Mini Reviews
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MINI REVIEWS
A star (*) denotes a show recommended by our critics.
Newly Reviewed
* BIG APPLE CIRCUS
At Dulles Town Center through Oct. 13
This mix of clowns, jugglers, trapeze artists and animal acts manages to dazzle the senses with new routines while providing the comforting familiarity of a simpler, long-ago time. The theme of this year's spectacular is "Play On!" -- with heavy emphasis on the play. Part of Big Apple's charm is the way its acts appeal to all ages. The youngest attendees (and 2-year-olds are regulars) just stare gape-mouthed at what's being done. Older kids try to figure out how it's being done. Parents -- looking at performers often their age or older -- wonder why it's being done. The best theatrical performances transport the audience. The Big Apple Circus does just that -- taking us back, if only for two hours, to a far simpler time.
-- Tracy Grant
Friday at 7, Saturday and Sunday at 12:30 and 4:30, Tuesday at 7, Wednesday at 11 and 7, Thursday at 11 and 7. 21100 Dulles Town Cir., Dulles.http:/
BUSYTOWN
At Imagination Stage through Nov. 2
A cheery valentine to the quotidian and adapted from the work of iconic author and illustrator Richard Scarry, this play conjures up a world where a really serious crisis is the delayed arrival of a birthday card or the brazen theft of a bunch of bananas. The story centers on the curious young cat Huckle (Matthew A. Anderson), who tries to bake a cake for a party thrown by his pal Betsy Bear (Emily Levey). Meanwhile, Huckle's best friend, Lowly Worm (a puppet), acts as a letter courier, traveling by boat in the company of the cuddly pirate Capt. Salty (Don Kenneth Mason). Because the narrative is so unsophisticated, the play is probably best suited to younger children.
