Review: A MAGICAL CIRQUE CHRISTMAS at the Aronoff Center

On Friday, December 22nd, 2023, A Magical Cirque Christmas came to the Aronoff Center in Cincinnati, OH for a night of jaw-dropping spectacle, pure talent, and holiday cheer. With acts ranging from body-bending acrobats, daring endeavors, and awe-inspiring magic tricks, this tour truly goes above and beyond a mere holiday variety show. The goal of the evening is to enhance Christmas magic and joy for all, and in this it certainly succeeds.

The outlining premise of A Magical Cirque Christmas focuses on a cynic who doesn’t believe in Christmas magic (partly due to his upbringing in Phoenix, Arizona which seems to have made the holiday season less than joyful as a child) and must be convinced through experiencing joy, love, and snow. Thus, the main acts begin.

What follows is the most incredible array of talents featuring performers on unicycles, swings, and rope accompanied by a series of Christmas pop songs. As each act gets its time in the sun, the gasps and claps keep coming as the troupe members raise their personal bars higher and higher, in turn making the audience wonder how far they will go to impress. Just when one could think the act is over and it couldn’t get any more outrageous, it’s as if the show silently responds with, “But wait, there’s more!”, and they all continue to accomplish mind-blowing, death-defying activities that are typically thought to be impossible for a human body to manage. In short, they start off giving 130%, then somehow ramp it up to 400% by the end of every performance. In between the acrobats we are also treated with some magic experiences, with help from some lucky young patrons, as well as sardonic parody lyrics to classic Christmas tunes. (Shockingly, their depressing rendition of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas isn’t nearly as upsetting as the first draft of the original lyrics—look it up!) More entertainers are featured down the line, including an expert drummer with unique tricks, master jugglers, a truly insane contortionist, an acrobatic duo, and a certain balancing act that leaves the entire audience on the edge bearing witness to the seemingly impossible.

A Magical Cirque Christmas truly finds the sweet spot of a family-friendly variety show centered around a specific theme, with plenty of sophisticated acts to balance out the occasional exaggerated cheesiness. Cincinnati was a very lucky city getting to host this show for a night as a part of the company’s tour, especially on the holiday weekend when many have a particularly seasonal perk in their step.

A Magical Cirque Christmas is stopping in four more cities before finishing its 2023 winter tour later this month. For more information relating to show dates and tickets, visit magicalcirquechristmas.com or click on the link below.

Photo: MagicSpace Entertainment/Matt Gordon

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