May 23 – June 4 | Music Hall at Fair Park Dallas

Circus 1903 is a thrilling and truly elegant expression of the art of the circus that is fun from beginning to end!  This is not your ordinary Circus though.   This Circus comes from a golden age where there were no special effects and concentrates on the human ability to amaze us with their ability to defy gravity. There is a large cast of diverse circus acts from around the world such as acrobats, jugglers, contortionists, cyclists, high wire, balancing acts, and acts that you just have to see to understand.  Circus 1903 showcases the incredible talent and athleticism of the performers that I believed were somewhat overshadowed by all the various animal and clown acts in present day circuses (and for all you clown haters out there – there are no clowns).

Ringmaster Willy Whipsnade” (played by David Williamson) weaves the tale of the Circus way back when and is an endearing and acerbic storyteller and comedic magician.  His performance is old school in a funny and grandfatherly way.  He’s very effective in engaging the kids (there’s a kid participation segment in which he brings a few kid volunteers up on stage to participate in an entertaining and funny magic act).

So what’s a turn of the century circus without elephants?  Circus 1903 accomplishes that too with a mother and her baby elephant “Peanut” on stage through the art of puppetry!  The creations are similar to the puppets that were used in the “The Lion King” and “War Horse” but these are an even more advanced design.  Of course I loved them (I love elephants) and you will be amazed by them too!  Their presence on stage gives you a renewed appreciation of elephants’ grandeur and the artistry of bringing them to life on the stage will amaze you.

My favorite acts?  They’re all amazing and most of them will have you on the edge of your seat (there are no nets in this Circus) but I’d have to say my favorite was the incredible aerialist “Lucky Moon” Elena Gatilova.  She is absolutely mesmerizing.  This former Cirque du Soleil performer (over 2500 performances in Zumanity and a former World Champion Rhythmic Gymnast) is absolute perfection.  Her ethereal performance is a show stopper and gives us a taste of the aerial ballets of circuses in the early 1900’s. Another favorite included the “Rola Bola” act which will have you marveling over “The Sensational Sozonov’s” balancing skills.  Imagine a ballet dancer who can balance in ways you didn’t even know were possible.  All the performers give visually beautiful performances and the period costumes, sets, and music finish off the experience.

This production brought unexpected emotions to the surface for me.  It was ironic that I saw Circus 1903 the same week that Ringling Brothers performed their last performance and closed their Big Top forever.  When the closing was initially announced it produced a “sad but oh well it was inevitable” response from me and a lot of other people.  Circus 1903 made me realize that the circus wasn’t just a show, it was a magical experience that made you believe that maybe anything was possible.  Just for that short time it seemed that it was.   Even if you don’t have kids, go to this show.  It will bring back the best memories from your childhood visits to the circus and will give you several more to store away.

Single tickets for CIRCUS 1903 – The Golden Age of Circus, starting at $20 (pricing subject to change), are now on sale at www.DallasSummerMusicals.org or by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Groups of 10 or more receive a 15% discount, priority seating, and many more benefits. Please call 214-426-4768 or email Groups@DallasSummerMusicals.org.