By Raphael Harris
Sunset Circus played two shows in Manhattan in March and are returning in May.
The team consists of seven performers.
Joel Jeske plays George, the family Dad and uses clowning counterintuitively to be the family leader.
Deborah Lohse, on loan from Bindlestiff, plays Marguerite the Mom and employs humor and wisdom keep the kids in check.
Stephanie Keaton is daughter Claire, rather a handful for Mom and Pop especially while up on an aerial rope.
Kyle Driggs is Roman (by name, not nationality) and the love interest of Claire.
Lily is played by Olivia Tavolacci also up in the air but on trapeze.
Randy Kato plays Philippe on Cyr Wheel and whips, and together with Sam Ferlo as Luca (clown/ladder) round out the cast.
Randy Kato (Philippe) Sunset Circus
The juggling act was performed by IJA champion Kyle Driggs who had a solo routine spotlight in 2016 in Cirque du Soleil’s “Paramour.” Kyle performed with three, four, and five beanbags with numerous patterns, 360s, and head rolls. He catches them in his hat and throws them out again and does a 4 ball Mills Mess. Then an extended 5 ball cascade and half reverse cascade at various heights. He is very graceful and employs subtle dance steps. It’s good contrast to the other members who are more flashy and colorful.
Kyle Driggs (Roman), Sunset Circus
Kyle performs his rings and umbrellas routine that has brought him success in numerous competitions. Kyle balances rings on his head while juggling closed umbrellas, then balances a closed umbrella on his head while holding a ring around it.
He juggles five rings, does a 360, and changes to pancake throws. He does a full pattern of sideways throws with five. With three he rolls them over his shoulders and rolls them over his back, Bob Bramson style. He juggles three rings and a closed umbrella, in a fountain, then in a triple-single pattern.
He continues with three and four opened umbrellas and by catching the last opened umbrella upside down on the top of another opened umbrella very precisely.
Kyle appeared in Queen of the Night, ABYME, and Jay Gilligan’s Melodic Objects. He won a silver medal in the Cirque de Demain festival in Paris, and in 2013 he won the IJA individuals.
Next Kyle uses the hooked handle of the umbrella as an extension of his limbs. Back to juggling the four in a triple-single pattern, and back to a balance with the rings arranged on his chin and the umbrella delicately balanced on top. Next, tossing, this time with the umbrella opened, and a very effective high throw with the umbrella, juggle three rings in a cascade momentarily, then catch the opened umbrella.
In his award winning Paris (Cirque de Demain) routine he balanced the umbrella and juggled five rings, then did just the rings with a five-up 360.
George the Dad is impressed enough to let Roman marry his daughter. She jumps for joy which consists of numerous innovative moves on aerial rope.
George does some comedic magic and hat manipulation, and Mom puts up with it.
Phillippe (Randy Kato) on Cyr Wheel is a treat doing the penny spin, then jumping into the run-away wheel and continuing an extended acrobatic routine.
Luca manipulates his ladder and himself and makes use of the small stage space well. He moves confidently in all directions and had the audience staunchly in his corner with appropriate humor.
Sunset Circus is returning to New York for two shows on May 3rd at the JCC Community Center and will hit the road to places unnamed in the near and far future.
Raphael Harris
Raphael Harris was the proprietor of the Jerusalem Circus School for Children for over ten years. He has performed "Sir Juggley's One Man Circus" over a thousand times. He appeared in the Guiness Book of World Records twice and the Record Setters Book of World Records three times. He lives in New York.