Remember the ‘Cirque’ is in town

Neil Goldberg’s Cirque is in town and performing nightly at the Araneta Coliseum. But don’t expect a traditional circus because this form of mass entertainment has evolved and come of age. It is now politically correct, too. Animal right activists can no longer cry cruelty to animals as the current crop of circus companies have done away with old, if not, tired acts, like lions jumping through a ring of fire, chimpanzees juggling bowling pins or elephants balancing on top of gigantic balls.

Events producer Goldberg combines the thrill of death-defying acts with the razzle-dazzle of a Broadway production in Cirque.

An international ensemble have been enthralling local audiences since the show opened last Feb. 26. These talented artists are comprised of clowns, contortionists, jugglers and aerialists.

The evening’s fun starts when clowns randomly pick people from the audience and ask them to join on-stage antics, like doing cartwheels.

From thereon, it’s non-stop thrills. The story, that revolves around the adventures of a comic character named Ringabella, who sleepwalks his way into a giant grandfather clock and in seconds is transformed in time to a world beyond one’s wildest imagination, is told through song by the storyteller. The dreamlike adventure ushers Ringabella into a world populated by a motley group of performers, each with their own special routine. A number of Cirque’s sparkling performances include contortionists getting into all manner of bodily movement, sometimes propped on nothing more but their palms; an exciting balancing act that features a performer stacking up chairs to a towering height and doing handstands each step of the way; a pair perching themselves on a stack of rolling canisters; a bungee act; and aerial ballets that take audiences to breathtaking heights.

Neil Goldberg’s Cirque derives its name from the Cirque Municipal, the largest circus in France, built by Jules Verne in 1874. Goldberg’s circus talents come from the world’s better known institutions for performers. These are the Mongolian School of Contortion, Chinese and Polish Acrobatic Associations and Moscow State College for Circus and Variety Acts.

Among Goldberg’s other productions are Cirque Ingeneux, produced in 1996 and acclaimed by Atlantic City Magazine as the Best Show of the Year, and Eclipse, a theatrical extravaganza featuring ultra-violet special effects.

Goldberg has also done two Miss Universe productions and variety show for the Walt Disney Company.

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A limited engagement of Neil Goldberg’s "Cirque," ongoing until March 10, is presented by Pizza Hut and sponsored by Ali Mall, Farmer’s Plaza, Araneta Center, AIG Credit Cards, Sky and Home Cable, Viva Entertainment, Victory Liner and the Manila Bulletin. Tickets at P950, P750, P300 and P80 are available at Araneta Coliseum Ticketron and at all SM Ticketnet outlets. Daily shows are at 4 and 8 p.m. For more information, reservations and inquiries on special discounts, call 911-5555.