Cirque du Solei’s “Twas the Night Before..” took center stage at the Toyota Oakdale Theater in Wallingford, Connecticut, Dec. 4-8.
Photo credit: Kyle Flubacker MSG Entertainment
“Now I feel like I’m in the holiday spirit,” my 24-year-old son commented as we walked the parking lot of the Toyota Oakdale Theater in Wallingford, Connecticut.
We’d just seen the opening night performance of Cirque du Solei’s “Twas the Night Before…” in residence at the theater that weekend and Dec. 4 through 8.
It was a delightful show, that, in 90 minutes, captured the spirit of the holiday with lights, music and spectacle as only a Cirque production can.
We enter the story in an all-too-familiar scene for parents, a father trying to hold onto the magic of Christmas – in this case the tradition of reading the poem “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” – for a child, Isabella, who’s decided she’s outgrown the story and would rather listen to her headphones and watch stuff on her phone. The father also presents his daughter with a bicycle as a gift, which she promptly snubs.
Suspend your disbelief here – at this point, a “storm” tears the tiny family apart and father and child go searching for each other through the “snow” – encountering whimsical characters and productions that seek to illuminate the spirit of the poem, and the season.
The show features a total of 41 holiday songs – including “Jingle Bells,” “Deck the Halls” and “Silent Night” – with 29 original pieces – all a backdrop for the skill and artistry that takes place onstage as Isabella makes her way through the poem and the “storm” to reunite with her father.
From the strength and grace of the strap artist duo who open the journey to the high jumping “reindeer” – diving though impossibly small, 18-inch golden rings and leaping to clear a final large ring (without a springboard!) set 10 feet in the air – that close the show, the performance showcases the athleticism and circus-style talent that are always the hallmarks of a Cirque show.
My husband loved the playful “mice” that provided an entertaining tumbling act atop a table in classic Cirque clowning style. We were all enthralled by the Chinese yo-yo (often called diablo) act, performed on a semi-lit stage with illuminated yo-yos that in the first moments on a pitch-black stage had the appearance of drones floating in mid-air. The high-tossing and split-second catches by the performers had the audience erupting in applause. The act even brought two audience members onstage to participate in a trick where the yo-yos were sent at lightning-fast speeds along cords carefully wrapped around their waists. It was quite a sight!
There is more dancing in this production – provided by a troupe of white-clad elves who provide the interlude between acts. They steal the show at points with their playful clowning and the perfectly timed tossing of ‘starlight” between performers. The meaning of the scruffy Santa-like character- dressed in a shaggy, sooty coat – is hard to grasp at first, but it becomes clear as the show progresses, he’s meant to guide Isabella back to the spirit of the season, even gifting her father with a set of headphones near the close of the show. He’s also a skilled juggler, displaying his impressive talent working with multiple illuminated Indian clubs on a dark stage during his debut.
High-speed roller skating on a tiny “frozen’ pond, gasp-producing ariel spins with the performer suspended only by her hair and a closing scene of Isabella performing intricate tricks on her bike round out the show, with Santa then joining Isabell and her father as they reunite, presenting both with the book containing the poem.
The show is charming and uplifting and made a perfect respite from the hustle and bustle of the season for my family. Performances continue on Dec. 5 and 6 at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 7 at 1,4, and 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 8 at noon, 3 and 6 p.m. Tickets start at $53 per person. For more information visit https://www.oakdaletheatre.com/ or call the box office at 203-265-1501. The theater is located at 95 South Turnpike Rd. in Wallingford, Connecticut.
