It's showtime on the Showboat!

By Meredith Deliso

We were already big fans of “Showboat Shazzam,” a long-running circus series at the Waterfront Museum and Barge in Red Hook. And now that it’s cheaper, we love it even more!

When the aerialists, jugglers and contortionists return to the Red Hook waterfront on June 5, you can get front-row action for only $10 — down $6 for adults and a couple buck for the kids compared to last year’s rates.

With those savings, you might as well take advantage and go more than once.

“Every weekend there’s wholly different artists,” said Artistic Director Karen Gersch. “It’s a whole new show.”

The diverse acts kicking things off include juggler Adam Kapilow; aerialists Megan and Marui; contortionists The Sorbet Sisters; and clown Tanya Solomon.

Down the pipe, highlights include juggler and comedian Will Shaw, Gabeze Trapeze (pictured) and David Sharps, caretaker of the barge, performing a Chinese vase manipulation act (June 19); and slackrope clown prince Dikki Ellis (June 26).

On July 24, the barge docks at the foot of Atlantic Avenue, at Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 6, with aerialist Hilary Sweeney and acrobat Aerial Emery in tow.

The site may change, but its spirit won’t.

“This is the closest children can get to the circus,” said Gersch. “That’s always our MO.”          

 

Showboat Shazzam at the Waterfront Museum and Showboat Barge [Pier 44 at Conover and Beard streets in Red Hook, (718) 624-4719], June 5, 19, and 26 at 1 pm and 4 pm, and at Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 6 (Atlantic Avenue at Furman Street in Brooklyn Heights), July 24 at 1 and 4 pm. Tickets $10 (in advance). For info, visit www.waterfrontmuseum.org.

Photo by Deborah Grosmark

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Check out this circus show

By Meredith Deliso

This is a circus show for people who take circuses seriously.

From impresario Victor Shulman, the man who brought us “Russian Circus on Ice” a few years back, comes “Moscow Circus on Stage,” a stage show featuring stars of the Russian circus scene at the Millennium Theater in Brighton Beach on Dec. 25 and 26.

“Russians are known for their circus,” said promoter Tatiana Barrios-Flores. “Shulman hand-picked these performers, many of whom have traveled all over the world.”

That includes contortionists, aerialists, a contortionist who does aerial tricks, strong men, dogs that can do back flips and ride bicycles (seriously), and one of the most famous clowns in Russia — Boris.

“People should not confuse this with a ‘Disney on Ice’ or some other circus show,” said Shulman. “These are circus performers audiences would find in shows like the ‘Cirque du Soleil.’ We have found the greatest gymnasts and finest circus acts and put them on stage.”

“Moscow Circus on Stage” at the Millennium Theater [1029 Brighton Beach Ave. between Brighton 11th and Brighton 12th streets in Brighton Beach, (718) 615-1500], Dec. 25 and 26 and noon and 3 pm. Tickets $40-$60; children five and under can sit on their parent’s lap for half price. For info, call (631) 727-0222.

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Shazzam! Waterfront Museum's circus series returns this June

By Meredith Deliso

It’s showtime on the showboat!

The popular Sunday circus series returns to the Waterfront Museum, a restored barge on the Red Hook waterfront, with a whole new season of acrobats, aerialists and jugglers in “Showboat Shazzam.”

For families acquainted with the barge and its variety show CIRCUSundays, have no fear: this is the same show, but with the name changed for fundraising purposes (apparently, state agencies aren’t so keen on giving grants to anything with the word circus in it).

As in past years, the show will include a variety of acts for a full circus experience — right at your feet.

“It’s the closest parents and children will be to circus performers,” said Karen Gersch, artistic director of the show, now in its 14th season on the barge. “It’s that proximity and intimacy that makes our series so successful.” (Successful, indeed. Last year, Brooklyn Paper reviewer Thurston Dooley III couldn’t stop raving.)

This year’s series starts on June 6 with the comedy trio Fidget, Loon & Tater; eccentric juggler Will Shaw; acrobats Rudy & Lea; aerialist Hilary Sweeney (pictured), who does her act on a hammock and a rope; and Rudi Macaggi, a winner of “America’s Got Talent” who performs comedy acrobatics (see that footage below).

Other highlights of the month-long series include a pirate — Billy Bones the Good Pirate! (June 13) — Professor Phineas Feelgood’s Flea Circus (June 20), and David Sharps, caretaker of the barge, performing a Chinese vase manipulation act (June 13).

“It’s always great to see the barge fill up with folks who had never been to Red Hook or the barge, as well as those who return every year,” said Sharps.

Because luckily, this showboat isn’t going anywhere.

