NEW YORK—In the deepest part of the jungle magic can happen, or at least that's what Cirque Dreams jungle fantasy seems to be saying. Combining elements of Disney, H.R. Pufnstuf, and a set reminiscent of Into The Woods and The Nightmare Before Christmas, not to mention a truly international troupe of performers, the work features numerous feats of athletic skill and acrobatics, which should provide enjoyable summer entertainment for children (and adults) of all ages.
The various action, undertaken by performers dressed as different animals, is seen through the eyes of a young adventurer (Marcello Balestracci) who has traveled into the jungle via an audience participation segment that opens the show, and who is then guided via song on his journey by Mother Nature (Jill Diane).
A major attraction is the intricate and lovely costumes the performers wear—a fantastic work by Cirque Productions, Lenora Taylor, and Santiago Rojo)—from a plodding turtle to some very graceful butterflies. There are also two rather large owls (who later were seen on trapezes), a unicorn, some emus, and a group of brightly colored bumblebees. There are also several very high-jumping frogs and a woman dressed as a blackbird (Stefka Iordanova), lifted aloft and twirled solely by her hair. An important touch is how said costumes appear authentic in an animal sense while, at the same time, giving the human wearers enough latitude to perform their various feats and movements.
The evening is divided into two acts, entitled "Jungle by Day" and "Jungle By Night," with the more frothy acts in the first act, and the more dangerous, and in some cases less flamboyant, segments occurring later on. Among the highlights are a wonderful balancing act by two men dressed as giraffes (Vladimir Dovgan, Anatoliy Yeniy); an enjoyable juggling exhibition by a frog (Ruslan Dmytruk) while a group of his amphibian brethren look on; and some amazing feats of strength by a group of "Jungle Kings" (Sergey Parshin, Pavel Pozdnyakov, Glenn Rogers, Serguei Slavski, Alexander Tolstikov), who take turns lifting and balancing upon one another in a beautiful tableau of form and style.
Another particularly fascinating segment was the juggling of several various sized cubes (on one's back and with one's legs). The way the cubes moved and the light hit them turned the experience into a multimedia presentation.
While the show has many definite high points, it does suffer from lack of originality. In addition to echoes of material described above, one can also see elements from the Broadway musicals Frogs and The Lion King. Fortunately, the youngsters in the audience (the primary target for the show) didn't seem to mind, as evidenced by their cheers and shrieks of joy. And while at least part of the gymnastics, contortions, and acrobatics unfolding onstage has been seen before, the entire animal aspect definitely helps to give it a bit of a fresh look.
The only really glaring problem was with the sound, making it very hard to hear whatever words Diane was singing.
The entire cast performs quite well, with many performers adding more than a dash of humor to their efforts. Special mention must also go to Jared Burnett's wonderful performance as the onstage Soultree Violinist. Neil Goldberg's direction is quite strong (he also created the piece), keeping the action moving nicely and never letting things run too long. The finale of the show serves as a nice coda to the work as the performers from many of the earlier acts reprise their efforts to a rousing musical crescendo. Scenic design by Jon Craine works well, as does the lighting by Kate Johnson.
More an experience than a show, Cirque Dreams jungle fantasy is a pleasant diversion and should do quite well during its Broadway summer run—especially since there are lot of kids out of school now to enjoy it.
Also in the cast are Uranmandakh Amarsanaa, Zachery Carroll, Lauren Diblasi, Iryna Dmytruk, Ivan Dotsenko, Nataliya Egorova, Judah Frank, Buyankhishig Ganbaatar, Eredenesuvd Ganbaatar, Denys Kucher, Vitalii Lykov, Lee Miller, Odgerel Oyunbaatar, Glenn Rogers, Naomi Sampson, Konstantin Serov, and Carly Sheridan.
Cirque Dreams jungle fantasy
Broadway Theatre
1681 Broadway
Tickets: 212-239-6200, 800-432-7250 or www.telecharge.com
Closes: Aug. 24
Running Time: Two Hours
Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication, The Stage.
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