Displaying items by tag: Circus

The musical Water for Elephants, presented by Broadway In Chicago and based on Sara Gruen’s 2006 novel, is the rare touring Broadway production that feels like two forms of live entertainment fused perfectly. It is a sweeping musical, yes, but it is also a full-blown circus spectacle – and, more impressively, it manages to blow you away on both fronts.

Told through the memories and ghosts of an elderly Jacob Jankowski, Water for Elephants follows a young Jacob who, under unfortunate circumstances, follows the age-old childhood dream of running away with the circus. The show brings to life the complicated realities behind that fantasy: the idea of stumbling into a secret, self-contained world where danger, wonder, chosen family, and reinvention all exist under one big top. From the moment Jacob enters that world, the audience is drawn in with him.

Particular standouts in the principal cast were Zachary Keller as Jacob Jankowski, whose vocal talent and charisma are matched only by Robert Tully as Older Jacob – the perfect pairing across time. As Marlena, Helen Krushinski commanded the theatre like a pure-of-heart ringmaster, capturing our attention both on trapeze and vocally. However, no one made the audience laugh harder than Tyler West as Walter, the gritty, spunky clown and knife-thrower whose physical comedy was unmatched, projecting every larger-than-life expression to the backs of the theatre.

The show’s creative engine fires on all cylinders: a soaring score from the acclaimed PigPen Theatre Co. (The Tale of Despereaux), a sharply crafted book by four‑time Tony Award nominee Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, Peter and the Starcatcher), and tour direction by Ryan Emmons, faithfully re‑creating Jessica Stone’s Tony‑nominated original staging (Kimberly Akimbo).

(left-right) Connor Sullivan, Helen Krushinski, and Zachary Keller in Water for Elephants. Photos by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade. 

The most immediately astonishing element of this production is, unsurprisingly, the circus work. The show features a truly impressive range of skills, including aerial hoop and silks, Spanish web, trapeze, and dozens of genuinely death-defying acrobatic tricks and stunts. These sequences are not treated as decorative flourishes or occasional spectacle breaks; they are woven directly into the fabric of the show, pulling us behind the scenes of how the circus breathes, moves, celebrates, and survives.

Aside from their incredible acrobatic talent, it is the ensemble’s acting and collective presence that really bring the Benzini Brothers Circus to life. They do not just perform like a group of talented individuals; they feel like a community. Their presence gives the spectacle a lived-in quality, as if we are getting a glimpse into a strange, beautiful little village that existed long before Jacob arrived and will continue on after he leaves. The choreography only deepens that feeling, filling the stage with constant motion that still somehow feels purposeful, like the well-oiled machine behind a traveling circus, rather than chaotic. Even in the busiest moments, there is a sense of shared rhythm and collective trust among the ensemble that’s impossible to fake.

That trust extends beyond performance and into the technical construction of the show itself. Throughout the production, the cast quite literally assembles and dismantles the world around them. The big top is built, broken down, reconfigured, and rebuilt in front of us, using artistry to turn scene transitions into their own kind of performance. For a concept that presents so many obvious challenges – live animals, circus-scale theatricality, and the limitations of a traveling production, to name a few – Water for Elephants meets each obstacle with remarkable creativity and a steady grounding force.

The touring cast of Water for Elephants.

The production design is especially successful because it knows when to lean into abstraction. Rather than attempting to make every element literal, the show often suggests the world of the circus through movement, fabric, shadow, structure, the bodies of its performers, and some of the most beautiful puppets I’ve seen on stage. The amount of thought that went into creating something cohesive, theatrical, and fully transportable - without dulling any of its magic - feels less like standard Broadway stagecraft and more like a feat pulled off by a traveling chosen family.

All of this authenticity, however, at times feels at odds with the musical’s book and score. The ensemble feels so natural, so physically and emotionally connected to one another, that a few of the more dramatic scenes begin to feel noticeably staged by comparison. That is not a question of the principal cast’s talent, but rather a limitation of translating this story from novel to musical. There are moments when the circus – and even the puppets – feels startlingly real, and moments when you are reminded that you are very much watching a musical. Neither approach is inherently wrong, but the gap between them can be jarring. Still, that critique feels small compared to the scale of what the production accomplishes. It is also worth noting how vocally balanced the ensemble remains despite the wide range of performers on stage. In a show that combines musical theatre performers with circus and acrobatic artists, maintaining that level of cohesion is both a performance achievement and a technical one.

