Broadway’s New Season Opens With Some Twists

By Christopher Moore, Broadway Magazine 

Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasyis that most rare of theatrical spectacles, one that celebrates pure athleticism and physicality. The performances are the muscular equivalent of watching Einstein think, or Beethoven compose; which is to say that there is an essential genius of the kinesthetic variety on display at the Broadway Theatre. The show does not come from the famous producers of Cirque Du Soleil. In fact, Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasymay at first be taken for the poor man’s “Cirque Du Soleil,” but that would be an error. The tradition on display in this show goes well beyond the modern fascination with cirques (a circus without animals, where human imagination and corporeal skill are the attraction). Though it comes wrapped in the package of the modern “Cirque,” the entertaining spectacle on display in Cirque Dreams is part of a longer theatrical tradition of acrobatic acts that include the Victorian Hanlon Brothers (amazing story if you don’t know about them) and other athletic acts that performed for royalty at Versailles…or in ancient marketplaces long ago.

What is thrilling about this show is that which must’ve always thrilled audiences about theatrical acrobatics. It is the awe of seeing artists making impossible physical feats possible…even elegant. The result is pure awe and amazing joy. There is no net. I repeat, there is no net. Although one hopes that there is a doctor in the house. It is all achieved with an ease and grace that makes some of the recent Olympic trial routines seem downright clumsy. Occasionally in New York City, a Subway ride might feature a group of young dancers who twist and roll for tips while the Subway is moving; and the entrance to Central Park at Columbus Circle features some fine acrobats, but if you want to know that rare sensation of wonder and joy together on Broadway, check out Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy. It is the real acrobatic deal.

Now, as for the “cirque” part of the show, the incoherent story-line (perhaps “non-existent” is a better word), the New Age score, the clowning bits are there and must be endured, though they do little to enhance the magic. An exception is the clever costumes credited to Lenora Taylor, Santiago Rojo and Cirque Productions. The costumes for some of the creatures have been uniquely crafted with the acrobatic nature of the show in mind. When the clown-creature- actors are in motion, jumping and flying, the costumes come to life and give the moving artists a dynamic profile, a dancing silhouette that recall’s the jagged edges found in Dr. Seuss’s illustrations of Sneetches, Loraxes, and Zaks. The costumes are a magnificent display of plume-ery, a triumph of costume-ery, as Seuss himself might’ve said. In fact, this show recalls more Seuss’s world than Cirque du Soliel. Also, though the daring feats of the show often create a sensation of disbelief and wonder, it is difficult to sustain that feeling over a period of time. The result is that the show employs a pageantry and filler that distracts more than entertains. At one point, during the spinning of cubes and pyramid outlines, it suddenly felt less like Jungle Fantasy and more like Geometry Fantasy. If you can make peace with the fact that nothing can thrill uninterrupted for a night of theatre, then you will be rewarded with something quite special overall at this production.

 What about the Cirque du Soliel test? How does it stack up? For full disclosure, I attended both Wintuk (by Cirque du Soliel) and Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy with my son (age 4). Both shows are family friendly, but as far as holding his attention and imagination, Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy actually won hands down. Though he didn’t last through a whole act of Wintuk, he did stay with Cirque Dreams for a full act, though only one. More than this, since the performance he has begun to include attempts at flips, rolls, and movements that he calls “circus exercises.” Theatre celebrates the triumph of imagination over the impossible, and with Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy Broadway has, for the summer at least, an entertaining triumph in the purest sense.

Tags: Broadway, Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy, Cirque Du Soleil, Hanlon Brothers

This entry was posted on Friday, June 27th, 2008 at 4:11 am and is filed under Broadway Events, Broadway Features, Broadway Information, Broadway Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.