Review: CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE at Providence Performing Arts Center

When typically going into a theatre performance, you have either seen the play before or heard about it in some way so you go in with certain expectations. The great thing about "Cirque Dreams Holidaze" was, with never seeing a performance, we had no idea what we were in for, a visually stunning performance that proved to be magical.

This 98-minute performance with one intermission comes at a perfect time considering the troubled world around us. The performance is so colorful, the stages so magnificent that even the older people in the audience like me could not help but revert to their wonderfully simplistic days as a child and the dreams we all had through Christmas stories like the Nutcracker.

In "Cirque Dreams Holidaze", Ballerinas, nutcrackers, snowmen, penguins, reindeer, ethereal aerialists, gingerbread people, carolers, and colossal ornaments all come to life, mystifying the audience with their flying, balance, juggling techniques, and stretch imaginations. Think a unique holiday-circus performance. There's at least a dozen of these acts where I bit my lip constantly, wondering how the hell they pulled off these incredible and sometimes death-defying performances, whether it was the guy who was able to bend his body into a two-by-two box; or the woman who hung from a cable by her hair; or the guy who was able to climb up a rope and then dangle from it twenty feet up. There is a little special something in "Cirque Dreams Holidaze" for everyone. The juggling acts were all jaw-dropping even one where he juggled balls coming from his own mouth-something I had never seen before or a performer balancing on a board and a cylinder beneath, who kept adding levels to his breath-taking performance as I thought back to how difficult it was to simply balance on a simple skateboard. One performer became one with a metal wheel that spun around the stage while he did splits in the wheel or moved around the structure as it spun, one of my favorites of the night. There's even some amazing jump-rope skits where two to three performers jump rope while being seated or walking on their hands, which was simple amazing, as was the hula hoop experts, spinning six hoops while juggling, just incredibly-entertaining performances all set to a holiday theme.

There were plenty of kids in the audience, and that was a great thing, as you could hear them cheering throughout the performance. Between the visually stunning holiday colors, lights, incredibly ginormous stage, and the heart-stopping performances, "Cirque Dreams Holidaze" is a perfect treat for the whole family, from the very young to the very old and all who fall in between. My wife, playing her best kid rendition beside me, was simply awestruck and you will be too. Lose yourself for 98 minutes and go back to those wonderful dreams you had as a kid and remember, you are never too old to go back, when life was just so simple.

For tickets go to Providence Performing Arts Center | Online Ticket Office | Event/Item List for "Cirque Dreams Holidaze" (evenue.net)

Show times on Saturday, December 18 at 11 AM, 3 PM and 7:30 PM. Ticket prices are $20 - $70.

PPAC COVID-19 Health and Safety Measures - ppacri.org/healthandsafety

Children under 12 must wear a mask at all times while inside the theatre (except when actively eating/drinking).

Guests aged 12 and over: please bring your official vaccination card, along with a valid photo ID. A digital photo or hard copy of your vaccination card will be accepted at the entrance. If you are unable to vaccinate (this includes people with a medical condition or closely held religious belief that prevents vaccination), then you must provide printed or digital proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the performance start time (PCR test results take 24-48 hours), or a negative COVID-19 antigen test (also known as a rapid test) taken within 6 hours of the performance start time (rapid tests results are usually available in approximately 20 minutes). At-home COVID-19 tests will not be accepted.

Masks are required and must be worn while inside the theatre for all events; they

may be adjusted while actively eating and drinking but must fully cover the nose

and mouth at all other times.

Photo Credit: Ron Elkman

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