by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
Between the circus and the critically acclaimed Broadway spectacle Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy, Jacksonville families will have little reason to stay home next week. While younger kids will enjoy seeing lions and tigers and bears at the Arena, kids of all ages looking to see something completely different will probably want to head to the Times-Union Center to see aerialists, contortionists and acrobats put on an unforgettable show. Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy comes to town on Tuesday, January 15.
Cirque Dreams should not be confused with Cirque du Soleil. Despite both having “cirque” in their names (which is French for “circus”), the shows are completely unrelated. In fact, Cirque Dreams has its roots much closer to home- Neil Goldberg dreamed up his psychedelic circus in South Florida back in 1993. After building his company from scratch and seeking out talent from all across the globe, Goldberg found himself locked in a six-year court battle with Cirque du Soleil over use of the word “cirque,” a battle he eventually won. Today Goldberg’s circus is an international entertainment conglomerate that’s in high demand thanks to quality performances that blend European circus artistry and Broadway theatrics all at affordable prices.
Jungle Fantasy is the twelfth Cirque show Goldberg has produced since forming his company. Instead of relying on live animals or crazy technical effects to wow audiences, Cirque Dreams uses dazzling costumes and creative choreography to show what the human body can do. The action is set to a clever original score (pre-recorded), accentuated by unique live musicians who themselves are part of the show. The two-hour long spectacle has no real plot per se, but it is jungle-themed and has plenty of strange “creatures” who can do amazing things. Twenty-five performers and musicians from around the globe take to the stage, wearing over 150 hand-made costumes during the show. Expect to see contorting lizards, balancing giraffes and a juggling mantis during your visit to this trippy jungle, which during the second act is bathed in ultraviolet lights to intensify the florescent colors in the performers’ costumes.
Families will get a special treat if they decide to come to Tuesday’s show since it’s Family Night, hosted by FCCJ Artist Series Broadway Across America- Jacksonville. In addition to getting discounted tickets for kids (buy one get one half off), performers will be on hand before the show to meet with little theatre-goers and teach them how to juggle, stretch and balance. They’ll also get to try on some of the cool costumes and get their faces painted. The festivities begin at 6 pm and will most likely only go on for 45 minutes to an hour, so if you’re planning to come to the pre-show activities be sure to show up early so your family can see and do it all.
After viewing some clips of the show online, I can certainly see my children (ok, ok, me too) being amazed at what Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy brings to the stage. The sets and costumes are bold and colorful with top-notch performers. Even from the poor-quality YouTube clips I glimpsed, I was in awe at the soaring aerialists and wowed by the limbs-of-rubber contortionists who not only twist themselves in knots but do so stacked on top of each other three-high. I would wager my kindergartner will be five times more amazed by these feats than I am, which is why I plan on bringing her to the show while it’s in town. You just don’t get to see something this cool in the flesh every day!
Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy will be at the Times-Union Center Moran Theatre until Sunday, January 20. Tickets range in price from $26 to $54 for adults, $30.50 to $20.50 for children. For more information or to purchase tickets, please call (904) 632-3373 or visit artistseries.fccj.org.
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts has caught the acrobatic bug! Their students will be performing in the Starfish Circus, with aerial acrobatics, juggling and clowns. Students from La Villa and Pine Forest are also participating in the program. The show is part of an outreach program from international performers Aerial Angels. The program is designed to help kids build physical and social skills in a fun setting. During training and rehearsals they will learn tightrope walking, the trapeze, contortionism, partner balancing and more.
Since this sort of performance has become popular because of traveling troupes such as Cirque de Soleil and other high energy dance and acrobatic performances, it makes sense that a performing arts school would help their students learn these skills.
The public is encouraged to attend this premiere performance on January 17th at 7:30 pm on the Douglas Anderson main stage. Tickets will be $8 at the door on the night of the event. For advance tickets or info, call (904) 346-5620 extension 122.
|
