THE BIG APPLE CIRCUS: BOBBLE-FREE BABEL
- The Washington Post
- Celia Wren
- 26 Sep 2007
Acrobat Cong Tian probably reads his e-mail and polishes his shoes while perched atop the slack wire. He's certainly at home up there, judging by the astounding feats he performs in the Big Apple Circus's spiffy new production, "Celebrate!"
Not only can this artist keep his balance while walking on a filament suspended loosely in the air (a stunt that must be vastly more difficult than treading a tightrope), but he maintains his balance while riding a unicycle and simultaneously spinning a mini-hula hoop around one of his ankles. Would that the stock market had a fraction of this guy's stability.
The slack-wire act is just one of the highlights of "Celebrate!," whose title acknowledges that Big Apple has hit the ripe old age of 30. The two-plus-hour extravaganza showcases a bevy of other gravity-defying exploits, along with a little family-friendly clowning and appearances by some extraordinarily talented horses and poodles. What makes "Celebrate!" particularly refreshing is that the artists' routines have not been tethered to some smart-alecky central concept. A 30th-birthday allusion crops up now and then, but otherwise the aesthetic is cheerfully polyglot.
In a beautiful, tone-setting opening number, the company gambols onto the stage in costumes and masks that suggest a Venetian carnival. Harlequins and caped fairy-tale figures romp by; a gondola puts in an appearance; multicolored confetti rains through the air.
Later on, the visual references range blithely through time and space, with musical assists from the versatile Big Apple Circus Band. Hula-Hoop genius Yelena Larkina -- who whirls huge silver rings around every section of her body -- hails from Russia, according to publicity materials, but she wears gauzy white harem pants and a veil. And she's introduced by dancers who slink around to Bollywood-style music, dressed in quasi-Indian get-up.
Why? Heck, why not?
The marvelous juggler Kris Kremo -- who seems to lend powers of levitation to cigar boxes and scarlet top hats -- sashays onstage accompanied by parasol-wielding beauties in flapper dresses, apparently straight from the Jazz Age Riviera. The poodles, attired in red and green, do tricks to a Christmas carol medley, after a fleeting prologue evoking holiday windows at Macy's.
A couple of the acrobatic sequences dispense with theatrical trappings. The Kovgar Troupe's breathtaking (and sometimes downright terrifying) vaulting work sticks to basic physicality: Performers launch themselves off one end of a teeterboard, do flips in the air and land upright on the top of a pole. As for the antics of Grandma the clown (longtime Big Apple associate Barry Lubin) and fellow jesters Fumagalli and Daris -- such goofy slapstick (spit jokes, a whoopee cushion, etc.) transcends national borders.
Emceeing the entire spectacular is the hyper-British ringmistress Carrie Harvey, a femme fatale in a violet frock coat and chic leather boots. In her delectably posh accent, she urges the audience to join in the Big Apple's anniversary jubilation. By the time the finale rolls around, and the band breaks into the classic Kool & the Gang song "Celebration," you're more than ready to accept her offer.
The Big Apple Circus's "Celebrate!" Artistic direction by Paul Binder; written by Michael Christensen and Michel Barette; directed by Barette; choreography, Valerie Dean; scenic design, Todd Rosenthal; lighting, Guy Simard; costumes, Sarah G. Conly; music direction, Rob Slowik; sound, Darby Smotherman; original music, David Bandman, Jeffrey W. Holmes, Brian Taylor, Michael Valenti. About 2 hours and 15 minutes. Through Oct. 8 at Dulles Town Center, Sterling. Call 703-573-SEAT, 202-397-SEAT or 410-547-SEAT or visit http://ticketmaster.com.