Derring-do & critters too
- Share via
Yes, the ubiquitous Cirque du Soleil does dwarf its cousinly competition, Cirque Productions. But the latter, a brand of proscenium circus theatrics created by Neil Goldberg (“Cirque Ingenieux”), has its own wow factor.
Goldberg’s newest touring show, “Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy,” a whiz-bang, family-friendly spectacle -- at Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza through Sunday, then moving to Long Beach -- is no exception. Its jungle-delirium setting and Technicolor-gone-wild color scheme (even more vivid in black light) provide the framework for jaw-dropping feats of strength, balance and dexterity.
Crafted with international flair -- the performers hail from the U.S., Canada, Mongolia, Russia, Ukraine and Bulgaria -- the day-to-night action is guided by Jungleboy (Marcello Balestracci, a sly Harpo Marx-ish clown and acrobat) and two music-makers: Soul Tree (bare-chested violinist Jared Burnett) and Lady Bug, played by Julia Langley, whose verve and full-throated vocals help mitigate the sins of Jill Diane Winters’ rather pedestrian pop score.
Comedy, a gentle creepiness and general ambience are supplied by a host of bugs, amphibians, spiders, mammals and scene-stealing emus (Glenn Rogers and Zach Carroll). Puppets include elephants and daisy-spotted giraffes.
Some critter costumes, credited to the company, weirdly obscure evidence of the human shape within, their otherworldly effect height- ened by Jon Craine’s fanciful mushroom-and-tree-roots set design and Kate Johnston’s pulsating, multi-patterned lights.
If the bells and whistles and Langley’s action-keyed songs come with a hint of corn, it doesn’t mar the pleasure of the many visual delights and the awe-inspiring spectacle of human beings doing the seemingly impossible.
All the trappings complement the high-level aerialists, acrobats, jugglers, balancers and more, performing in spotlight vignettes with mood-matching choreography by Tara Jeanne Vallee.
They include “Contorting Lizards” (a lovely, impossibly lithe quartet), a gravity defying “Snakeroller” (Vladimir Dovgan), acrobatic “Jungle Kings” musclemen and a “Junglehairialist” (Stefka Iordanova, who performs while -- ouch -- suspended by her hair).
Loose-limbed juggler Nazar Skladanyi, a remarkable meld of jump roping and acrobatic tumbling, and “Balancing Giraffes” Anatoliy Yeniy and Dovgan -- who seem poised to break a leg or worse in a balancing routine that’s anything but routine -- are other memorable, how-do-they-do-it highlights.
--
--
‘Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy’
Where: Countrywide Performing Arts Center, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks
When: 8 p.m. today, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday
Ends: Sunday
Price: $40 to $49
Contact: (805) 583-8700, www.theaterleague.com
Running time: 2 hours
--
Also
Where: Terrace Theatre, Long Beach Performing Arts Center, 300 E. Ocean Ave., Long Beach
When: 8 p.m. March 7, 2 and 8 p.m. March 8
Price: $27.50 to $47.50
Contact: (213) 480-3232, www.ticketmaster.com
More to Read
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.