Alice in Wonderland: A Circus Adventure

Alice in Wonderland: A Circus Adventure
MOTH Contemporary Circus Center
Newman Center for the Performing Arts
Denver, CO 
April 28-29, 2018

Alice in Wonderland seems to be a perfect fit for an acrobatic performance. Perhaps that was why the MOTH Contemporary Circus Center’s Alice in Wonderland Circus Adventure was such a draw.

The story of Alice does not have much of a plot, which allowed the fantastic characters to perform without needing to advance the story. Holding each adventure together was Alice wandering from character to character. She demonstrated a variety of skills as she often took part in the performances

The White Rabbit was a funny character who whimsically appeared from time to time. And the Queen of Hearts stole the show with her cruel games – often inviting the audience to take part. The mad tea party lived up to it's name with a particularly wacky Mad Hatter.

The show was reminiscent of Cirque du Soliel with trapeze acts, contortionists, high wire acts and arial silk performances. It was all tied together by a vocalist who appeared on the left side of the stage.

The quality of the show may not have been on par with Cirque du Soliel, but that didn’t take away from it in any way. The audience clearly enjoyed the performance.

Aladdin

Aladdin

National Tour
Buell Theater
Denver, CO 
April 6-28, 2018

Disney’s Broadway division in known for its spectacular effects. In Aladdin they have proved that no one can present a production number better. From the opening “Arabian Nights” they have pulled out all the stops in set and choreography.

When bringing Aladdin to the stage, significant changes were made the script. While the story remained the same, the changes in characters was most notable. All of the animal sidekicks were different in the show. Iago became a human stooge while Rajah and Abu were replaced with a trio of friends for each Aladdin and Jasmine. These changes made the story more believable and allowed for better development of the main roles.

The sets of the show were nothing short of spectacular. The Cave of Wonders was blinding and Jasmine’s room was what a palace should look like. The costumes added to the spectacle. Every performer on stage glittered in the finale.

The choreography was the star of this show. ”Friend Like Me” was a show stopping number that seemed to fill up half of Act One. The songs which were added exclusively for the stage show were enjoyable, if not memorable. "A Whole New World" was impressive as the mechanism to make the carpet fly was not at all visible.

The performances were solid for the most part. The role of the Genie was flawless. The combination of the original material, modern references and local jokes kept the audience engaged. Clearly, Disney did not just take the film and put it on stage. They used Aladdin as a vehicle to present their biggest theatrical spectacle to date.