Review: Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy

Flying creatures, breathtaking acrobatics and delighted children come together in "Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy," an unusual Broadway offering at the Broadway Theatre.

The creation of Neil Goldberg, Cirque toured the country before landing on Broadway to the delight of all the children who were seated near me. It's an exotic encounter in the jungle, brought to vivid life by a cast of 28 aerialists, contortionists, acrobats, jugglers and musicians dressed in more than 150 of Lenora Taylor's every-color-imaginable costumes.

Less cerebral than Cirque de Soleil, Cirque Dreams has a story you can follow, lyrics in English and is specifically geared toward kids. We were treated to some spectacular jump roping, a slow crawling turtle, a juggling frog and ribbon flyers. At intermission a dad next to me wondered what else could be presented in the second act and whether his children would remain entertained during it. The answer was lots and yes.


A giraffe balancing act had the audience gasping and covering their eyes as Vladmir Dovgan and Anatoliy Yeniy added a fourth platform to their balancing tower. And cleverly, the second act is set in the jungle at night, so the millions of colors glow with a neon-like effect.

The choreography by Tara Jeanne Vallee is great, with performers in time to the music, even on the trapeze. The Broadway belt voice of Jill Diane (Mother Nature) felt a little heavy for Jill Winters' score and lyrics, but didn't distract from the fun. Jared Burnett, a classically trained violinist, stands out as the character Soultree Violinist, who serenades through the show on a six-string electric violin Viper created for Cirque.

A couple of brief attempts at humor involved some more mature movements that seemed out of place in a show geared toward the little ones. Offering the man bracing a pyramid with his head a few aspirin, for example, might have brought more laughs than more mature movements that hopefully went over the heads of the youngsters.

The limited engagement runs through Aug. 24.

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A great family fun show with characters appealing to children, minus the usually "dark" villains most children's shows feel they must include.