Showboat Shazzam at the Waterfront Museum and Showboat Barge [Pier 44 at Conover and Beard streets in Red Hook, (718) 624-4719], Sundays in June at 1 pm and 4 pm. Tickets $16 for adults, $12 for kids (in advance). For info, visit www.waterfrontmuseum.org.

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High flying in Brooklyn

Starting this Thursday, The Montessori Circus Show comes to town, an avant garde performance featuring aerialists, hula hooping, puppetry, wood chopping, baking, and some clowning thrown in for good measure.

With its 15-foot ceilings and wood ceiling, The Bushwick Starr makes for a perfect venue for the circus, one of several in Brooklyn able to accommodate a trapeze.

"There seems to be a big following for it," says Sue Kessler, managing director and curator of The Bushwick Starr, who's had several trapeze troupes come through since opening as a performance space two years ago.

With its loft and industrial spaces, Brooklyn at large has been a breeding ground for young trapeze artists. Here's a look at some of the main players and places specializing in trapeze, many of which also have classes so you can get in on the fun as well:

Lollo Brigitta: A trapeze duo comprised of Lollo Romanski and Cecilia Grimm, the two created The Montessori Circus Show for the Bushwick Starr, which is their first full-length show and also features the talents of acrobats Jocelyn Davis and Ana Carolina. It starts this Thursday, December 3, and runs for two weekends only.

Ruby Streak Studio: Founded by performer/instructor Natalie Agee, this Sunset Park-based studio offers private and semi-private instruction in trapeze, handstands, acrobatic partnering and more, to people of all levels. Studio rental space to qualified students and professionals is also available. The space frequently hosts performances as well, though the next event is non-aerial related - a holiday craft fair on December 20.

Espana-Streb Trapeze Academy: This Williamsburg space, a former warehouse near the waterfront, gets you soaring with classes in the flying trapeze. Classes and workshops are held in the Streb Lab for Action Mechanics, which is also home to Streb's Pop Action school, as well as performances by the company. Want to get flying? Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. are devoted to a beginner trapeze workshop (drop ins welcome), costing $425 for 10 weeks. Email trapeze@streb.org to book a spot.

The Trapeze Loft: Tanya Gagné (one half of the world-famous Wau-Wau Sisters) and local circus artist teaches the craft at the Trapeze Loft in Williamsburg. Founded in 1999 as a place to learn and improve circus skills in a professional yet relaxed and supportive environment, the Loft offers classes in juggling, hula hooping, tightrope, handstands, lyra, doubles trapeze, and more. An upcoming highlight includes aerial silks lessons from Kellie Vella, for both beginner and advanced levels. For two weeks starting December 18. Email kvelour@yahoo.com to sign up.

Galapagos Art Space: The DUMBO venue has seen its fair share of aerial arts, including shows from The Trapeze Loft and various runs by aerial troupe Suspended Cirque. Each week, the cabaret space hosts its Floating Karaette, a variety show sure to have an acrobatic or two. In fact, this Friday's features Germany aerial adonis Jan Manke and aerial beauty Lisa Natoli as some of its featured acts. And on December 19 and 20, the aforementioned Suspended Cirque brings its 12 Acts of Christmas to the space, a holiday spectacular up in the air.

Unata Aerial Yoga: Michelle Dortignac, a member of Suspended Cirque, is at the helm of this yoga studio, which combines traditional yoga with the physical training of an aerial acrobat, so you're suspended as you stretch your spine. The main class location in Brooklyn in Williamsburg kicks off its winter schedule this Saturday for those interested in checking it out. All levels welcome.

LAVA: Artists like Lollo Romanski and Cecilia Grimm have trained with LAVA, a troupe of artists who perform original works that combine dance, theater and acrobatics, training in their Prospect Heights studio. Last seen in Brooklyn performing "we become," LAVA is currently on tour for that show. The studio also provides classes in acrobatics and trapeze for kids and adults. The winter session begins January 4, with registration beginning December 7. Check its website for the complete schedule.

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Montessori Circus Show comes to town

By Meredith Deliso

Forget parading elephants and cheesy emcees.

The Montessori Circus Show is a Brooklyn-style stage spectacular, an avant-garde piece featuring aerialists, hula hooping, puppetry, wood chopping, baking, and some clowning thrown in for good measure.

Conceived by trapeze duo Lollo Birgitta, the show was commissioned by The Bushwick Starr following the two’s sold-out show last spring during the theater’s Bushwhack Series, an experimental performing arts festival. The production is the second piece to be produced by the two-year-old theater, following their run of “Rocky Philly” this past summer, and will be the first full-length show for Lollo Romanski and Cecilia Grimm, who comprise Lollo Birgitta.

