Review: A MAGICAL CIRQUE CHRISTMAS at National Theatre

Because seemingly everything on stage in December has a mandatory holiday theme, so should a traveling circus. Hence, "A Magical Cirque Christmas," holding court at The National Theatre this weekend.

Created by the Park City, Utah company MagicSpace Entertainment, known to conjure up traveling theatrical tours out of literally nothing - other current productions include "Alton Brown Live," a Beatles tribute act and "The Bachelor Live on Stage" - it combines a number of crowd pleasing acrobatic acts from veterans of both the Cirque du Soleil troupes and televised variety spectacles like "America's Got Talent," aligned into a very thin tale about the Yuletide being threatened because the clock that signals the start of the season may not be wound on by a dispirited clock keeper. So like so many holiday-focused productions the central concern is saving Christmas itself.

For whatever reason, it is the duty of the show's glamorous host to get it fixed. She is the magician Carisa Hendrix, in her persona as Lucy Darling, who, with multiple gowns, a poofy vermillion wig, and the highfalutin fast patter of an old Hollywood screwball comedy, brings a lot to the production.

She's got a natural delivery, with witty banter and easy rapport with the crowd, though she got a little stuck on opening night just hearing the name of a target in the first row. "I'll call you Bob," she said at last.

Her own magic specialty seems to be close-up, tabletop variety, some of it quite good, so her bits were amplified by some overhead video (though its slight lag was a little jarring).

The premise that they were being hurled through time to different periods allowed for some of the cirque acts to do their acts within the time perimeters of a suitable Christmas pop song of that era. That seemed fitting for a 1957 piece with "Rock Around the Clock" and "Run Rudolph Run" (though both of those songs are from '58) and a disco-fied era in the 70s. But often the clock ran back to indistinct eras of the recent past not particularly notable for its fashion nor its Christmas hit (which may be the fault of our indistinct times and unmemorable recent holiday pop).

Some of these songs were belted out by singer Audri Bartholomew, who had a nice power and range for doing whatever was required, from Mariah Carey's reigning holiday hit to "Silent Night." Like the cirque performers, she had a bit of a TV talent show credit as well, appearing on season 15 of "The Voice."

And what of this international troupe of cirque performers? The most amazing was probably Itzel Salvatierra, a tattooed mom from Mexico who proved a bundle of strength, both doing hand-to-hand work with Scott Cooper, but also on her own, up in an aerial hoop.

Canadian Oliver Belzile and Nicky Flaubert were an appealing pair in a duo act hanging from straps who'd bow out over the first few rows (no net), creating gasps, and also generating the most heat together in what was largely a family show.

David Locke did a remarkable bit with a Cyr Wheel - a large metal hoop that turns the performer into a kind of gyroscope as he spins around.

Jonathan Rinny, who had gone the furthest of the troupe on "America's Got Talent" (in season 22) had two crowd-pleasing acts. The first involved bicycle tricks on conventional sized models as well as one so tall he needed a ladder to climb on it and another so small it seemed hand-sized. He also did a dangerous-looking Rola Bola act involving balancing atop rolling cylinders, often many levels high,. In the end, he stacked up five skateboards for good measure.

A press release notes that in addition to "America's Got Talent," some of the performers had been on "Late Night," likely back when David Letterman had a bit called "Is this Anything?" on which head-slapping acts that were just as notable for their idea as for their execution were trotted out on stage.

Perfect for this was Brooklyn's Aryn Shelander, a professional Mongolian contortionist (she rests her head on a platform, looking at you, while stretching her back so far that her feet land in front of her). The mesmerizing hand balance acrobat is also "the world's first aerial foot-archery contortion act." I mean, while twisted aloft into a pretzel, who even thinks of shooting an arrow with her feet?

More conventional were the acts of juggler Christopher Stoinev (who dropped a couple) and hula hooper Kevin DeMaro who just needs a more fully-developed act.

The beauty of the touring production, created and directed by Louanne MADORMA with co-creators Jim Millan and host Carisa Hendrix, is that it can easily pop in acts as the tour goes on and others drop out (The D.C. show was missing some of the acts listed in its press release, including an intriguing "foot juggling" duo).

Where is the Christmas in all this? In the music that played, of course, and in the fancy video backdrops. And if there was some poignancy in a moment with a 10-year-old that Darling pulled from the audience, there was also a pang of suspicion. (What are the insurance requirements when levitating a volunteer? How did her heart-warming suggestion for the best magical gesture ("hugs") become the very thing that later saves Christmas? Do hugs save Christmas in every show?

Lest we fully enter into humbug territory, let's just say suspending disbelief helps in enjoying "A Magical Cirque Christmas" just as it does during other aspects of the holidays.

And the audience seemed to enjoy the generally charming production, even if it may not always have been quite up to the standards of its Broadway production prices.

Running time: Two hours, including one 15-minute intermission.

Photo credit: Rola Bola performer Jonathan Rinny. Credit: MagicSpace Entertainment.

"A Magical Cirque Christmas" plays The National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C., through Dec. 18. Tickets and info online.

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