![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Adanza_IsaakBerlinerPhotography--e1743534997484.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo by Isaak Berliner.<\/p><\/div>\n
The word \u201ccircus\u201d on the invitation caught my attention right away, and having been in one myself back in the day, that\u2019s what attracted me. And with a fancy one-word title, Adanza<\/em>, which is reminiscent of the ones for Cirque du Soleil shows, that\u2019s where my mind took me. But it turns-out that it\u2019s actually a musical<\/em> with just a few<\/em> circus acts. But with not a lot of call for artists with those particular skills, I\u2019m sure they\u2019re 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\u2019s overcrowded theatre landscape.<\/p>\n Marc and I agreed that we were entertained, but Adanza<\/em>, (which I discovered later means \u201cdance\u201d 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 \u201cAudience Survey\u201d cards at the end, so I assume that they want the truth, in order to improve the show. And that\u2019s what I\u2019m here for!]<\/p>\n 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\u2019s very confusing. (It\u2019s all songs with no dialogue, so it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n So let\u2019s get to the specialty acts first. Our favorite performance was\u00a0by aerialist Sharyn Scott. She\u2019s fabulous.\u00a0It\u2019s exciting to see that art done so close to the audience. We both wished that we could have seen more of her<\/em>, not just her performing<\/em> more in the show. That\u2019s because, for some inexplicable reason, the first time she appeared, they placed a new older man character right in front of her<\/em>! That\u2019s so crazy. I wanted to yell, \u201cDown in front!\u201d 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!\u00a0Why would a director choreograph it that way, having a featured acrobatic artist be blocked by an actor?<\/p>\n If you’re sitting in the middle section of the venue, the actor in front is blocking the aerialist. Photo by Isaak Berliner.<\/p><\/div>\n On top of that, when that same actor, Joseph (Jilb\u00e9r) 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\u2019t be as close<\/em> 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!<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n We also enjoyed Cristina Malakhai\u00a0singing 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\u2014twirling parasols. There are so many surprises in that show!<\/p>\n Photo by Isaak Berliner.<\/p><\/div>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/em> goes by pretty quickly. There\u2019s really no down time in the show\u2014it goes from one number to the next.<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0A lot of songs later, the backdrop reads, \u201cPresent Day,\u201d and there\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Photo by Isaak Berliner.<\/p><\/div>\n 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\u2019s 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\u2019s played by the co-creator of this show, Joseph (Jilb\u00e9r) Ferri, who\u2019s also the bubble man. He and his wife, Brooke, wrote the show along with all the songs. I feel that since it\u2019s 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\u2019s a different way to get that point across in a more clear manner.]<\/p>\n I have two more auxiliary major positives. The producers\u2019 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.\u00a0And when I asked him if his parents are as good-looking as he<\/em> is, he answered, \u201cI like to think that they are.\u201d Adorbs! And the popcorn at the snack bar is the best ever! (Just remember to ask for napkins.)<\/p>\n Adanza<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n Adanza<\/em> running through April 5, 2025<\/strong> 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 \u201ccircus\u201d on the invitation caught my attention right away, and having been<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a>
\n Eastwood Performing Arts Center<\/strong>
\n 1089 N. Oxford Drive, Hollywood<\/strong>
\n www.adanzamusical.com<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"