‘The All-New Big Apple Circus: The World’s Best Under Our Big Top’. Director & Choreographer: Renaud Doucet; Scenic & Costume Design: Andre Barbe; Technical Director: Guy Simard; Sound Design: JP Perreaux; Music Director: Rob Slowik. Presented by The Gold Group, EMC presents BAC, and Circus Vazquez at Suffolk Downs, 525 McLellan Highway, East Boston, through November 2, 2025
By Mike Hoban
From the very opening sequence, with a thundering pop-rock score playing behind an array of jugglers, hula hoopers, flying acrobats, and dancers, the Big Apple Circus grabs your attention and doesn’t let go, generating a chorus of “Whoas!” and “Wows!” throughout the performance. The latest show, returning to Boston after a six-year hiatus, blends circus arts (trapeze, aerial ropes, various forms of juggling, acrobatics, and a tightrope act), clowning, and dog acts with a light show and an eight-piece orchestra to deliver a “one-ring” circus that brings out the kid in all of us.
Led by a costumed ringmaster and star Russian clown Boris Nikishkin, the fast-paced show brings performers − many of whom come from generations of circus families − from around the globe to deliver first-rate, family-friendly entertainment. Following the opening segment, the show trots out a series of mostly traditional (but nonetheless awe-inspiring) circus arts acts, one after another, with Boris (who gets the most stage time) entertaining the audience with a series of sight gags that are genuinely funny.
The acts range from the pure fun of the Bingo Troupe from Ukraine, featuring dance and some impressive hula hoopery (star Katerina Sahaidak keeps dozens of hoops going with her head and every appendage simultaneously), and Rafael Abuhadba and his partner with their half-dozen trained poodles. The West Africa Acrobats perform acrobatic dance routines and assemble human pyramids, and a tightrope walker (six feet off the ground as opposed to the old school/dangerous high wire act) performs Olympic-style routines on a wire instead of a balance beam.
Then there are the gasp-inducing acts: The teenage Nicolodi Brothers, Dylan and James (the 7th generation of circus performers) execute a difficult-to-describe routine where one brother lies flat on his back and propels the other brother into a series of flips; the weirdly named but astonishingly talented Kung Fu Boys from China, whose highlight was having one of their performers jump up a set of “stairs” on his head; Spanish trapeze artist Alexander Lichner, who, in addition to his trapeze skills, suspends himself from the heights by gripping the trapeze bar with his teeth; and the closing trapeze act, the Flying Caceres, whose triple aerial somersault and catch routines were eye-popping.
Not all of the routines for the various acts are always 100% successful, but that’s the beauty of live performance. There’s also a sense of community that the circus builds with the patrons through audience participation, including a dance routine that one audience member performed with Boris the clown, which won the crowd over. There are times during the show when there is so much activity going on that it’s difficult to decide what act to focus on, but you’ll never be bored. As much fun as it is for adults, the Big Apple Circus is also a hit with the kids, who seemed actively engaged, judging by the constant motion of their light-up toys (available at the concession stand, of course). And there’s an added bonus for parents: Children under 3 are free when they sit on the lap of a paid adult. One child per lap.
With the Big Apple Circus in town, you don’t have to wait for the Fourth of July to get your “Oohs and Ahhs” in. It’s happening now at Suffolk Downs. For tickets and information, go to: https://bigapplecircus.com/boston/
