Big Apple Circus Presents PLAY ON! April 4 - May 10 at City Hall Plaza

The spectacular Big Apple Circus is back in town for its 31st season with Play On! - a brand new, magical music box of a show! Play On! is a circus symphony of astonishing acts and side-splitting laughter, propelled by a jazzy mix of classical, soul and rock & roll from the best circus band in the land!

While the title is from Shakespeare (If music be the food of love, play on!), Play On! is pure circus, featuring the world's finest artists under a classic Big Top tent, performing in the intimate setting of a single ring! There are high-spirited Colombians on the flying trapeze; an acrobatic Chinese ballerina, pirouetting on top of her partner; jazzed-up juggling twins from America; Russians springing skyward from their Russian barre; a talented troupe of Italian dogs; and the breath-taking exploits of Big Apple Circus equestrians vaulting onto galloping horses. Not to mention our incomparable paragon of love and laughter, Grandma the Clown! No seat under the Big Top is more than 50 feet from the ring, so even if you're very small you won't miss a thing - it's the finest family entertainment around!

"The Big Apple Circus is your circus, Big Apple is back in town!"

Artistic and Creative Directors Paul Binder and Michael Christensen have gathered an amazing cast of extraordinary performers, who bring thrills and delight from eleven countries around the globe:

From England, Carrie Harvey, sensational international ringmistress - from Spain's Circo Mundial to France's Cirque Amar to England's Hippodrome - returns to host Play On!

From America, our beloved Grandma (Barry Lubin), iconic clown of Big Apple Circus's Department of Laughter, and International Clown Hall of Fame inductee!

From Russia, the award-winning Rodion Troupe amazes with startling, soaring leaps and flips from a bar that is only 5 inches wide in a Russian Barre act!

From Italy, Luciano Anastasini and his Pound Puppies, rescued from animal shelters, deliver doggone delight!

From America, clowns Glen Heroy and Mark Gindick take us on a quest to reconstruct an extraordinary music box in a magical adventure full of merry mischief!

From Belgium, renowned mime and comedian Olivier Taquin is joined by company member Valdis Yanovskis (Russia) in a whimsical, playful and endearing act that takes us back to the silent film era!

From America and Kazakhstan, Christine Zerbini and Sultan Kumisbayev are joined by their equine partners in a thrilling vaulting display around the ring!

From China, the Nanjing Acrobats combine world-class acrobatics and classical ballet to create unforgettable images of unparalleled skills and grace!

From Colombia, an astounding, heart-stopping trapeze act, The Flying Cortes!

From America, flashy identical juggling twins the LaSalle Brothers, Jake and Marty, are double the trouble and... the fun!

From Germany, Sarah Schwarz vibrates with playfulness and elegance on her tight wire as she dances to musical inventions and variations!

From China, Guiming Meng returns to the ring with unequaled equilibrium, jauntily juggling colossal ceramic jars!

From Russia, the lovely Regina Dobrovitskaya swings stylishly high above the ring in a breath-taking trapeze act!

And, completing the cast, the extraordinary and multi-talented artists of the Big Apple Circus Company: Andrey Mantchev (Bulgaria), Virgile Peyramaure (France), Christian Atayde Stoinev (America)!

A superb team of brilliant creators returns to the ring for the Big Apple Circus's most impressive line-up ever. Veteran clown and versatile director Steve Smith stages Play On! Award-winning Broadway composer Michael Valenti creates original music and orchestrations for musical director Rob Slowik, who conducts and performs with the brilliant Big Apple Circus Band. Choreographer Vicki Davis adds her scintillating stepwork. Costume designer Austin K. Sanderson designs another vibrant and eye-catching wardrobe. 2008 Tony Award®-winning scenic designer Todd Rosenthal creates the elaborate and innovative set. New to the creative team are accomplished sound designer Nick Borisjuk who adds rich reverberations, and lighting designer Shannon January who adds shimmer and sparkle. And, as always, creative consultant Barry Lubin contributes his one-of-a-kind comic genius to bump up the laugh factor.

Performances of Play On! begin Saturday, April 4th and run for 56 shows through Sunday, May 10th under the Big Top at City Hall Plaza, the fifth stop on the Big Apple Circus's 11-month, 10-city tour, following its world premiere engagement in the Washington DC metro area and annual seasons at Lincoln Center, NYC, Stone Mountain Park, GA, and Bridgewater, NJ. Tickets for Play On! range in price from $20 to $65 for Saturday, Sunday and Patriots Week shows, from $20 to $62 for weekday evening shows, and from $20 to $28 for 11 AM weekday matinees. Premium seating for $100 is available for Saturday, Sunday and all Patriots Week (4/21 - 4/24) shows. Tickets are available by calling (888) 541-3750 or at www.bigapplecircus.org. Starting February 14th, tickets may also be purchased at the Community Box Office in the lobby of Boston Children's Museum from 11 AM to 2 PM daily; there is a $1 per ticket service charge. The Circus Box Office in front of the Big Top opens Wednesday, March 18th; hours are Tues-Fri, 10 AM-8 PM; Sat-Mon, 10 AM-6 PM. The Big Top is heated in cold weather and air-conditioned in warm weather for all-season comfort.

For group sales, inquiries about wheelchair-accessible seating or for any additional information please call the Ticket Info Line at (800) 922-3772.

For 31 years the Big Apple Circus, New York's original one-ring circus, has been delighting audiences of all ages under its Big Top by presenting the finest in live family entertainment featuring world-class circus artistry. Experience the instant connection between audience and artist as your family sits less than 50 feet from the ring. The Big Apple Circus is a not-for-profit performing arts and outreach institution committed to invigorating the communities we serve with the joy and wonder of classical circus. Tax-deductible contributions made by corporations, foundations and individuals enable the Big Apple Circus to bring its special magic to diverse audiences through its outreach programs - Clown Care[SM], Vaudeville Caravan[SM], Circus After School[SM], Circus For All!® and Circus of the Senses® - as well as its critically acclaimed performances.

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