Though there are decidedly diverse elements included in the night, “I didn’t want it to be a variety show,” says Grimm, who, in addition to Romanksi, will be joined by acrobats Jocelyn Davis and Ana Carolina on stage. “We wanted to create small stories within a bigger story.”

Specifically, the show will feature circus acts and vignettes inspired by classic 19th century American carnivals as it plays upon aspects of the Montessori method, specifically the idea that physical activity should be used in a child’s absorbing abstract concepts and learning practical skills. Fittingly, the show answers the question “What do I want to be when I grow up?” as it weaves its various acts together, performed on the stage and in the air at the Bushwick space, which, with its 15-foot ceilings, is a natural for aerial stunts.

“Our space is a good-sized theater, but you feel really close up to the action,” says Sue Kessler, managing director and curator of The Bushwick Starr. “It’s so exciting to see aerial work and these kinds of things in an intimate space like ours. You’re just so used to watching trapeze from very far way in more of an arena setting.”

When Kessler and partner Noel Joseph Allain got the Starr Street space in 2002 to use for their theater company, they never envisioned performances would take place above the stage. But since opening as the Bushwick Starr in 2007 after the theater company fizzled, they’ve hosted Lollo Brigitto, as well as Agee’s Ruby Streak Studio and the San Francisco-based company Bow and Sparrow, among others.

“(Aerial work’s) always been really received well, especially by the Bushwick community,” says Kessler. “I think it’s great that a lot of theaters are embracing this art form. We’re very happy to be a part of it.”

In addition to trapeze work, the Montessori Circus Show will also feature stilt walking, juggling, live baking (to include more of the senses), and finger puppetry, which will involve animal shapes projected onto a large screen. So, in a way, there will be elephants.

The Montessori Circus Show runs at the Bushwick Starr (207 Starr St.) December 3-5 and December 10-12. All shows are at 8 p.m., with tickets $10. Advance purchase is recommended.

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Big Top bonanza in Brooklyn: Cole Bros. Circus hits town

This summer heralds the 125th Anniversary of Cole Bros. Circus, the oldest, American Circus performing under the Big Top.

W. W. Cole, who inaugurated the Cole Bros. Circus title in 1884, began his circus career in 1871, amassing fortune and fame by bringing to cities and villages the most astounding marvels of the day.

Among the amazing attractions promoted by W. W. Cole, incandescent light — a single, glowing glass globe, powered by a steam engine — drew record crowds, with young and old alike filling Cole’s tent to witness the seemingly impossible invention.

The brightly lit tent of Cole Bros. Circus of the Stars bears slight resemblance to W. W. Cole’s 19th century Big Top, but the tradition of watching what appears unbelievable happen right before your eyes remains at Cole Bros. Circus.

The 2009 Edition of Cole Bros. Circus celebrates 125 years of circus history with a special performance reprising legendary circus acts of the past along with showcasing the talents of cirque nouveau artists.

The Toprasta Troupe, from Columbia, recreates the treacherous, three-tier, Seven-Man Pyramid on the High Wire. Russia’s Svetlana Golobolova exhibits grace, which belies her strength in an exquisitely executed gymnastic routine on aerial silks. Circus daredevils cast caution aside as they challenge The Globe of Death and Giant Gyro Wheel, with the zany Cole Bros. Clown Crew arriving in the nick of time to provide comic relief.

Elephants and acrobats, camels and jugglers, dogs and ponies, and arguably the world’s funniest mule take turns in the spotlight, and The Human Cannonball gets fired at every show.

Ticket prices start at free for children 12 and under with coupons distributed throughout the area including all Carvel Ice Cream Stores and available at www.freekidstickets.com. Go to www.gotothecircus.com for more information.

The show comes to Midland Beach Park in Staten Island, on Father Capodanno Boulevard, now to July 26, with show times Monday-Friday at 5 and 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2, 5 and 7 p.m. The show then moves to Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field at Aviator Sports & Recreation’s Hanger 5, July 27-August 2, with showtimes Monday-Friday at 5 and 8 p.m. (except Wednesday, when shows are at 10:30 a.m. and 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday at 2, 5 and 7 p.m.

On July 27, the FDNY opens the show with their Honor Guard. The NYPD Emerald Society performs God Bless America at the circus, July 29 at the 10:30 a.m. show.Tickets start at $17; $12 for children and seniors. Get $5 off adult tickets by purchasing in advance. For more, call 800-796-5672.

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Coney Island Boom-A-Ring opens with a bang!

