Circus wonderland is coming to town

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This article was published 25/11/2024 (320 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The circus is coming to town with high-flying acrobats, mind-bending balancing acts, a speed juggler, singers, dancers, and a holiday story that is perfect for the whole family, says performer Casey Martin Klein with Cirque Musica’s Holiday Wonderland.

“Wonderland is a place where the holiday spirit is alive and well, and we have a story line that weaves the circus acts together as they express excitement, wonder and joy. Plus, it’s very silly and it’s a lot of fun,” Klein said as he laughed. He’s also the show’s associate director.

Brandon’s Westoba Place at the Keystone Centre will be transformed into a holiday wonderland on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., when Cirque Musica brings its 39-city world tour to the Wheat City.

The main attraction that people look up for involves the acrobats, Klein said. There are half a dozen aerialists in the show, who will perform “numerous feats above ground”. One of them is with a lyra, which is a big metal hula hoop that “flies through the air, and we have two people dancing on it together, from 12 to 20 feet above ground.

“We also have a duet that performs on canvas loops that they hold on to and swing around on. And our duet performs on the straps while on roller skates, which is really, really cool, and one of my favorite acts of the show,” he said.

“Our acrobats will also be performing with the Russian Bar. Two people hold each end of a metal bar while the performer is bouncing up and down on it. So, it’s like a balance beam but moves like a trampoline.

“There is an element of danger, but the performers are trained and have been working on it their whole life, and it’s really fun to watch,” said Klein.

Many of the performers are talented in the air and on the ground, Klein added: “There aren’t many circus performers who only have one discipline. A lot of them have their aerial act, as well as hula hoop acts or juggling throughout the show.”

The ground acts include a Rola Bola performer who is from Mexico. He balances on a piece of wood, on a bowling ball while on a six-foot-high table.

People will see something new as well, Klein said, “We have a speed juggler joining the show this year, he’s from Las Vegas.”

Klein — who has a musical theatre background, plays a character named Jack, who goes to Wonderland with a friend Emily on a quest to make a documentary along with two TikTok influencers — twins Tanya and Tammy.

Along the way they meet Chills the clown who is the show’s centerpiece, “If you follow Chills, you follow the story,” added Klein.

“And you’re going to hear a lot of Christmas songs that you recognize, rearranged and reimagined in very imaginative ways, including “Jingle Bells,” Klein said, adding, “We do a really fun rendition of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas,’ and we encourage audience participation, so people can sing along and have a good time with their family.”

The tour started Nov. 13, 2024, in Charlottetown, P.E.I. and worked its way east, dipping into the U.S. for two dates in Minnesota on the weekend — when the Sun caught up with Klein before showtime.

On Monday, Klein and the company will perform in Thunder Bay, Ont. and then into Brandon for Tuesday evening’s performance.

Two shows in Saskatchewan have been booked, with the last Canadian stop this Friday in Calgary, Alta. From Dec. 1 to 29. The show the heads back to the U.S., ending in El Paso, Texas.

“What sets our show apart is that we hire a lot of circus performers who have a well-developed solo act, or they come as a duet,” said Klein. “They have their own act prepared, that means we can feature a lot of great minds in the circus community, people from all over the world coming to perform with us.

“And then it’s our job to highlight them and give them amazing technical elements and production quality with a full LED video wall and really fun graphics that support each act.

“It’s a big, high value production and a spectacle for people to see,” said Klein.

When asked if he’s used to being on stage while his fellow performers fly high and past him and the rest of the cast — which includes his new wife — he laughed.

“It’s funny to think about that sometimes, the fact that so many contacts in my phone are people who can juggle nine pins or do triple backflips off balance beams. It’s amazing to witness it firsthand,” said Klein.

“And since I’ve seen them do it so many times, I kind of become desensitized. But when the audience comes and I see their reaction, I think, ‘Oh, man, this actually is really, really intense.’”

For more information about Cirque Musica’s Holiday Wonderland show, call the Keystone Centre at 204-726-3500.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

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