This circus troupe tours all over the country, including multiple venues in the bay area and northern california. I attended this event at the Newark location (in the Newpark Mall parking lot) this past weekend, and it was a lighthearted and entertaining spectacle with the circus theme "Far Beyond: The Dream Has Come True".
The cheapest tickets were for side view seating (first come first serve). Visibility was fine, except for a truss on each side of the stage creating a partial blockage for some viewers (I avoided that, of course). These were basic folding chairs on the ground, not elevated seating. The center seats were stadium style though, so each row was higher than the one in front.
Lots of fans blowing throughout the venue, but it wasn't even a hot day, so when they turned these off at the start of the show, the temperature remained comfortable. Carnival treats, like hot dogs, popcorn, and cotton candy, were sold at the concessions stand, nothing that really stood out. There was also a toy vendor and face painting station inside the tent. Porta potties were located outside alongside plenty of mall parking.
Described as a "broadway style" production, I liked the musical element of the show with choreographed song and dance in the beginning, but that's just me. And it was filled with your classic circus stunts and performances as well as one or two less common ones.
This included hoop dancing (spinning multiple hula hoops simultaneously), goofy miming by the clown, antipode (acrobatic foot juggling), tightwire walking, jumping, and flipping (first time I saw a performer fall off, but its okay, he got back up with a smile and supportive applause by the audience), fancy chinese yoyo tricks, tower of chairs balancing act, duo skating on a raised platform, aerialist swinging up high in the air, as well as a silly western skit orchestrated by the clown with audience volunteers participating. A little bit of juggling in the pre-show, too.
I didn't really have a favorite act because nothing really stood out to me and the extent of each stunt was fairly basic. For instance, I've been to circuses where tightrope performers use unicycles or juggle while moving along the wire. Nothing at that level happened here. Not to say that Venardos wasn't impressive. I know it takes a lot of effort and talent to do what they do. I just don't think it quite matched the cost. No animals, but plenty of props used. No fancy lighting, just a few spotlights and string lights. And the sound system was not bad.
I appreciated the accurate start and end time (1 hour 30 minutes which included a 15-20 minute intermission). Free photos with the cast offered after the show, too. Everything seemed to be organized fairly well, with staff running things smoothly this past Saturday. It's a nice family friendly event, and even without kids I enjoyed my time under the big top. read more