Welcoming 2025, and wrapping up 2024. Another year gone by at the speed of light. At least, that's how it was for me. One question that always lingers on my mind is that if time doesn't exit, why do we divide it into years, months, days, and etc.? If time doesn't exist, why do we have such an awareness of its existence? And finally, if time doesn't exist, why do we run around saying that we're late or we have no time?
This year, instead of going to the ballet or a play, my friend and I opted for "O" by Cirque du Soleil. Not the live show, but something different. Since we live in Los Angeles, and the actual show is in Las Vegas, we had no idea what to expect. We found the description on their website a bit vague. They call it "shared reality," but it's not shared. A shared reality would be like Dreamscape where attendees would participate, and depend on each other. It's not "immersive," as they put it. Immersive would be something like the immersive Van Gogh. And it's really not "blending physical space with digital world." That would be like the Mori Digital museum in Japan. And so, since we had no idea what to expect, we bought the cheapest ticket just to see if we would like it.
All they had to say was that it's virtual reality, and you don't need special gadgets to experience it. And because they didn't do a good job of describing it, there were plenty of empty seats. By the way, you will think that the performers are going into water and that the water is splashing out towards you, but there is no water anywhere on the stage. It's all virtual.
We barely made it on time because my friend was stuck in traffic. There are several new buildings in the area. This show was playing at a building called Cosm. The last time I was here, I was at the YouTube building for a Persian Concert. After you enter the building, and pass through the security check, you take the elevators up. The theater is right in front of you, next to a lounge bar.
Arrive early if you want to order an appetizer (the mushroom flat bread is pretty good), because once the lights go down, it's hard to see the menu, and your bill. The couple in front of us took forever to pay. They couldn't see, which meant that the server stood near them, completely blocking our view.
The closer you are to the stage, the more you feel the effects. I think that the best seats are front row balcony. Any closer, it's too much in your face, and any farther, you don't get the best experience.As soon as the show is over, get up and walk around to have a look at the front of the stage. At this point, the experience is pleasant. You'll be standing, watching a waterfall or snow-laden mountains. If you get there too late, the ushers will ask you to leave so that they can get the theater ready for the next show.
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