“Okay, let’s check if we can upgrade our tickets,” a flustered mother told her four-year-old son who was pulling her toward the front.
The stage was all set with colored stage lights, spotlights, bars, harnesses hanging from the ceiling and other props as the audience, majority of whom were children, waited for the heavy blue curtains to open.
It was the second of four scheduled shows at the Marianas High School gym on May 18 and 19. Parents did not think twice about paying for the $20 tickets for adults and $10 for kids to view this once-in-a-blue moon show featuring international circus stars who perform all over the world each year. It was also the group’s first time to perform on Saipan.
Kids could not stop squealing in delight as the curtains opened and four young male performers amazed the audience with their skills in hand-to-hand balance and balancing poles.
The audience cheered and laughed as members of the famous Flying Wallenda family flew through the air suspended on large loops and hula hoops and performed aerial dances.
All eyes were directed 40 feet above the stage and the audience held their breath in amazement and fear as the dancers performed tricky twists and turns. If you were at the show, you probably would recall how it felt to breathe normally again after the performers landed safely back on stage.
One heart-stopping stunt was the crossbow act of couple Ross and Elisa Hartzell where Ross shot an apple balanced on top of Elisa’s head using a 125 pound crossbow, a la “William Tell.”
Neutralizing the adrenalin rush created by the high energy entertainment was the appearance of a clown at regular intervals that tickled the audience with his pranks.
Halfway through the show during a 20-minute break, children took the chance to have their faces painted and bought souvenir toys from the stalls near the entrance.
The All-Star Circus is a collection of professional performers from Russia, Germany, the U.S., Chile, Venezuela, Moldavia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.
The show was hosted by Guam-based Tropical Productions and the Pacific Trading Corp. on Saipan.
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