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Enjoying the ‘Holidaze’ – Cirque Dreams stage show at Benedum

By Diana Lasko dlasko@heraldstandard.Com 5 min read
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Cirque Dreams Holidaze ‘Ornaments on a Tree’ where the ornaments come to life and take turns telling their story.

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Cirque Dreams Holidaze - ringing in the holidaze

Courtesy of Cirque Productions.

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Cirque Dreams Holidaze - gingerbread cookies

Courtesy of Cirque Productions

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“Cirque Dreams Holidaze” a holiday stage spectacular at the Benedum Center, Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 29 and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 30. From Cirque Productions and Broadway director Neil Goldberg re-imagines the holiday season with over 300 costumes, 20 acts and 30 performers from 12 countries showcasing an endless variety of imaginative, heart-pounding and gravity- defying feats you have to see to believe. Experience gingerbread men flipping mid-air, toy soldiers marching on thin wires along with snowmen, icemen and penguins, balancing, jumping and spinning in disbelief. The show celebrates the most wonderful time of the year with singers, choreography and exciting production numbers. Performers twirl, bounce and soar thru the air to original music and seasonal favorites brought to life within a stage setting of gigantic gifts, colossal candy canes and 30-foot towering trees & soldiers creating a wonderland of amazement. Admission: $39.75-$59.75. Tickets: trustarts.org or 412-456-6666. Courtesy of Cirque Productions

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Cirque Dreams Holidaze - marching on a thin line

Courtesy of Cirque Productions

Cirque Dreams Holidaze

Where: Benedum Center, Pittsburgh

When: 7:30 p.m. Monday 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

Admission: $39.75-$59.75

Tickets: trustarts.org or 412-456-6666

Neil Goldberg started collecting holiday ornaments at the age of 6, some 50 years later he has over 10,000 ornaments from all over the planet that have inspired his latest body of work–Cirque Dreams Holidaze.

“I love the art of ornaments. They are so imaginative and make believe. So one day I was looking at all these things and thought, ‘what a great idea for a show,” said Goldberg.

Goldberg is the creator, director and producer of the Cirque Dreams franchise of shows which includes the groundbreaking Broadway hit Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy, Cirque Dreams Revealed, Cirque Dreams Rock and Cirque Dreams Illumination.

He pitched the idea at a Broadway industry conference in 2005 for a touring holiday show but was met with some reluctance among his colleagues. With perseverance, Goldberg’s idea to bring his ornaments to life on stage.

“I kept thinking if I put these amazing performers on this steel frame tree, and they come down off the tree one by one and told their story. Whether they are singers, dancers, acrobats or aerialists, they are telling their story through the ornament,” Goldberg said.

Goldberg re-imagines the holiday season with over 300 costumes, 20 acts and 30 performers from 12 countries showcasing an endless variety of imaginative, heart-pounding and gravity-defying feats. Cirque Dreams Holidaze will feature a cast of performers such as gingerbread men flipping mid-air, toy soldiers marching on thin wires, along with snowmen, icemen and penguins all balancing, jumping and spinning in disbelief.

“Each scene is a representation and a salute to the holiday season,” said Goldberg.

Some of the music is reorchestrated, recognizable popular holiday songs like “The Most Wonderful Time Of the Year,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” and “Jingle Bell Rock,” and original music is part of the show as well, which is typical of the Cirque Dreams brand.

“My goal is to create a theatrical experience that in this case celebrates the holidays and showcase performers who do unique and wonderful things and give the audience and experience unlike anything they have ever seen,” said Goldberg.

In 1993, Cirque Productions was incorporated by Goldberg, who created and produced corporate events in addition to Super Bowl events, Miss Universe, Disney shows and productions for NBC, ABC and CBS. After researching, developing and producing an entertainment variety show for an international premier event entitled “Cirque Du Monde” (Circuses of the World), Cirque Productions, Inc. was formed with the intent to produce cirque shows and productions for corporate America.

Cirque Productions was retained by Bally’s Hotel and Casino to develop “Cirque Ingenieux,” that started the ball rolling resulting in the growing success and demand for Cirque Productions. The company’s organization evolved with multiple divisions providing product and content for public touring shows, casinos, theme parks, corporate America, distinctive projects and events worldwide. A strategic rebranding campaign then formed the Cirque Dreams conglomerate of branded shows throughout the world.

In 2005 Dream Studios was created in a retrofitted 20,000 square foot building demand and growth. The facility has since doubled with a scenic, prop and workshop second building. The operation includes a 150 member staff for creative, technical and music production, casting, sales, administration, travel, visas, product management, marketing and more. An in-house rehearsal studio trains and rehearses over 200 artists yearly from around the world employed in Cirque Dreams shows. A complete wardrobe design and manufacturing facility exists within the complex which has produced over 10,000 award-winning costumes.

Shows are in development for two to three years before reaching the stage. Goldberg said he specifically designs shows to have a Broadway feel and views them as a combination Cirque Dreams, musical and variety show.

“It’s a fascinating process. It’s a lot of work and a lot of stress but when the curtain goes up and the show begins, that’s what fuels me.”

Cirque type productions are an evolution away from traditional circuses according to Goldberg.

“People always say to me I bet you wanted to runaway and join the circus but I didn’t enjoy the circus as a child. With the animals and all the other stuff I wasn’t enamored. One of my many goals was to shed the perception of the traditional circus. The European version of the circus (cirque) is an artistically blended genre. This is an art form that has evolved onto the stage than we may recall as three rings with elephants,” he said.

Goldberg believes people are fascinated with the possibilities of what can be as opposed to what is.

“That’s one of the common denominators in the Cirque Dreams brand. We take ordinary things and make them extraordinary.”

Three touring companies for Cirque Dreams Holidaze will visit over 47 cities during the holiday season, including three shows at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh, at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 29 and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 30, presented by Pittsburgh Cultural Trust as part of the Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents series.

Goldberg promises a salute to the season that will capture the attention of the entire family.

“Whether you’re a kid or an adult. You’ll leave here smiling. Cirque Dreams Holidaze is constantly moving and entertaining. It’s like sitting and looking in a kaleidescope that is twisting and turning for two hours.”

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