Water for Elephants captures the exact feeling it is chasing: awe. It is dangerous, romantic, inventive, and deeply theatrical, with a company that makes the impossible look effortless.

For anyone who has ever wanted to run away with the circus – or simply be reminded of what live performance can do when artists push it to its limits – Water for Elephants is running at James M. Nederlander Theatre through July 5th. Tour information and tickets are available at https://waterforelephantsthemusical.com/.

It is that time of year again to ring in the daze of the Holiday season with some Cirque Du Soleil Holidaze at the Chicago Theatre (175 N. State St), December 14th -16th. Holidaze is a two-hour spectacular, brightly lit and sparkling holiday themed show that encourages audience members and families of all ages to embrace the joy and color of the season, and enthusiastically support these talented acts.  A combination of Broadway and variety show like no other, featuring sensational performers with countless talents, the show has over 300 imaginative costumes and interactive holiday displays. Cirque du Soleil continues to roll in the holiday season with original music celebrating all the holidays of the season, Christmas, Chanukah, and the New Year. This amazing tour will hit 40 cities and have a range of talents from 5 different casts over its holiday run this year.

As any creative Cirque Du Soleil show, the audience is introduced to an international cast of talented performers from as far as Europe, Ethiopia and Mongolia.  Taking place throughout the production is a collection of air defying aerialists (hoop performers, ribbon dancers), twisted contortionists and talented tumblers (managing 20 flips in a row!), daredevil roller skaters, and magical costume changes, as well as balancing and juggling acts.  It was a surprise that with all this amazing variety, the number of open seats in the theater.

The music and sparkly sensation of each holiday representation lifted the spirits of the children munching on popcorn in the audience, and slowly warmed up the adults in the crowd.  Gingerbread men, penguins, jugglers, the performances of the plethora of circus performers had audience members on the edge of their seats with their high-flying acts and risky tricks. You never knew who would be performing or what amazing talent they would be performing next. 

By the time intermission came around, many of the audience were whooping or whistling their appreciation for the talents of these unbelievable performers, whom of which also smiled brighter and embraced the encouragement of the crowd. Neil Goldberg, director of this holiday extravaganza and Florida native, was one of the first to choreograph circus themed, animal free shows. With such finesse, each song and act transition always had something on the stage that grabbed your attention. Whether it was dancing candy canes, elaborately decorated trees and a cast of interesting holiday characters brought such life throughout the show.

Having attended a Holidaze show in Chicago before, I can say that I was still pleasantly surprised by the variety of acts. Along with the rest of the audience, we were thrilled to the edge of our seats by each amazing new talent and singing along with the songs I knew and loved the original renditions of holiday classics.  Cirque Du Soleil will always give you something you never expect, they will thrill you, and guarantee that it will never watch the same Holidaze show twice.  Melt the Chicago cold, warm your hearts and bring in some sparkly holiday spirit.  This is not a show to be missed!

After a 146-year run, Ringling Bros. Circus, is finally bringing down its curtain for what has been tabbed as “The Greatest Show on Earth”. That’s right. With final shows in May of 2017, one of the world’s most popular events will come to a close after nearly a century and a half of entertaining families from all walks of life. 

Kenneth Feld, chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment recently told the Chicago Tribune regarding Ringling Bros. closing, “There isn’t any one thing. This has been a very difficult decision for me and my family.”  

Far away are the days when the circus would come to town and people would line the streets to watch the animals and performers enroute to the big top. But has circus excitement really fallen to the wayside? 

Several factors were included in closing the Ringling Bros. show including high operating costs and lengthy encounters with animal rights groups. And though a change in public taste is also blamed for the demise of the circus, it’s easy to argue against that. Live circus acts draw an excitement level like no other as proven by the success of Las Vegas Cirque Du Soliel’s Zarkana, a show that brings back classic feats such as death-defying aerial, trapeze, juggling and high-wire stunts. 

Others also realized the value in circus entertainment. Simon Painter, Tim Lawson and MagicSpace Entertainment have resurrected three-ring enthusiasm by putting their resources together to produce Circus 1903 – The Golden Age of Circus. The team has an established track record with the world’s biggest magic show, The Illusionists, and War Horse under their belts already, the latter of which had won awards for its puppeteer work. 

