Shanghai Acrobats

SHANGHAI ACROBATS DEBUT

SHANGHAI NIGHTS IN VERIZON HALL

AT THE KIMMEL CENTER

FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

This remarkable spectacle is a sheer delight. The production begins and ends with a couple in magnificent costumes. Their love story is interwoven throughout the show. Over one hundred acrobats perform death-defying stunts that have the audience sitting on the edge of their seats. Gasps ring throughout Verizon Hall as performers tumble across the stage and through hoops four stories high. An intake of breath accompanies the juggler who starts with three balls and finishes his act juggling eight balls in the air, on the ground and behind his back. Just when the audience has settled in their seats and has decided that there can be nothing more breathtaking to be seen, another act appears that is more mind-boggling than all the others with fantastic underlying music and gorgeous costumes. The audience is cautioned to be quiet as an acrobat balances first on two chairs placed on a stand and finally on six chairs; the athletic team member balances himself upside-down on one hand and rotates his body. It is impossible for the audience to remain quiet.  This widely varied show with multi-talented award winning acrobats intersperses jaw-dropping athletic feats with stunning story-telling through costumed dance. The young man and princess who begin the show with dance and are separated repeatedly by pirates and other rogues are reunited to end this outstanding production. Other upcoming shows in the Family Discovery Series include: Odd Squad Live (November 25-26, Merriam Theater), Cirque Éloize: Saloon (January 13-14, Merriam Theater) and Elephant and Piggie: We Are in A Play! (January 21 Merriam Theater.)