It’s billed as a circus show, an aerial acrobatic extravaganza, a heartwarming theatrical holiday experience for all ages…and it’s all under a big top smack in the middle of downtown Orlando.
It’s called “The Winter Wonder Shoppe,” brought to town by the performance troupe Cirque Mechanics and set up in the front yard of the Dr Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
Husband and wife team Chris and Aida Lashua head up Cirque Mechanic, with Chris designing the various types of human-powered high-flying “mechanics” that power the couple’s special brand of acrobatic, aerial, steampunk, theatrical holiday cheer. They have several similar productions that tour the country – one is playing off-Broadway at the renowned New Victory Theater right now.
They tell me there’s a certain joy in the “cirque” genre of shows that reaches audiences across boundaries.
But first, Chris explained exactly what “cirque” means. This is especially helpful for those of us who usually associate that word with a certain brand of circus-style entertainment, Cirque du Soleil.
“I would say, in the past 20 years or so, ‘cirque’ has become kind of synonymous with modern style interpretation of ‘circus,’” said Chris. “We absolutely have a love for all things circus, including traditional and vintage circus and contemporary circus. But in this case, we are an all-human circus presentation that is theatrical and mixes in elements of clown, and dance, and storytelling, with high level acrobatics. And I think that that is pretty much what people have come to recognize when they think of the word ‘cirque.’ Initially, it was absolutely associated with a brand, but in this past 10 years or so, it's really come to more define a genre.”
Both Chris and his wife Aida are also moved to tell a story with the performance, not have “just a collection of randomly associated performance acts or wow moments,” as Chris put it. Although there will be plenty of those, Aida pointed out, motioning to the giant gantry dominating the stage, with trapeze ropes, trampolines, and an enormous penny-farthing bicycle each ready for a spin in the spotlight.
Chris noted that a narrative ties together all the onstage excitement. “They will watch a character's journey and relate in a way,” he said.
“The setting for this show is actually inside of a place called a holiday shop. It's called the Winter Wonder Shoppe, and essentially the patrons are the acrobats, and they interact with the shopkeeper,” explained Chris. “The performers will do an act, and they will leave with that holiday gift. There's a little bit of a fun moment in there where the shopkeeper's assistant plays with [toys] he’s not supposed to. And at the end, there's a kind of redemption moment whereby there's some peace made between these two main characters.”
“And this is something that all of the audience, whether they're young or old, can follow together, and it's an added layer to what makes these shows unique,” Chris said.
“The holiday season is a season of giving,” added Aida. “The act of giving of a gift, not the gift itself, makes us feel warm and connected to our loved ones and our friends and family. And sort of the overarching theme here is feeling joyful and feeling the spirit of the season.”
