Cirque de dazzling and death defying

Imagine the world’s best athletic circus acts performing near impossible stunts right before your eyes. Now imagine watching them perform with mind-boggling grace and strength to an inspiring soundtrack of the greatest classics, provided by the renowned Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra. This is Cirque de la Symphonie, a new production, which was formed to bring the magic of cirque to the concert hall.

“With Cirque de la Symphonie performing to tremendous acclaim in some of the world’s most prolific concert halls and opera houses such as Sydney, Los Angeles, Monte Carlo and Paris, we are very proud to be involved with a show of such magnitude and splendor,” said promoter Charl van Heyningen.

The soundtrack, which is conducted by Theodore Kuchar, one of the most prolifically recorded conductors of the past decade, is perfectly in tune with the artists of Cirque de la Symphonie, who perform in front of a full orchestra. Ultimately, the incredible fusion of these two great art forms turns the show into a veritable three-dimensional entertainment extravaganza. Highlights include different excerpts from Bizet’s Carmen, one complemented by ring juggler Vladimir Tsarkov and another by Alexander Streltsov with his spinning frame and cube; Wagner’s Ride Of The Valkyries, featuring Sagiv Ben Benyamin’s aerial rope work; and Tchaikovsky’s Valse from Swan Lake, accompanied by the spectacular aerial gymnastics of Alexander Strelsov and Christine van Loo.

“The circus acts are some of the very best in the world, the music to which they will perform is well known, vibrant and exciting. And we are thrilled to have the Johannesburg Philharmonic, conducted by a maestro, as the featured orchestra. We are extremely excited about this spectacular venture between the JPO, Montecasino and Charl van Heyningen Enterprises,” Van Heyningen remarks.

Cirque de la Symphonie is the show theatre-goers are raving about across the globe, that “dazzles and defies death” (The San Francisco Examiner), and now Johannesburg theatre lovers young and old will be treated to this multi-dimensional extravaganza of movement and sound.

“Cirque promises to be an exciting production for the Teatro stage and we are sure that local audiences, especially classical music lovers, will find this a unique and thrilling experience,” concludes General Manager, the Teatro at Montecasino, Bryan Hill.

Performances 17 August at 8pm and 18 August at 2pm at the Teatro at Montecasino.

Details; www.computicket.com