In Roman times, circuses were designed
to divert attention from a deteriorating society, and for the
most part they still perform that function today. But in an ironic
twist, Cirque Boom has created "The Circus of Vices and
Virtues 2003," now at the Brooklyn Lyceum, to focus our
attention on the evils of the Western world.
Inspired both by the work of the 16th-century Flemish artist
Pieter Brueghel, who infused his paintings with allegorical,
sometimes sinister meaning, and the events of Sept. 11, 2001,
and the societal tensions that have followed, Cirque Boom artistic
director Ruth Juliet Wikler has used the world of clowns, aerial
artists and acrobats for political satire and social commentary.
Cirque Boom is a Brooklyn-based ensemble founded by Wikler in
January 2002.
"The Circus of Vices and Virtues 2003" is subtitled:
"Physical performances for a polarized world." There’s
plenty of human vice here but little human virtue.
The circus opens with "Charivari," described in the
program as "a riff on the pre- and post-show melees of traditional
circus." Here the sinister and sensuous contortions of the
acrobats, and the shrill, pre-recorded music are ample warning
to the audience that this will be a circus unlike any they’ve
seen before.
In the section called "Sloth," a housewife (Cody Schreger)
wrestles with two goblins who emerge from a cardboard TV set
(Olivia Lehrman and Leah Abel). Two executives (Jeff Wills and
Anna Zastrow) stride onto the stage on stilts and destroy the
world (a small globe that looks like a bowling ball) in "Greed."
Three dolls (Leah Abel, Lehrman and Schreger), connected and
sometimes dangling from a common rope, put on their makeup, then
ruin each other’s makeup in "Envy."
Two of the most successful segments are "Lust," in
which Melissa Riker has choreographed her own graceful performance
on what Wikler calls an "aerial fabric loop," and "Pride,"
Zastrow’s hilarious portrayal of an aspiring corporate executive
who turns from a timid clown into a virago with a whip.
In between the acts, Sonia Werner, dressed in a three-piece suit
and sporting a painted moustache, appears as "Dick."
Dick is wheeled onto the stage in a makeshift circus float made
principally from a shopping cart, and spouts the babble of the
worst kind of politician.
The goal of Cirque Boom, "to create circus that matters
and theater that amazes," is certainly worthwhile – even
noble. But the first and primary goal of entertainment should
be to entertain. In other words, the medium is the sugar that
makes the medicine go down.
The 10 performers in the Cirque Boom ensemble are talented circus
artists, but they are scarcely allowed to display their skills.
The trapeze that has been set up onstage is used only once.
For the most part, the performers jump over and under each other,
engage in stage combat and execute (admittedly impressive) gymnastic
feats. But let’s face it, this show is billed as a circus, and
the audience has a right to expect something more.
Nevertheless, Wikler and her cast and crew deserve credit for
their effort to unite spectacle with serious thought. "The
Circus of Vices and Virtues" attempts to expose the core
of human misbehavior – the characteristics that lead humans to
harm one another as they pursue power, material goods or satisfaction
of desire. Unfortunately, the troupe stops there. How much more
effective this circus might have been had Cirque Boom also turned
its attention to how people can overcome base desires, and better
themselves and the world.
Most of the performers in "The Circus of Vices and Virtues"
appear quite young. Perhaps with time, they will learn to take
themselves a bit less seriously, to lighten up, have fun, and
allow the audience to have fun, too.
With the confidence that comes with age and experience they will
realize that people can be touched without being consistently
banged over the head, and that great art made in the midst of
war, plagues and other calamities, may present tragedy but also
offer hope.
Cirque Boom presents "The Circus of Vices and Virtues"
at the Brooklyn Lyceum, 227 Fourth Ave. at President Street in
Park Slope, through April 12, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm.
Tickets are $12. For reservations, call (866) GOWANUS or visit
www.cirqueboom.org or
www.gowanus.com.
