Petrushka par excellence
Bellingham Circus Guild creates magic
by Christopher Key
If you’ve had the privilege of witnessing U & I Productions magical Dream Science Circus, you’ll be thrilled to know that it has spawned an offspring called the Bellingham Circus Guild. They were all set to open their production of Petrushka several weeks ago when they ran into some problems with their venue. What resulted was a mad scramble to find a new space. As circus member Della puts it, “The challenges helped us to become a more tightly-knit group.”
Established about three years ago, the Bellingham Circus Guild is a co-op involving a core group of local performers.
“Most of our equipment comes from U & I,” Della said. “We couldn’t do it without them.”
Now that the venue issue has been settled, the Guild is ready to open Petrushka and it’s a thoroughly enchanting production. The performance is set to the music from Igor Stravinsky’s 1911 ballet and the story line is essentially the same. What is not the same is the incorporation of circus elements into the story.
There are aerialists, jugglers, belly dancers, clowns, acrobats, pink elephants and even a beautiful ballerina. What’s not to like? The story revolves around a sorcerer who brings three puppets to life. Once they become human, they succumb to human emotions and a love triangle develops, leading to a murder. The title character then reappears as a ghost, leaving the audience to question what is real and what is not.
All of the cast members are fine actors as well as remarkable circus performers, helping keep the story front-and-center while people are swinging from the ceiling. Daniel (the cast use first names only) is appropriately mystical as the sorcerer and Ariel, also an aerialist, brings outstanding physicality to Petrushka. The other two puppets are played by Strangely, sly and clever as The Rogue, and Scarlet as the beautiful and graceful Ballerina.
The Sorcerer brings The Rogue, The Ballerina and Petrushka to life in the Bellingham Circus Guild production of Stravinsky's beloved ballet. Photo credit - Christopher Key
River, Justin and Chip play clowns and several other roles. Three entrancing dancers are portrayed by Mylee, Bre and Patsy. Reby and Elisha perform as aerialists and the aforementioned Della plays a Keystonesque cop. Directing the show and handling the lights is RJ.
The New Cirque Lab serves as the venue and is located at the corner of Iron and Kentucky Streets. Performances are scheduled for Thursday, April 29, at 7:00 p.m.; Friday, April 30, at 7:00 and 9:00 p.m.; Saturday, May 1, at 7:00 and 9:00 p.m.; and Sunday, May 2, at 3:00 p.m. Admission is by a $10 – $20 suggested donation and kids under 12 get in free. Call (425) 327-3256 or see www.BellinghamCircusGuild.com.
I never cease to be amazed by the variety of talent that has been attracted to this fourth corner of the nation and the Bellingham Circus Guild only furthers that amazement. Kids of all ages will love both the thrilling circus acts and the timeless story.
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