SPRINGFIELD — It’s a circus unlike any other.
When Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland returns to Springfield Symphony Hall on Thursday, Dec. 4, there is no big top, no sawdust floors, no animals. Instead, you will see extraordinary circus performers set to a winter wonderland background.
“We love Springfield,” said Stephen Cook, president of TCG Entertainment, producer of “Cirque Musica.”
The special holiday event, presented by MGM Springfield, begins at 7 p.m.
Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland blends spellbinding grace and daredevil athleticism with circus performers from around the world, set to a musical mix of timeless seasonal music.
“This year, Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland has even more cirque acts to captivate and inspire awe in our audiences. We are proud to say it’s one of our most beautiful shows in all our years of holiday magic making,” Cook said in a press release announcing this year’s tour, which also stated the production features “all-new costumes, new music and even more spectacular cirque acts.”
Asked by The Republican if using the word “cirque” — one of its many meanings is “circus” — in the show’s title could be confusing to some who might think of Cirque du Soleil, Cook said he “didn’t think so.”
“The circus has been around for many years in many iterations that have developed around the world, beginning with the grandaddy of them all — Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. We are pretty clear that this is our own brand with original music and classic Christmas tunes played with a twist as well as specific storylines which very well differentiates us from other markets,” Cook said.
“What also differentiates us from others is our combination of performers on stage, not just from the circus, but a Broadway component with singers, dancers and actors. It’s the connections and the memories we create for out audiences that I really love,” he added.
This year’s storyline is more abstract, Cook noted, with a cast of characters “losing their holiday spirit and trying to gain it back.”
Cook added they travel with a cast and crew of about 230 people including “the best performers in the business” from the United States, Hungary, Ukraine, Canada, Mexico, Ecuador and other countries.
“These are very difficult, very high-energy acts by our circus performers who will be thrilling audiences with such popular spectacles as the wheel of death, Rolla Bolla, aerial thrill acts, and other amazing spectacles,” Cook said.
While Cirque Musica Holiday no longer travels with a live band, Cook citing the expense as the reason, a live guitarist and aerial violinist will perform alongside tracked music created by James Olmstead, an accomplished music director, composer and arranger based in New York City.
Since its inception in 2010, the world-renowned cast of Cirque Musica has performed feats of grace, skill, and strength to audience members worldwide. It is one of the largest cirque companies in the world with multiple productions on tour and is produced by TCG entertainment.
Tickets, ranging in price from $39 to $130, are available at mgmspringfield.com.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.masslive.com ’
