Nutcrackers, dancers, snow and songs. Sounds like a typical holiday event, but Cirque Dreams Holiday at the Victoria is anything but standard fare. We all have become familiar with the Cirque brand….acrobats, magicians, oddities….and they’ve arrived en force in Dayton! The 90-minute show, in 2 Acts, moves quickly, with some stunning ‘sideshow’ style moments and solid aerobatic performances. Set to a loosely based ‘Nutcracker’ theme, the background highlights larger than life props, and chorus characters dressed in candy-striped sweetness.

One of the best parts of the show is watching and listening to those folks in the audience….kids with their mouths agape as a lady wrapped in cloth, suspended from the ceiling, seems to lose control in a quick roll to earth, only to stop just short of her demise. Loud claps, and uneasy ‘phews’ fill the space. Adults. watching in semi-horror as a contortionist twists 6 ways from Sunday, muttering ‘ewwws’ and ‘ouches!’ And, of course, the occasional, ‘Oh brother…’ when the tongue-in-cheek cheesy moments hit the stage. (There are a few!)

The dangling rope artist is exceptional, the hula-hooper is spectacular and the King and Queen Sugar Plum are the climax in terms of awe-factor! But, for me, and oddly, it was the high-spirited jumprope artists that made the impression. Smiling, without fail, and getting the audience into a clapping frenzy, the jumpers appear to hit 60mph, and it was just plain fun! The lady behind me saying ‘I’d have a heart attack doing that, but it looks so invigorating!’…..ummmm, don’t try that at home!

Kids will love the Holidaze as it never really slows down, and when it does, the bass filled music never lets us ‘rest’ long enough to take a breath. (Intermission is short, so grab that wine, pronto!) The show starts on-time and stays on-time, for parents. that’s a great thing to know.

The only real drawback to Holidaze is the story itself. We get moments of narration, and insights into what Clara wants for Christmas, but honestly, it’s not necessary and makes little sense. At one point, Clara gets her chance in the air, and you are left wondering, ‘Did Clara ask to be catapulted for Christmas?’

All that aside, it’s good, clean fun. The magician does his level best to engage the audience in a second act ‘sing-along’ and the ‘narrator’ stays the course by crooning some holiday hits. You’ll enjoy it….your kids will love it….and you will all leave with the proverbial ‘I wonder how they did that?’