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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Cirque Dreams tells ornaments side of the story in ‘Holidaze’

Cirque Dreams will perform “Holidaze” at the INB Performing Arts Center on Friday and Saturday. (COURTESY PHOTO)

“Holidaze,” the touring Christmas show from Florida-based theater troupe Cirque Dreams, takes every Christmas icon and tradition and blows them up to Cinemascope proportions. Making a limited run at the INB Performing Arts Center this week, the show is a vibrant, larger than life yuletide circus.

Neil Goldberg, the founder of Cirque Dreams, says the “Holidaze” show is fast-paced and action packed: It features aerial performers, jugglers, acrobats, dancers dressed as penguins and gymnastic gingerbread cookies. Elvis Presley even makes an appearance to perform “Jingle Bell Rock.”

Goldberg says he first became enamored of performing arts after seeing Patty Duke in a Broadway production of “The Miracle Worker” as a child, which inspired him to recreate the show’s elaborate set with shoeboxes.

“It was never really about being on stage as a performer,” Goldberg said. “There’s something really magical about a couple thousand people imagining what’s on the other side of the curtain, and once that curtain disappears, engaging them in that experience on the stage and taking them on that magical journey for a couple hours.”

He later received a degree in scenic design and worked as a corporate event organizer before being introduced to European circus in the late ’80s. Cirque Dreams was founded in 1993, and Goldberg has since directed all of the troupe’s shows, some of which have had residencies on Broadway and in Las Vegas.

Those shows are developed in the company’s large studio complex in Fort Lauderdale, and although Goldberg oversees the productions, he has 60 regular employees whose fingerprints are all over show’s components.

“I’m surrounded by a lot of very, very talented and creative individuals,” Goldberg said. “I’m blessed. I get to wake up every day and go to a place of work and explore my craft. I never take it for granted that the finished product can be shared with families around the world.”

“Holidaze,” the 15th original Cirque Dreams show, is the most popular title in the troupe’s catalog, and Goldberg says three separate companies of 30 performers are currently touring the show. It features 20 different scenes built around flashy set pieces, each one inspired by Goldberg’s vast Christmas ornament collection.

“As a Jewish boy coming home from Jewish day school, I used to collect ornaments off discarded Christmas trees after the holidays,” Goldberg said. “As I’ve had the privilege of traveling the world, rather than buying a T-shirt or a magnet or a cup, I bought an ornament from every place I’ve been. … For two hours, every one of these ornaments will come to life and tell their story.”

But those stories aren’t the kinds you’ve heard a thousand times before: The variety of styles and talents you’ll see during “Holidaze” ensure that you’re never sure what new sight is around the corner.

“Every scene in the show is a spectacle,” Goldberg said. “That’s why this is such a great show for Mom and Dad to bring the kids and the grandparents, because there’s truly something in this for everyone.”