Cirque Dreams leaves spectators in awe
By Bruce R. Miller Journal staff writer | Posted: Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Ever see a tree with a six-pack trunk? How 'bout a butterfly that hangs by its feet or giraffes that balance on stacks of cans?
They were just part of the fun of "Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy," the opening show in the Orpheum Theatre's 2006-2007 Broadway series.
More amusement park attraction than artistic endeavor, the 90-plus-minute show had plenty of family thrills even though the jungle theme wasn't much more than a hook for designers. Led by a singing Lady Bug (Julia Langley) some 20 gymnasts, contortionists and aerialists jumped through hoops, hung from ribbons and teetered on boxes while wearing some of the oddest collection of costumes you'll ever see. While some were hard to figure (an owl, for example), others were spot-on (those giraffes and a very clever emu). The Lady Bug gave them a musical introduction (not unlike the songs in "Cats"), then made way for pretty interesting (but traditional) circus acts. The best of the bunch were the aerialists who flew over the audience.
In the first act of Tuesday night's performance, two butterflies (Sergey Parshin and Naomi Sampson) dazzled with quick moves while hanging from a pair of silk cloths. They flew around on each other, too, creating the kind of audience tension that can only come when there isn't a net below. Parshin hung from Sampson's feet, then she returned the favor. It was amazing -- but scary -- to watch.
In the second act, trapeze artists Ivan Dotsenko and Carly Sheridan had their own moments of one hand/one foot trust. They were supposed to be owls but the costuming wasn't as good as the performances. By the time it was over, they had earned hoots of admiration.
Created and directed by Neil Goldberg, "Jungle Fantasy" had hints of "The Lion King" in some of its staging but it didn't quite bother with telling a story that lasted longer than it took the narrator to introduce it.
Indeed, the violin-playing tree (Jared Burnett) could have inspired his own "Riverdance" number. Instead, he provided a lot of accompaniment and a chest that could put Fabio's to shame. He wandered in and out of scenes, then enjoyed a brief comic turn with one of the clowns.
Langley got a few show tunes, too, but her best was a Fosse-like number with women dressed as zebras. They did a little soft-hoof then galloped away in time for a frog juggler and some very cute jumping amphibians.
The music by Jill Diane Winters set an appropriate mood even though her lyrics weren't all that memorable.
Instead, the contortions of some Mongolian gymnasts (as lizards, no less), a pair of emus (Zachary Carroll and Sergey Zamotin) and those amazing aerialists made the safari stand out.
The performers didn't need the jungle conceit (or a number of blacklight scenes in the second act), but they roared just the same. One man's fantasy obviously is another's reason to sit in awe.
They were just part of the fun of "Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy," the opening show in the Orpheum Theatre's 2006-2007 Broadway series.
More amusement park attraction than artistic endeavor, the 90-plus-minute show had plenty of family thrills even though the jungle theme wasn't much more than a hook for designers. Led by a singing Lady Bug (Julia Langley) some 20 gymnasts, contortionists and aerialists jumped through hoops, hung from ribbons and teetered on boxes while wearing some of the oddest collection of costumes you'll ever see. While some were hard to figure (an owl, for example), others were spot-on (those giraffes and a very clever emu). The Lady Bug gave them a musical introduction (not unlike the songs in "Cats"), then made way for pretty interesting (but traditional) circus acts. The best of the bunch were the aerialists who flew over the audience.
In the first act of Tuesday night's performance, two butterflies (Sergey Parshin and Naomi Sampson) dazzled with quick moves while hanging from a pair of silk cloths. They flew around on each other, too, creating the kind of audience tension that can only come when there isn't a net below. Parshin hung from Sampson's feet, then she returned the favor. It was amazing -- but scary -- to watch.
In the second act, trapeze artists Ivan Dotsenko and Carly Sheridan had their own moments of one hand/one foot trust. They were supposed to be owls but the costuming wasn't as good as the performances. By the time it was over, they had earned hoots of admiration.
Created and directed by Neil Goldberg, "Jungle Fantasy" had hints of "The Lion King" in some of its staging but it didn't quite bother with telling a story that lasted longer than it took the narrator to introduce it.
Indeed, the violin-playing tree (Jared Burnett) could have inspired his own "Riverdance" number. Instead, he provided a lot of accompaniment and a chest that could put Fabio's to shame. He wandered in and out of scenes, then enjoyed a brief comic turn with one of the clowns.
Langley got a few show tunes, too, but her best was a Fosse-like number with women dressed as zebras. They did a little soft-hoof then galloped away in time for a frog juggler and some very cute jumping amphibians.
The music by Jill Diane Winters set an appropriate mood even though her lyrics weren't all that memorable.
Instead, the contortions of some Mongolian gymnasts (as lizards, no less), a pair of emus (Zachary Carroll and Sergey Zamotin) and those amazing aerialists made the safari stand out.
The performers didn't need the jungle conceit (or a number of blacklight scenes in the second act), but they roared just the same. One man's fantasy obviously is another's reason to sit in awe.
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