halfwhiteboy

I was fortunate to have been invited to the gala performance of Circus Vargas' Magikaria, A Fantastical Magical Experience last Dec. 23. A two-hour showcase of some good old-fashioned circus entertainment, it was loaded with acrobats, music, clowns, illusions, and more. Prepping up the contraption for that classic magician's assistant's disappearing and reappearing act. It was a rather small setup, with several rows of monoblock chairs flanking all three sides of the stage. It may not have been the most ideal seating arrangement but it was well-suited to the show's intimate and interactive premise. Everyone in the audience can very well see what's happening onstage at any given time. The show opened in a surprisingly low-key manner with just a single performer who immediately surveyed the audience for all sorts of stuff that he could balance on his chin. From the simplest objects like a baseball cap, he sure was able to hold the audience's attention by...

The magic of Christmas will be even more captivating – and jaw-dropping – with the arrival in Manila of the internationally acclaimed Circus Vargas troupe, one of the world’s biggest traveling circuses. Showcasing gravity-defying flights, flashy costumes, fun dance routines, and other deliriously delightful antics, Circus Vargas will be bringing to the country its most exciting production dubbed as “MagiKaria, A Fantastical Magical Experience.”   This amazing production will feature the astonishing athleticism, physical beauty and acrobatic prowess of the men, women and children of the circus, promising to deliver the same immense joy and excitement already experienced by millions of people worldwide.

Last Saturday, My Bibe and I caught up with Cirque Du Soleil's Saltimbanco , which just had its Manila run from August 9 to 19. It was our first time at the Mall of Asia Arena, an overrated venue that had, like, the smallest and most uncomfortable of seats. And never mind the hell that we went through with SM Tickets (I'm still mulling over blogging about it); they moved us from the Upper Box to the Lower Box area although I had a nagging suspicion they upgraded almost everybody since empty seats abounded. I went into the arena knowing nothing about Saltimbanco. It was only from the souvenir program that I realized it's one of Cirque's longest-running shows, first exhibited in 1992. From what I've gathered, the show was later reinvented to play in large arenas. The stage was a colorful and flexible creation, allowing for Chinese poles to be mounted and dismounted, for trapezes to be set up, for set pieces to be rolled on and off, and more. The Sal...