Cleveland Public Theatre’s ‘How The Circus Stole Christmas’ is family friendly

From the same people who brought you “The Loush Sisters” and “Light The Lights, Ol’ Moses Cle (A Wild Holiday Romp) comes another Christmas inspired production “How The Circus Stole Christmas (A Circus Holiday Extravaganza!)”. Directed by Jaime Bouvier and co-created by Jaime Bouvier and Vanessa Lange with Crooked River Circus.

Unlike past offerings that leaned more towards the naughty than the nice, this production is clean as a whistle and is actually geared towards children of all ages. You read that right. You can take the entire family to see this show. Who would have thunk it?

It features the usual line-up of characters including Nebuchadnezzar Scrooge (Jaime Bouvier), Ghost of Christmas Presents (Amanda Yoho), Krampus (Vanessa Lange), Santa Claus (Keith Filip), Eve Claus (Luna Larkinsong aka Holly Holsinger), Jackie Marley (Billy Ritter), Snow Sprite (Sarah Tapper), Snow Globe (Hayley Larson), The North Wind (Dalia Shafie) and Solstice Spirit (Chris Szajbert) as well as an array of Elves: Ivy (Megan Obi), Peppermint (Amy Lence), Svetlania (Sophia Kopasakis), Jeff (Maribel Esperanza) and Clara (Kim Baron), Reindeer: Jolly (Lucretia Stenson), Jovial (Siobhan Bowden), Jingle (Ariana Stone), Joy (Allison Zaleski) and Jubilee (Kendra Cundiff), Misfit Toys: Jack (Eton Barrett), Rudolph (Erica Henrichsen), Betty (Becky Enz) and Lucy (Cheyanne Smith), Lover of Maji: Juniper (Lola Hocking) and Willow (Cary Manning) and Alien Frogs: Xyr (Ky Cobb), Yert (Jared Caldwell), Xyz (Jenn Drakulich) and Xya (Emily Lobue). Yes, that is correct, alien frogs. Much to many’s relief there were no clowns.

Each of the performers excel in various circus type skills including Silks, Lyra, Unicycle, Pole, Acro, Trapeze, Cyr Wheel, Rope, Harness, Hammock, Staff, Baton, and Straps, sometimes with numerous things happening all at once.

Nebuchadnezzar (Jaime Bouvier) is once again bummed out about the Christmas holidays as the Ghost of Christmas Presents (Amanda Yoho) pays a visit. To get Scrooge back into the holiday spirit they magically travel to the north pole where things are not going well this holiday season. The pair is joined by Krampus (Vanessa Lange) as they visit the various North Pole areas of interest including the Elf’s Workshop, Reindeer Fields, Island of Misfit toys and Santa’s House.

They find that instead of an idyllic scene, the Elves are organizing a union to go out on strike, the Reindeer are refusing to pull the sled, the Misfit Toys are making an engine to pull the sleigh and replace the reindeer and the Alien Frogs are causing all sorts of mischief. Can Scrooge, Presents and Krampus save Christmas? Will everyone be made happy and jolly once again? Will someone please explain the reason behind the Alien Frogs? Yes, Yes and Yes.

The main challenge in watching this show is where to focus your eyes. With 30 performers at times filling the stage there is so much going on that you may get dizzy trying to figure out what to watch. This is a good thing.

You have a combination of a cute story line combined with excellent examples of circus skills that your children will love and talk about for quite some time. The only negative was that the acting could have been sharpened up just a bit but this will improve as the show goes on.

Cleveland Public Theater has combined with Crooked River Circus for a family friendly safe show that your entire clan will love. The characters are interesting and easy to like, the circus gags are top notch and the costuming is appropriate for the setting. Bring the entire family for a fun evening!

“How The Circus Stole Christmas” will be onstage in Cleveland Public Theatre’s Gordon Square Theatre, 6415 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio through December 10, 2022. Tickets are going fast and can be purchased by going to https://www.cptonline.org/ or by calling (216) 631-2727.