You have to admire a boss who rolls up his sleeves and hunkers down with his crew — whatever the risk or task.
Of course, the risk goes up considerably when that task is dangling 25 feet above the ground on a circus contraption.
“I’ve always prided myself on never asking anyone to do anything I wouldn’t do myself, whether it’s loading a truck or swinging on a trapeze or sweeping the floor,” said Neal Goldberg, founder and artistic director of Cirque Dreams.
“If I fall, not only do the (cast members) come visit me in the hospital the next day, they make sure next time I’m on stage they show me the right way.”
Goldberg’s European-style circus company eschews the bombast of better-known (and much larger) rival Cirque du Soleil for more intimate shows, emphasizing focused movement over competing aerial stunts or set design.
But he still brings the death-defying acrobatic thrills, which has allowed his 150-person company to produce 12 different international touring shows since its 1993 inception. Such titles as “Cirque Dreams Ingenieux” and “Cirque Dreams Coobrila” hint at their outlandish, colorful nature.
Audiences can get a glimpse of Goldberg’s latest production, “Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy,” as it finishes its run at the Buell Theatre through Sunday.
The show, which took 2 1/2 years to develop, will have played 50 of its 90 cities by the time it leaves Denver. It trades on the organic mysteries and exoticism of jungles as performers in luminous, skintight suits spin, balance and fly across the stage on myriad contraptions.
The kid-friendly, interactive program kicks it up a notch in the second half as 10,000 watts of ultraviolet light illuminate the performers (25 in all, wearing 150 different costumes) in invisible UV paint.
“We were looking to build the content of the show around the environment, so we started transforming electric violinists into trees and jugglers into frogs,” Goldberg said. “The vocabulary of the show is truly the color and visuals that unfold on stage.”
Goldberg likened the pacing to a traditional ensemble piece, saying it had all the elements of musical theater: Melody, color, constant movement.
“The character I play is very energetic and outgoing, always jumping around a lot,” said Marcello Balestracci, 23, who portrays Jungle Boy and other characters in the show. “I’m an actor, so a lot of it’s my own energy and my own person.”
But Balestracci is also an acrobat, which is foremost in his ability to perform the role. A five-year-veteran of Cirque Dreams, he trains nearly every day — even in his off time.
“There are always rehearsals on and off stage,” he said. “I’ll go down to the Florida office to get ready for the next season.”
The “office” is the vertically integrated company’s 10,000-square-foot production facility in Pompano Beach, Fla. It teams gymnasts and choreographers with creative and production types, carefully choosing new company members from a weekly slate of international applications.
Goldberg’s background producing Super Bowl halftime shows and Miss America pageants no doubt prepared him for the level of spectacle needed to wade into a market where Cirque du Soleil dominates.
But he’s not kidding himself.
“I never had a plan to compete with Cirque du Soleil,” he said. “We have evolved into a brand that appeals to a demographic that I don’t think Cirque du Soleil covers, and that is the affordable-ticket family market.
“I’ve heard comments that our shows are about appreciating the art for what it is, and not about the spinning stage. You spend $100 million to develop a show and you better see the stage spinning.”
cirque dreams jungle fantasy.
European-style circus. Buell Theatre, 1101 13th St. Today-Sunday. 8 p.m. today-Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday. $20-$60. 303-893-4100 or
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com
