PlanetEye

If you are spending any time in downtown Boston this month you are sure to come across the giant blue circus tent staked out at Boston's City Hall Plaza. 
 
The Big Apple Circus is 30 years old and this year's show; "Celebrate" is quite the birthday bash.

There's a Venetian Carnevale-like atmosphere as multi-colored paper confetti rains down on the audience and the company parades into the ring dressed in harlequin masks and velvet capes.

Grandma (Barry Lubin) is the Big Apple Circus's most recognizable name- and this Grandma knows how to work a whoopee cushion.  International clown stars (and brothers) Fumagalli and Daris are highly entertaining with their special brand of slapstick comedy. Their "Little Bee, Little Bee" water spitting act is classic!

The Big Apple Circus animal performances feature talented dogs and trained horses. Irina Markova's poodles (standard, miniature and toy) are sweetly adorable as they dance with each other and jump through hoops.  Yasmine Smart guides her team of handsome white horses to prance in a delightfully choreographed routine.

Acrobatics figure predominately in this year's show.  The Huesca Brothers (the sons of Fumagalli) absolutely wow the crowd with their "foot juggling" (more like brother juggling!) routine. Another amazing acrobatic feat? The trio of Virgile Peyramaure, Andrey Mantchev and Sarah Schwarz perform a mesmerizing "living statue" contortionist act with remarkable strength, control and beauty.

The Kovgar Troupe provides the show's grand finale of incredible acrobatics as the members catapult through the air launched from teeterboards, perform flips and are then caught by their teammates. 

The Big Apple Circus Boston engagement runs through May 4th. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster, the BosTIX booths (  Copley Square and Faneuil Hall) and at the Community Box Office in the lobby of the Boston Children's Museum.