By JUNE SULLIVAN
Ladies and Gentlemen: the holiday season's entertainment wars have begun. Hold on to your "Teddy Bear Teas," white circus horses, tree and menorah lightings. For that brief entertainment lull we experienced as the leaves changed has burst into, well, yes, a "kaleidoscape" of sights and sounds.
"Barnum's Kaleidoscape" is the name Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey has given to its newest one-ring circus. Those lucky enough to be strolling by Bryant Park on Thursday, Nov. 16 will witness, beginning at 10:30 A.M., the first Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus-tent ceremony ever to take place in New York City.
Premiering on Nov. 21, Barnum's Kaleidoscape will run through Dec. 31 at Bryant Park. Organizers say this special, intimate circus combines the "luxury of contemporary theater with classic circus elements." That intimacy, they continue, creates an "up-close adventure where the artists join the audience and the audience becomes part of the show."
"It's a great way to spend a special day with or without children," says Barbara Pflughaupt, a spokesperson for Barnum's Kaleidoscape. "It is sophisticated enough for adults to begin their New Year's Eve's partying on Dec. 31, and enjoyable enough for children at any time.
"There will be great food, drink, and entertainment," she continues. "This circus is ideal for those who would not want to go to a larger circus or arena but would enjoy a personal, more intimate and upscale experience."
The "upscale" part includes wooden floors with carpeting throughout the reception tent and main tent. "Every seat is velvet-lined and movable," Ms. Pflughaupt adds. "There are VIP velvet couches to sit on, and the food being served is of gourmet level - not just standard arena service. In fact, it will be Bryant Park Grill providing the food for the entire run of the circus.
"And instead of the usual port-o-potties, we will have full bathrooms, running water and bathroom attendants. It is an extension of what the American circus can be - a big, spectacular, three-ring family tradition transformed into one ring to give the feeling of attending a private party hosted by the circus owner.
"First [Kenneth] Feld envisioned what would be the best party he could give to take around the country," Ms. Pflughaupt says. "So circus-goers are first greeted by the performers at a pre-circus reception just as they would if they were going to a private party.
"There is live music, such as Dixieland jazz, when they arrive, and wonderful food and drink - sort of the cocktail part of the party." She continues that people then walk through a "wonderful" tunnel into the main tent, to be seated on luxury seats that are never more than 50 feet from the performers.
"It's a very intimate experience. Conceptually, Kenneth Feld really saw Kaleidoscape as a combination of a "kaleidoscope" and "escape" from your everyday troubles and worries. For two hours, you are taken away into a new world and treated like a king."
And there will be no smell of pachyderms fighting the aroma of gourmet food. Like the Cirque du Soleil, Kaleidoscape is not about animals, although included is an act with beautiful white horses. The entertainment is by sophisticated circus performers, a "combination of performance art, classic European circus and American circus," says Ms. Pflughaupt.
"Each performer does many things, like a jewel in a kaleidoscope. For example, a woman who does an aerial act also plays the cello for someone else."
Circus-goers should expect dramatic displays from the marksmanship of crossbow archer Guy Theron Tell, amusing antics from a delightful clown, David Larible, who ties all the entertainment together. Also expect beautiful white steeds - which will certainly enchant the younger ones in the audience - and, of course, the obligatory daring of tightrope walkers. There will even be a gaggle of geese.
The party experience continues after the show, says Ms. Pflughaupt.
"All the performers come back out into the reception tent and meet and greet the audience, answering their questions and signing autographs. That is how a party would end. And you come out feeling like you know the performers."
The top ticket price of $75 at Barnum's Kaleidoscape is for luxury velvet couches. The entertainment lasts 2 hours and15 minutes and there is a one-hour pre-show reception with live music and food. There will be "velvet eating banquettes" with circular seating around a center velvet pole, as well as stand-up, chest-height eating tables.
Barnum's Kaleidoscape is very "kid friendly" say organizers, and is recommended for ages 5 and above. The 1,850 plush, velvet "ringside" seats are $20, $25, $40, $50 and $75 and are available through Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com and by calling 1-877-9BARNUM. Beginning Nov. 15, tickets will be available at the Barnum's Kaleidoscape box office at Bryant Park. For additional information: visit www.BarnumsKaleidoscape.com.
Bryant Park is behind the New York Public Library in midtown Manhattan, between 40th and 42nd streets & Fifth and Sixth avenues.
National Circus
Project at Nassau County Museum of Art
At 10 A.M. Dec. 9, a new, six-part performance series begins for youngsters ages 5 to 8 at the Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn. The project is an innovative cultural-arts program that uses participation in circus and circus skills to promote physical fitness in schoolchildren.
"When we started in 1984, very few schools had ever used circus as a tool," says Greg Milstein, the project's field director. He describes circus as an individualized, self-motivating non-competitive activity that is an ideal supplement to existing curricula in schools. "We've found that the students who seem to excel in circus skills are not always ones that excel in team sports."
Project organizers add that their National Circus Project enjoys an 86-percent return rate on these activities. The program at the Museum is more for "fun" than circus school curricula, and parents can join in. Museum circus activities will include juggling, plate spinning, "devil stick" manipulation and balancing.
Tickets are $20. This includes one child and one accompanying adult. For more information, call (516) 484-9338, ext. 12.
Nassau County Museum of Art is at One Museum Drive (just off Northern Boulevard, Rte. 25A) in Roslyn Harbor.
