THEATRE

The spectacular Big Apple Circus is back in town for its 31st season with Play On! - a brand new, magical music box of a show! Play On! is a circus symphony of astonishing acts and side-splitting laughter, propelled by a jazzy mix of classical, soul and rock & roll from the best circus band in the land! While the title is from Shakespeare (If music be the food of love, play on!), Play On! is pure circus, featuring the world's finest artists under a classic Big Top tent, performing in the intimate setting of a single ring! There are high-spirited Colombians on the flying trapeze; an acrobatic Chinese ballerina, pirouetting on top of her partner; jazzed up juggling twins from America; Russians springing skyward from their Russian barre; a talented troupe of Italian dogs; and the breath-taking exploits of Big Apple Circus equestrians vaulting onto galloping horses. Not to mention our incomparable paragon of love and laughter, Grandma the Clown! No seat under the Big Top is more than 50 feet from the ring, so even if you're very small you won't miss a thing - it's the finest family entertainment around! Artistic and Creative Directors Paul Binder and Michael Christensen have gathered an amazing cast of extraordinary performers, who bring thrills and delight from eleven countries around the globe:

-From England, Carrie Harvey, sensational international ringmistress - from Spain's Circo Mundial to France's Cirque Amar to England's Hippodrome - returns to host Play On!

-From America, our beloved Grandma (Barry Lubin), iconic clown of Big Apple Circus's Department of Laughter, and International Clown Hall of Fame inductee!

-From Russia, the award winning Rodion Troupe amazes with startling, soaring leaps and flips from a bar that is only 5 inches wide in a Russian Barre act!

-From Italy, Luciano Anastasini and his Pound Puppies, rescued from animal shelters, deliver doggone delight!

-From America, clowns Glen Heroy and Mark Gindick take us on a quest to reconstruct an extraordinary music box in a magical adventure full of merry mischief!

-From Belgium, renowned mime and comedian Olivier Taquin is joined by company member Valdis Yanovskis (Russia) in a whimsical, playful and endearing act that takes us back to the silent film era!

-From America and Kazakhstan, Christine Zerbini and Sultan Kumisbayev are joined by their equine partners in a thrilling vaulting display around the ring!

-From China, the Nanjing Acrobats combine world class acrobatics and classical ballet to create unforgettable images of unparalleled skills and grace!

-From Colombia, an astounding, heart stopping trapeze act, The Flying Cortes!

-From America, flashy identical juggling twins the LaSalle Brothers, Jake and Marty, are double the trouble and the fun!

-From Germany, Sarah Schwarz vibrates with playfulness and elegance on her tight wire as she dances to musical inventions and variations!

-From China, Guiming Meng returns to the ring with unequaled equilibrium, jauntily juggling colossal ceramic jars! 

-From Russia, the lovely Regina Dobrovitskaya swings stylishly high above the ring in a breath taking trapeze act!

-And, completing the cast, the extraordinary and multi-talented artists of the Big Apple Circus Company: Andrey Mantchev (Bulgaria), Virgile Peyramaure (France), Christian Atayde Stoinev (America)!