ADANZA

Last weekend, my friend Marc and I discovered an interesting theatre venue we had never even heard of before! We saw the show Adanza at the Eastwood Performing Arts Center, which had the perfect space for this very different musical.

The word “circus” on the invitation caught my attention right away, and having been in one myself back in the day, that’s what attracted me. And with a fancy one-word title, Adanza, which is reminiscent of the ones for Cirque du Soleil shows, that’s where my mind took me. But it turns-out that it’s actually a musical with just a few circus acts. But with not a lot of call for artists with those particular skills, I’m sure they’re grateful to be included in this show, as are we audience members to see their work. And at least this is a different type of presentation, which is always good in LA’s overcrowded theatre landscape.

Marc and I agreed that we were entertained, but Adanza, (which I discovered later means “dance” in Spanish,) is definitely a work in progress. I give the creators a lot of credit for trying, though. It appears that they just bit off more than they can chew. [Note: They gave-out “Audience Survey” cards at the end, so I assume that they want the truth, in order to improve the show. And that’s what I’m here for!]

The circus-type acts were what Marc and I enjoyed the most. But we had no idea what was going on in the story. At all. It’s very confusing. (It’s all songs with no dialogue, so it’s a tad hard to get the gist of it.) And the entire fourteen-person cast seemed to be on stage at all times, which muddled what exactly was important to the action.

So let’s get to the specialty acts first. Our favorite performance was by aerialist Sharyn Scott. She’s fabulous. It’s exciting to see that art done so close to the audience. We both wished that we could have seen more of her, not just her performing more in the show. That’s because, for some inexplicable reason, the first time she appeared, they placed a new older man character right in front of her! That’s so crazy. I wanted to yell, “Down in front!” I figured it was just a mistake, but then the blocking, (which I mean not just in the theatrical sense of the word,) was the same during the next two times Sharyn performed! Why would a director choreograph it that way, having a featured acrobatic artist be blocked by an actor?

On top of that, when that same actor, Joseph (Jilbér) Ferri, finally did his bubble act, (which we had been looking forward to because it was one of the things that had caught my eye on the invite,) he was placed as far back on the big empty stage as possible! I was left scratching my head as to why he wouldn’t be as close to the audience as possible to perform his delicate art. I was sitting in the second row, but I had to actually break-out my binoculars for the only time all night just to see what he was doing back there!

There was just one other circus performer, Christopher Yates, who juggled, walked on stilts, and rode a unicycle every now and then, but as sort-of just background to the musical portions of the show. We loved seeing his bits.

We also enjoyed Cristina Malakhai singing flamenco while Melissa Caravajal danced it. And we both appreciated that there was a plethora of colorful visuals, such as rhythmic gymnastics ribbons, glowing lights, and our fave—twirling parasols. There are so many surprises in that show!

Speaking of the visuals, all the action was accompanied by appropriate projections on the big screen at the back of the stage, which is one of the reasons we felt it was the perfect venue for this show. Those giant images added so much to the production.

And the live cellist, Jennifer Chun, who played just about the entire time, did the same. Another positive is that, at just an hour and a half with no intermission, Adanza goes by pretty quickly. There’s really no down time in the show—it goes from one number to the next.

But the story, the songs, the singing, and the dancing all need work. Lots of it. The beginning of the narrative is that in 1975 Los Angeles, a young couple meets, marries, and has a baby in short order. A lot of songs later, the backdrop reads, “Present Day,” and there’s an older gent singing in what appears to be an office. And then he and his co-workers win a prize and get to go on a cruise. There does not appear to be any connection between the two stories.

It was driving Marc and me crazy, but I figured that it being fifty years later was a clue. Marc thought that maybe the man was supposed to be the husband as an old man now, and that the couple had broken up. I thought that maybe this was the couple’s son grown-up now, but that kid would have been only forty-eight or forty-nine, and this man appears to be older than that. So, we suggest that you just ignore the story and enjoy the entertainment factor. [Note: I discovered after I had written this review that the character is the now-grown-up son, and he’s played by the co-creator of this show, Joseph (Jilbér) Ferri, who’s also the bubble man. He and his wife, Brooke, wrote the show along with all the songs. I feel that since it’s their own show, in which they really want to feature him, they should just perhaps start it from the second half when the character appears in the present day. Then perceived age would not be a factor. I understand that they want the story to go full-circle, with the show starting with the mother blowing bubbles at the beach, and it ending with her adult son doing it as his act, but it took me two days to figure-out that aspect! So, going forward maybe there’s a different way to get that point across in a more clear manner.]

I have two more auxiliary major positives. The producers’ absolutely beautiful thirteen-year-old son is the person who checks the guests in, and he could not be more adorable or polite or conscientious. And when I asked him if his parents are as good-looking as he is, he answered, “I like to think that they are.” Adorbs! And the popcorn at the snack bar is the best ever! (Just remember to ask for napkins.)

Adanza plays only three more times this coming Friday and Saturday, so if you like original music and some close-up circus acts, in a very easy stadium-seating atmosphere, this might be the show for you.

Adanza running through April 5, 2025
Eastwood Performing Arts Center
1089 N. Oxford Drive, Hollywood
www.adanzamusical.com