Featured Review: Circus Flora Medrano

Featured Review: Circus Flora Medrano Circus Flora is back for its 23rd annual visit. Some elements never change: the intimacy, for instance, and the foolish plot that after the first few minutes becomes unnecessary. This year's edition, titled Medrano, is set in Paris in the 1880s. Some costumes are modeled after raffish characters in Toulouse-Lautrec's Moulin Rouge posters. But all that is ancillary to the show itself, which is simply a wonder. This year's acts are a mix of old favorites (yes, Nino the Clown is back) and new dazzlers, but always the emphasis is on simplicity: the things you can do with a bucket of paint, or a Hula-Hoop! At Circus Flora the snap of a bullwhip has the power of cannon fire, and tiny dogs on a mini-high wire are as enthralling as the Flying Wallendas. Then there's the ineffable beauty of a red silk drape used by Sasha Alexandre Nevidonski to glide onto the back of a magnificent galloping horse. The two-hour extravaganza flows smoothly, with grace and ease. Prepare to be dazzled; prepare to crane your neck; prepare to discover magic in the ordinary. Through June 21 at North Grand Boulevard and Samuel Shepard Drive (east of Powell Hall). Tickets are $8 to $36. Call 314-289-4040 or visit www.circusflora.org.

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