Arts & Entertainment

Circus Flora Debuts New Show This Weekend at Chesterfield Mall

The long-running St. Louis circus is trying a new format with a dinner-theater production geared toward adults.

The following information was provided by Circus Flora:

St. Louis' own Circus Flora, which has brought the magic of the one-ring circus to hundreds of thousands over the past 26 years, turns its narrative to a new, delightfully intimate format: a dinner-theater production geared toward adult audiences. 

Sponsored by Mercy Health Systems, A Celtic Night Circus: Tír na nÓg debuts one weekend only in an intimate, yellow-and-orange big top tent erected on the northwest grounds of Chesterfield Mall, 113 Chesterfield Center, the original community where Circus Flora first performed 26 years ago. The brand-new show, specifically written and produced for this limited engagement, carries the audience to a mythical land of eternal youth, mystery and revelry, with only four performances: 7 p.m. Oct. 18, 19 and 20, and 4 p.m. Oct. 21.

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Following the vision of Circus Flora's artistic director and co-founder Ivor David Balding and similar productions in New York and San Francisco, the award-winning creative team of Circus Flora conjured up this brand-new tale, loosely adapted from Arthur Schnitzler's La Ronde and set on the mythical Celtic island of Tír na nÓg. Under the direction of Cecil MacKinnon, A Celtic Night Circus makes for an extravagant evening of one-ring circus.

"I've dreamt of a Celtic circus for a long time," said Balding. "The dark, mysterious world of Irish mythology perfectly suits an autumnal, nighttime show. Audiences can expect the same production quality and world-renowned performers that Circus Flora is known for, but the new tent and table seating makes this dinner theater distinctive and romantic."  

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Featuring such celebrated performers as Sacha Pavlata, Melinda Heywood, The Bertini Family Troupe, Kellin Quinn of Circus Harmony, Claire "The Clown" Wedemeyer, and Cecil MacKinnon as Yo-Yo the Compere, A Celtic Night Circus is a cutting-edge, nighttime-only performance in a cabaret-style atmosphere. Audiences settle in for an exquisite sit-down dinner with dessert and wine - prepared by Michele Coen-Racanelli and Vito Racanelli of Michele C. Catering & Events - as they step back in time to the ancient Emerald Isle.

Tickets for A Celtic Night Circus are $175 and include a gourmet dinner, dessert and wine. Tickets go on sale Sept. 4 and are available at 314-534-1111 or www.circusflora.org.

A portion of the proceeds from A Celtic Night Circus benefit Circus Flora's most recent community outreach program, Clowns on Call, which brings the magic of circus to two St. Louis area children's hospitals: Mercy Children's Hospital and SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center.

A Celtic Night Circus is part of the annual American Arts Experience - St. Louis, a 17-day festival celebrating all mediums of American arts throughout the St. Louis region each October. Visit www.AmericanArtsSTL.org for more information.

A Celtic Night Circus is an extension of Circus Flora's 2012 season, which concludes in December with A Child's Christmas in Wales, Circus Flora's second co-production with the St. Louis Symphony. The 2013 season kicks off with Circus Flora's 27th annual big-top production, A Trip to the Moon, May 30 through June 23.

Circus Flora is a nonprofit arts organization based in St. Louis, best known for its always affordable, family-friendly, big-top production every summer under the air-conditioned, red-and-white big top in Grand Center, St. Louis' arts and entertainment hub, adjacent to Powell Hall (corner of Grand Boulevard and Samuel Shepard Drive). Call 314-289-4040 or visit www.circusflora.org for more information.


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