Set in a grand circus tent at the turn of the 20th century, the show is narrated by the Ring Master, who introduces one breathtaking act after another, starting off with a team of acrobatics who propel each other high into the air by jumping on opposite ends of a large teeter totter. The higher they are launched, the more impressive their flips and twists. Other acts include a beautiful contortionist (Senayet Asefa Amare), an aerialist (Elena Gatilova), an amazing bicycle balancing routine by “The Cycling Cyclone” (Florian Blummel) and one of the best juggling performances you’ll ever see by Francois Borie, otherwise known as “The Great Gaston”.  

The second act opens with possibly the most impressive of the show’s acts as sixth generation circus performers Alejandro and Ricardo Rossi, more simply known as The Rossi Brothers, pulling off a “foot juggling” act to perfection that was perfected by Fratelli Rossi back in the early 20th century. As one brother juggles the other into the air who is being flipped at rapid speeds, we get a taste of the athleticism, precision and balance involved in an act than can only be described as “jaw-dropping”.     

Circus 1903 also contains a good amount of humor with The Ringmaster (David Williamson) often interacting with the crowd and creating plenty of very funny moments as he brings children to the stage as volunteers. Williamson, a renowned magician who has appeared on numerous top-rated prime-time network specials, gives the show its needed continuity, entertaining between acts, adding suspense and drawing several laughs from the audience each time he appears.  

Another highlight in the show is the use of puppeteers to create and bring to life both a full-grown elephant along with its playful baby. Taking place in 1903, I feared for a moment that this could turn into the sad story of Topsy, the circus elephant that was put down by electrocution that same year. Thankfully, the show did not go into that direction.

A daring high wire act featuring The Lopez Family brings the show to its grand finale, bicycle balancing along with stunning acrobatics tackled high above the stage from one end to the other. 

The circus is not dead, people. In fact, it’s an absolute blast. And this this circus holds no controversy when it comes to animal cruelty. With several amazing acts, Circus 1903 does a fantastic job at recreating the era with its costume and set design and is the perfect way to introduce new fans to the grandiose of big top entertainment. 

Recommended for adventure seekers of all ages.

Circus 1903 – The Golden Age of Circus is currently touring nationally and will is being performed at Oriental Theatre through March 26th. For more info on this magnificent show, click here. 

Cirque du Soleil has innovated the circus as we once knew it and has transformed it into something that has become so more visual, musical and exciting than ever could have been imagined. While some Cirque shows are set to a particular theme such as the music of the Beatles or Michael Jackson or perhaps an epic Asian battle or even a water spectacular, Zarkana is different than most as it focuses on three ring circus acts that we grew up with, likely beneath a large tent.

Zarkana is performed center strip at Las Vegas’ Aria Resort and Casino inside a massive, and very beautiful theatre. Prior to the show, some of the 70-plus cast members from around the world are sprinkled throughout the venue interacting with people searching for their seats setting an exciting tone for what is about to come.

Each circus act brings out another gigantic set and bevy of creative costumes that are full of imagination with colors and movement that transcend the audience to another world for ninety minutes. Bringing to the forefront such fantastically traditional circus feats such as walking the high-wire, balancing acts, death-defying flying trapeze stunts and mind-boggling juggling, Cirque intensifies the experience of each with hypnotic music, amazing visuals and often incorporates its rich Vaudevillian humor.

Oohs and aahs are heard across the auditorium as acrobats fly overhead, performing maneuvers that can only be found in one’s deepest imaginings. Dream like motions are brilliantly blended with dangerous stunts that sometimes will have one on the end of their seat. An ingenious cast of characters are as colorful as they are funny. Zarkana is a show that can appeal to just about anyone’s sense of adventure.

Of the many acts performed, the Wheel of Death was probably one that caused the most amazement. The "wheel" is actually a largespace framebeam with hooped tracks at either end, within which the performers can stand. As the performers run around on either the inside or outside of the hoops, the whole apparatus rotates. The performers also perform balancing skills with the wheel in a stationary position. As the device spins faster and faster the stunts become more intense. Another stand out act was the Cyr Wheel. This is where acrobats rolled around the stage within large hoops while performing all kinds of mind-blowing tricks.

Each act was remarkable in its own right and opened one new world of imagination after the next. Whether an eight-year-old kid or a seventy-five year-old kid, Zarkana is certainly a sight to be seen and an experience you will not soon forget.

A Las Vegas show not to be missed, Zarkana has two performances each evening (7pm and 9:30pm) Friday through Tuesday. Tickets currently run between $69-$180 and can be purchased at 855.ZARKANA or by visiting http://www.aria.com/cirque/zarkana.