THE BALLOON MAN

‘Legendarium’ is big fun

 

Bertrand Guay/Big Apple Circus
Spokes-women extraordinaire, the all-female Dalian Acrobatic Troupe from China has a wheely good time riding in the Big Apple Circus.
By ELISABETH VINCENTELLI
from:  nypost.com
October 26, 2012
With a title like “Legendarium,” you’d think the Big Apple Circus’ new show would bring on horses rigged out to look like unicorns, or at least tumbling jesters re-enacting Grimm tales.

But no, “Legendarium” sticks close to the company’s New York home. We won’t complain: Maybe it’s the lack of a far-fetched high concept, or the absence of Barry Lubin’s Grandma — an Apple institution — but “Legendarium” is the troupe’s best production in years.

A jolly new ringmaster, John Kennedy Kane, starts things off by announcing the show is going “back to the origins of the big top,” more specifically, 19th-century New York.
Broadway vet John Lee Beatty’s set harks back to classic Gotham, and Mirena Rada’s costumes are brightly stylish twists on yesteryear fashion. With his top hat, jaunty paunch and furry mutton-chops, Kane looks as if he’s just stepped out of a Tammany Hall tavern. 

 

Bertrand Guay/Big Apple Circus
Hoop, hoop, hooray! Jenny Vidbel gives a pup something to jump for.
For the rest, the Big Apple wisely sticks with the classics. The new comic relief, a husband-and-wife team called Acrobuffos, wear masks inspired by centuries-old commedia dell’arte. And Jenny Vidbel’s animal acts remain proudly old-school.
My junior consultants — 8-year-old Lila and 10-year-old Ava — enjoyed the “Central Park Dogs” best. This group of motley mutts gets up to all kinds of shenanigans, and could teach that Sandy fella from “Annie” a thing or two. Word to the wise: If you’re sitting close to the action, keep your hands on your snacks.
Galloping horses and mischievous canines aside, “Legendarium” is chiefly about human feats of grace, balance, strength — and the ability to turn bones to rubber.
read more--
http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/legendarium_is_big_fun_ZFRneaUO6uM61dLnIUXDQK?utm_medium=rss&utm_content=Theater