food like popcorn and drinks is allowed or is it inclusive in the payment for the show? thanks! 😀

    Reply

  24. Sir Anton, I did not take pictures because they do not allow it. Can I ask permission to repost the photos on my facebook account. Please.

    Reply

  26. Whether or not there is animal cruelty, it is sad that they did not follow the trend of such shows around the world like Cirque and make it a total non-animal circus.
    What does Kaos have to say in all of this? Probably nothing

    Reply

  27. Hi Anton.
    nice post. I was able to watch this show too, courtesy of a friend and I’ve got a really nice vip view which made me enjoy it more.
    Though I think there’s a spoiler in your post 😛 the cycle of life part. just saying 🙂

    Reply

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