Kyle Flubacker
Contemporary circus producer Cirque du Soleil, founded in 1984, has been entertaining audiences worldwide since the 1990s with daring feats of gymnastics, acrobatics and aerial work turned up to 11. The troupe collectively has been revered and beloved by audiences for the performances, staging, costumes and music, and has become a major attraction in Las Vegas with several different shows in residency. Each show includes a combination of different circus styles from around the world contained within a theme and storyline (like the Beatles-inspired ‘Love’). In 2019 the company created its very first holiday extravaganza, ‘Twas the Night Before…, a seasonal production with a limited run in a select number of cities. This year, the production is hitting seven cities including New York, Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Minneapolis and Phoenix, with nine days at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre.
It may seem odd to think of a circus-style show in a proscenium theatre, but ‘Twas the Night Before… balances the acrobatics with dance and a story. Judging by the title, it should be clear that the story here is based on the classic Christmas poem A Visit from Saint Nicholas, aka ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. The story begins with a young girl named Isabella, whose father has read her that poem since she was a young child. Now a bit older, Isabella feels she’s outgrown that tradition her father holds so dear and just wants to do her own thing. But the pair are separated by a magical snowstorm that sends them on a fantastical journey where they meet a collection of whimsical characters who hope to instill them both with the holiday spirit that has no age barrier.
As the story progresses, Isabella or her father encounter a different act inspired by a line of the poem. First is a Straps Duo who perform jaw-dropping aerial work high above the stage, no nets, no pads, in what can only be called a death-defying performance. How these two manipulate their bodies as they fly up and down on a single wire, their bodies intertwined or one holding the other is breathtaking. That is followed by the Acrobatic Table Act, which was inspired by the line ‘The children were nestled all snug in their
beds, while visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.’ The performers here are the ‘children’ all excited for Santa’s arrival, unable to sleep and literally bouncing off the furniture. Their excitement is interrupted by the sound of hooves on the roof and a soot-covered man appears and performs some of the most amazing and rapid-speed juggling I’ve ever seen. Isabella then meets Ava, a spoiled starlet who rejects her presents because they’re not good enough for her. She takes flight on a magical hotel luggage cart high above the stage as it spins and she spins and climbs and contorts herself high above the stage. Another truly breathtaking moment and by the end Ava has learned her own lesson about giving being better than receiving.
Brandon Todd
Isabella is transported into a Winter Wonderland with a magical light and dancers known as Les Tuques, and within this world are a young couple on roller skates. For a brief moment, Christmas gives was to roller disco and the performance is truly stunning. I’ve seen videos on YouTube with various couples performing this kind of act that always seems to end in a minor disaster as they get just too close to the edge of the platform, but this pair — while making me gasp a few times — never stumbled and received a rousing round of applause. The next act is the Hair Suspension performance and … words can’t even begin to describe what it’s like watching a person do aerial acrobatics while suspended above the stage by just her hair. My follicles still ache just thinking about it! But still a stunning performance. The Winter Wonderland comes to an end as Les Tuques engage in a snowball battle amongst themselves … and with the audience!
While Isabella is enjoying her journey, her father is still left feeling alone, performing an amazing act with an Aerial Lamp, swinging above the stage with just a rope for support, and often hanging by just one hand. Another act that will have you holding your breath. The Diabolo act is also amazing as four performers juggle lighted diabolos between two sticks connected with a thin piece of twine, tossing the four — and then eight — diabolos between themselves. At one point two of the performers come into the audience and fling the diabolos to their onstage partners 20-30 feet away! And two lucky audience members get to be a part of the act for a brief moment as well. By the end, Isabella and her father are reunited having found the joy of Christmas again and once again Isabella is presented with her gift, a bicycle, upon which she does some amazing feats of balance, riding forwards and backwards, often not even pedaling (since she’s up on the handlebars). The two pick up their holiday tradition and begin reading the poem once again as Santa’s reindeer team literally jump through hoops in celebration, leaping through the air as Santa (now in his glorious red suit) calls their names.
Kyle Flubacker
Aside from seeing some performances on television, I have never been to a live Cirque du Soleil show but since I love all of the spectacle of the holidays, this was definitely the best show to break me in because it is pure spectacle. This show requires 125 different costumes with 2,000 sequins per costume, all carefully hand-crafted. 13 makeup concepts were created using 25 pots of glitter and 60 cans of colored hair spray, 10 wigs, eight hats with reindeer antlers and 22 beanies (or tuques). The performers include 16 men and 10 women from 14 different countries (and I am proud to say my Canadian niece is actually performing the Ava role in the Milwaukee/Phoenix/St. Louis company). It takes 800 man hours to load in the production’s 100 tons of equipment, and 200 for the load out. All of the cables used in the show, connected end-to-end, would stretch five miles. The roller skaters reach a top speed of 30 mph on a platform just six feet in diameter. The diabolos spin at 20 turns per second. The Strap Duo is 20 feet in the air, while the Hair Suspension artist performs about 100 turns, reaching a speed of seven turns per second with her hair able to withstand 250 lbs of pressure. The highest hoop one of the reindeer jumps through is 10 feet off the stage and the smallest hoop is 18 inches in diameter. 12,200 feet of garland is used and the artificial snow is recycled and has a volume of 5,000 cubic feet, or five large dump trucks. All of this combined makes for a feast for the eyes. But the music provides an aural feast as well with a score composed by Jean-Phi Goncalves that includes 41 pieces of music — 29 original and 12 well-known holiday songs reimagined for the show. The music and the visuals and the performances together make this a truly magical event for the holidays.
The holiday season comes and goes so quickly, and we often get caught up in the frantic days of shopping and decorating and preparing to spend time with our families, sometimes becoming so overwhelmed that we forget about, or just don’t have time, for the joyful moments of Christmas. ‘Twas the Night Before… is 85 minutes of holiday joy and if you’re lucky enough to be in or near a city where the show is being performed, take that time for yourself and your family (this is definitely a show for all ages) to sit back, relax, be amazed and embrace that holiday spirit once again.
‘Twas the Night Before… runs about 85 minutes without intermission. Recommended for the whole family.
‘Twas the Night Before… runs through December 3 at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre. Other cities on the schedule include New York City, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Phoenix, Chicago and Minneapolis. Visit the official website for more information, and use our Ticketmaster link below to purchase tickets.
Cirque du Soleil
Check our Ticketmaster link for ticket availability.
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