Theater Thursday - The Big Apple Circus 2017 and Kid Frankenstein

We were given free tickets to The Big Apple Circus for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: The Big Apple Circus

Where: Damrosch Park
             175 W. 62nd St.
             New York, NY

Who: All ages

When: Now through January 7, 2017

 

Me -  The Big Apple Circus was amazing! I am so glad the circus is back! I love the circus! I had a great time. It was so much fun. I really liked the dog act because I love dogs. I liked the horses too, but the dogs do way more than the dogs. I love horses too though. Those were the only animals acts they had in the circus this time. Even though the animal acts are my favorite, the rest of the circus was good too. There were two clowns. They were funny. There names were Mr. Joel and Grandma.We got to see the Wallendas doing their famous pyramid. It was exciting! Nik Wallenda holds a lot of World Records, and he was the first person to walk acroess Niagara Falls on a tightrope. They even talked about him on an episode of Mysteries at the Musem. It was cool to get to see him and his family performing live. All of the circus acts were really good. Some of the acts I had never seen before. Even the ones I had seen before I really enjoyed. The circus was really fun, and I really enjoyed seeing it.

Mom's view: In this day and age, when circuses seem to be disappearing left and right and even Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey is no more, it is nice to see a circus actually come back. After missing the 2016/2017 season, this year The Big Apple Circus is back in New York, and this time they've got some really big guns. Headlining this year's show is Nik Wallenda of the famous Wallenda family. Just to see Nik and family performing their seven person highwire pyramid act is worth the price of admission. However, there is much more to the Big Apple Circus than that. There are acts that you probably have never seen before like a pair that performs acrobatic tricks while on roller skates. There are acts that you may have seen before but  here unique twists have been added to  the act like a contortionist who can shoot an arrow with her feet. There are clowns that are actually funny which is a nice change in world where there are movies that revolve around killer clowns, and it wasn't so long ago that there seemed to be a rash of strange and scary clown sightings. In fact, the most famous clown in The Big Apple Circus history, Grandma makes her return this year. Grandma was the star of the show for approximately 25 seasons before retiring in 2012, and now she is back.  All in all, there is a lot to love about The Big Apple Circus, and it's good to have them back in city that gave them their name.

For more about The Big Apple Circus or to purchase tickets visit www.bigapplecircus.com/

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We were given free tickets to Kid Frankenstein for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own

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What: Kid Frankenstein

Where:Theater at the Blessed Sacrament
            152 W. 71st St.
            New York, NY

Who: Ages 7 and up

When: Now through November 5, 2017

Me - Kid Frankenstein was about a kid who participated in a science fair. He built a monster. There's more to the story than that but to say more would be a spoiler. The story was interesting. It was not at all scary. The songs were okay, but I don't remember them. The acting was good. The singing was good too.  The set and costumes were also nice. I liked that the show was very original. Children who like Halloween would like this show. It is a great Halloween show. Over all, Kid Frankstein is an entertaining show.

Mom - Kid Frankenstein is more than just a children's version of the famous tale. It puts its own unique spin on the story with a fresh plot and original songs. This is not just the story of a boy who builds a monster. It is the story of a boy dealing with the loss of his father. However, the show is not as dark and/or depressing as you might think from that description. It is actually generally a funny, happy show although there are some more serious moments. The show is well-acted by the small cast several of who perform various roles. The songs are fun although they don't really stick in your mind. This is the perfect show for this time of year especially for children who may be too young to view other seasonally relevant entertainments.

For more information about Kid Frankenstein or to purchase tickets visit
www.vitaltheatre.org/kidfrankenstein/.