Photos by Paul Martinka

To an avalanche of “ooohs” and “aaahs” from spellbound spectators, electrifying daredevils, awesome acrobats and a cavalcade of jungle animals converged under a blue and gold Big Top to kick off a whole summer’s worth of heart-pounding hijinks in Coney Island with the opening day of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s Boom-A-Ring Circus — attended by Mayor Mike Bloomberg, aptly attired in a top hat.

The “Greatest Show on Earth” made its sensational splash with the first of 84 shows planned along the boardwalk at West 21st Street and Surf Avenue, wowing the crowd with dazzling feats of human accomplishment against the backdrop of a charming one-ring circus, the first big-top extravaganza Ringling Brothers has produced under a tent since 1954.

In synchronized displays of wonder, aerialists and high-wire troupes leapt and soared to lofty heights, a majestic pack of white Bengal tigers and Asian elephants moved the audience to a hush and a funnybone-tickling crop of clowns ushered in the giggles. State-of-the-art electronics enhanced the non-stop thrills, which were further amplified by the traditional sounds of a circus band.

View the rollicking extravaganza, featuring a rip-roaring roster of performers — including the Urias family, known as “The First Family of the Motorcycle Globe”; The Negrey Troupe, a world-renowned retinue of Russian acrobats making their New York debut; and “Eccentric Personality Extraordinaire” Justin Case — through September 7.

Performances will take place on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and tickets start at $10. Arrive an hour before show time for the All Access Pre-show, which is free to all ticket holders, and meet Ringling Bros. performers and animals, learn circus skills and enjoy a taste of the circus before the show even starts.

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Circus's last days

For the past few weeks all the attention has been on the Boom a Ring circus coming to Coney Island, but for years, Brooklynites have been entertained on another waterfront.

CIRCUSundays at The Waterfront Museum in Red Hook, New York’s acclaimed little big top by the sea, celebrates 13 seasons this year, and this year's comes to a close June 28 with performances at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

This Sunday show is European intimate circus at its most breathtaking, as it brings David & Paris, a tip top magician and a hip-hop juggler; veterans of Las Vegas resorts and the Apollo Theater in Harlem.

Also on the bill is Li Liu, award-winning acrobat from Chinese National Circus and Ringling Bros. who presents a dazzling Risley act and her signature one-armed hand balancing.

Also catch Hilary Chaplain, Brooklyn’s Clownesse. Out of each well-choreographed cacophony of chaos, she steps lithely like a ballerina. Joshua Dean offers aerial artistry, which has earned him accolades throughout the country.

The Waterfront Museum is located at 290 Conover Street, across the street from the Fairway Market in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Tickets are $14, $10 for kids (under age two are free); $18 and $12 at the door.

For more, call 877-238-5596.

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Come on, get happy

Smile, it's "Glee Club"

These are troubled economic times - yes, we know. Though the recession has been a bane for many (in the last month, 345,000 to be exact), some entertainers are working their hardest to cheer up you.

As previously noted, The Brick Theater in Williamsburg (575 Metropolitan Avenue) is putting on its Antidepressant Festival, a month of oddball plays and acts that range from glee clubs to cabaret. That kicks off tonight with "doctor" Lisa Levy, S.P. performing excerpts from her show, “Stand up. Lie Down.” The cabaret’s followed by a “Prescription Pill: Party," where you can tell Dr. Levy your problem and she’ll write you a “prescription,” which you can redeem at the “pharmacy counter” for some “medication.”

Also in Williamsburg, one show is sending in the clowns to fight those depression blues. "And Everyone Laughed," June 13 at the S.L.A.M. Warehouse (51 N. 1st Street), will feature said clowns, as well as flying trapeze artists, a strongman, and an eclectic mix of music and mixed−media art in a Coney Island-esque event for North Brooklyn.

At $20, the ticket price is just at that point where you might hesitate going, but it also serves as a benefit for the Streb Dance School. So that should also make you feel good.

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Circus is coming to town!

After confirming that the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus will set up a tent in Coney Island this summer amid earlier rumors, tickets are now on sale for the greatest show on earth.

Tickets for the circus's Boom A Ring show, to be set up at West 21st Street and the boardwalk from June 18 through Sept. 7, range between $10 and $65 and can be obtained online at Ringling.com and ticketmaster.com or by phone at 1−800−745−3000.

The event isn't without the usual controversey surrounded the use of animals for entertainment. PETA activists were on hand last week to protest the circus's coming to Coney last week and the use of elephants in the show, saying, "It is not necessary to have circus animals perform unnatural acts."

You tell us -- will you be bringing your little ones to the circus this summer?

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