What a spectacular show we saw last night at Denver’s Buell Theater! “Circus 1903 – The Golden Age of Circus” thrilled us with its amazing performances, death-defying feats, extraordinary puppet elephants and comical ringleader. We were on the edge of our seats for nearly every act, along with all the kiddos in attendance. So yes, we think this is likely the greatest circus show on Earth right now!
This Broadway play isn’t exactly a play, but rather a re-creation of the vintage-era Circus, showcasing all of the hard work, diverse personalities, odd talents, glitz, danger, and showmanship that the Circus was known for in its heyday. The show pairs producers of the world’s largest magic show, “The Illusionists” with the award winning puppeteers from “War Horse”, and an incredible cast of people who are top notch performers from all four corners of the world. During the show I wasn’t sure if the ringleader was just saying these performers were from Italy, Germany, France, etc. because it would heighten the thrill, but reading the program after the show these performers are by no means pretending, not even the ringleader. They are all bona fide award-winning performers of their craft from across the globe. A few of the performers have been in Cirque du Soleil, most have been on TV, and nearly all have won numerous awards for their talents. This show and its performances are the real deal and we still can’t believe the incredible things we saw! We also can’t imagine what casting must have been like, but it’s always the best of the best to make it on Broadway and we were truly blown away.
To give you an idea of what you’ll see, and we absolutely encourage you to go see this show, is a blend of comedy, puppetry, and a slew of incredible, unique, death defying performances. The show is nonstop entertainment and had us laughing so hard we had tears at times, holding our breath and looking away for moments, and frequently clapping and shouting at the top of our lungs to show our amazement. As the ringleader reminded us, “A lifetime of dedication goes into these performances that last a few fleeting moments under the big top.” These people are literally risking their lives in front of our eyes, so the least we can do is support them in the craft they’ve pursued. From various acrobatic acts, to out of control contortionists, to aerialists, jugglers, cycling tricks, highwire acts and puppetry, you’ll see it all at “Circus 1903” except clowns, which is fine by us.
The show itself runs two hours with a 20-minute intermission to catch our breath and get some popcorn. Curtain times are 7:30pm Thursday – Sunday with 2pm weekend matinees. Family Four Packs for $99 are available in Level 2 and 3 for all evening performances with promo code SAVE. You can also save 50% on Level 2 seats with promo code CIRCUS17THX.
http://www.denvercenter.org/circus1903
Review by Tiffany Candelaria | Photos by Mark Turner Images