THE BALLOON MAN

Review: Cirque Italia show a bit of a slow stretch
from: tampabay.com
By Stephanie Bolling, Times Staff Writer
November 13, 2012

 

[Cirque Italia]
Act XVII features nine performers in 12 acts that include trapeze artists, contortionists and hand balancers.
Normally, anything with the name "cirque" conjures up images of a fast-paced, high-flying spectacle full of elaborate costumes and dozens of performers. Most of that does not apply to Cirque Italia, an Italian entertainment company and rookie in the traveling big top playing field.
Cirque Italia's Act XVII, currently set up adjacent to the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, is a stripped-down version of the bigger cirque shows, but without the pizzazz. (It's hard not to make comparisons to Cirque du Soleil's bedazzled Kooza, which has set up its tent outside of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg through Dec. 16.)
Act XVII features an international cast of aerial artists, hand balancers, contortionists, jugglers and clowns atop a circular stage that lifts to reveal a pool of water. It's a rather small setup, with open seating for the 1,200 seats circling the stage. Choosing a seat was easy Friday evening; the performance was sparsely attended.
Divided into 12 acts, the show spans two and a half hours and features nine highly skilled performers. The main acts appear on stage individually, commanding the audience's attention without the overstimulation that can occur in other circus shows. At times, this bare approach creates an awkward lag. Aerialist Gabriela Zerbini swung high on her sparkling purple trapeze Friday, but the audience was caught twiddling its thumbs during the time it took her to get there.
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http://www.tampabay.com/features/performingarts/review-cirque-italia-show-a-bit-of-a-slow-stretch/1261230