Bayou Blue students return to new dig
December 29, 2006Jan. 27
January 3, 2007
And it will be unlike any circus many have seen in the Tri-parish region.
“Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy” promises to take audiences on an all-new soaring adventure. Created by Neil Goldberg, the production will be in Houma for one night only, Jan. 3, at 7:30 p.m., at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center.
Tickets are $35 to $46, and are on sale at the civic center box office and all Ticketmaster outlets.
“Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy” brings a colorful dream in an enchanted forest to the stage and air. The international cast includes aerialists, contortionists, vine swinging characters, strongmen and balancers. The lush jungle dream takes on a life of its own with wildly unpredictable designs, special effects, inventive choreography, puppeteering and dazzling costumes, promoters say.
But what makes Cirque Dreams productions so memorable is the world-class acrobatics. The cast’s seemingly impossible feats have captured audience’s attention across the country.
Reviews of the European circus have been nothing short of terrific. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune called the show, “Very funny, very entertaining n a magical, vividly evoked realm.” USA Today proclaimed it “Dazzling… A fantastical tale in an enchanted jungle.” And it’s been hailed as “A circus to blow your circuits,” (San Diego Union Tribune) and “A fanciful family-friendly production” (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette).
Civic center officials are banking on the latter. The staff is in the process of developing the next season, and plans to use the public’s reaction to the current offerings to lead the coming lineup.
“We’ve taken a new outlook on the shows we’ve selected this year,” said Director Dave Ohlmeyer. “Rather than just being Broadway plays, we’ve selected shows that are more family entertainment… more active performances.”
The change is a result of reaction to past seasons, he said. “We wanted to try to change a little what we’ve been doing because residents in Terrebonne Parish are very, very particular about the individual Broadway shows they want to see,” Ohlmeyer said.
And as touring Broadway shows become more expensive, communities have to be selective about their choices. “Unless we get great attendance, we can’t afford to offer that type of entertainment to the community,” he explained.
The civic center’s season-opener, “Scooby Doo in Stage Fright!”, “Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy” and the center’s next offering, “The Spencers Theatre of Illusion,” best exemplify the new approach to delivering family-oriented shows.
“We hope the general pubic tells us if this is the type of season they want to support,” Ohlmeyer said. “And, of course, they will do that through the number of tickets they purchase.”
