Big Apple Circus – High-Flying Fun For The Whole Family

I haven’t been to the circus since I was a little girl, but last Sunday, some friends and I took our children to see The Big Apple Circus show Metamorphosis at Lincoln Center in Manhattan. The kids are 2, 5 and 7 years old and I wasn’t sure how my little one would be able to sit still for the 1hr and 50min duration of the show. To my surprise he was completely captivated throughout and I have to say, Metamorphosis was a smash hit for every age. We were lucky to have third row seats just off the center of the ring but every seat in the house provided an excellent view.

The show began with the whole cast in colorful costumes jumping, flipping, dancing, juggling, hula hooping into the ring to give the audience a sneak peak of what was to come. It really set the mood and everyone was excited to see more. There were a great variety of acts and the pace was just right, no performance was too long. Francesco, the funny clown, entertained the audience between sets. I was happy he wasn’t in full clown make-up, which can be scary for small children, and my son was delighted every time he popped up somewhere in the stands.

One of the most jaw-dropping performances was the contortionist Dorjoo who folded herself like a pretzel and slithered into a glass cube no bigger than 20”x20”. It turned even more bizarre when another woman, Tato, squeezed herself into the same box with her arms and legs wrapped around Dorjoo. It seemed like an impossible feat. My son’s favorite was an areal act that took place in the solar system with a man and a woman dangling and spinning high up in the ceiling alongside a swirling space ship. Later, Tato came back with an incredible juggling-while-balancing act that kept us all on the edge of our seats.

The finale, an electrifying trapeze performance by the Anaskin Troupe didn’t leave anyone disappointed. Dressed in multicolored glow in the dark costumes they flew through the air flipping and spinning while the audience gasped.

I’m usually not a fan of animals in the circus but I have to admit there were a few adorable animal acts in the show. There were horses, ponies, donkeys, lamas, camels, goats, dogs, ferrets, rabbits and an African porcupine. The acts were short and did not involve any dangerous or difficult exercises that would require grueling training for the furry critters. I was pleased to hear that the dogs are all rescues and the barnyard animals come from a farm in upstate New York. The excitement in my son’s eyes as they the pranced, jumped and skipped around the ring was priceless

All in all, we were all impressed with Big Apple Circus, the kids in particular were awestruck. It really is great fun for the whole family so don’t miss the opportunity to go see it!