Imagine yourself as a child at the turn of the century, say, in the year 1900. Imagine you beg your parents to take you to watch the circus that has just pulled into town. You enter the tent, you hear the ringmaster shouting, “Come one, come all, come feast your eyes on my amazing circus, come witness the spectacle of my bizarre and whimsical performers.” Then the ringmaster continues to make preposterous claims such as, “ Here is the performer I found wandering through the Siberian tundra,” or “This is the lass I rescued from an attack by a vicious raccoon!”
Now you’re getting the idea.
Now, imagine you can get that same experience in today’s times, in 2012… oh, wait a minute, you can! The Vespertine Circus has embarked on a tour of the West Coast, and their last stop is right here in Sacramento, CA. I had the pleasure of watching their show last night, and it proved to be some good old-fashioned fun.
The first half of the show was an introduction to the circus and the characters, giving the crowd a glimpse of what the performers could achieve. But, of course, the best was saved for last. The real amazement was delivered in the second half of the show, when breathtaking, death-defying feats were displayed for the audience. Hoop dancers, fire dancers, aerialists — they were all represented. And the last act of the show, I have no idea what to call it, so I’ll just call it awesome! It was great fun, appropriate for kids of all ages, including you kids over the age of 18!
The Vespertine Circus’s last show on their West Coast tour is tonight in Sacramento, at the California Stage (2509R Street). More information at http://www.vespertinecircus.com.
Words and photos by Loraine Gonzalez