Photo by Caroline Rinny
“A Magical Cirque Christmas” follows the story of the Guardian of Time, who changes the seasons through a magical clock. When he loses his Christmas spirit, a charismatic socialite named Lucy Darling tries to use her magic to keep the clock ticking, but she breaks the device, and a time-traveling adventure begins. The performance, billed as a “Christmas-themed circus variety show,” features holiday songs, magic tricks and performances from acrobats, a juggling duo, a unicyclist and a contortionist.
Darling is played by magician and actor Carisa Hendrix. She created the character in 2017, inspired by iconic Hollywood actresses, and the show’s producers last year in an online series she created during the pandemic lockdown called “A Night in With Lucy Darling.” They soon decided that she should be a part of the show.
“When I saw Carisa Hendrix performing as Lucy Darling, I knew she was the perfect muse,” says “A Magical Cirque Christmas” director Louanne Madorma. “It’s rare to find a magician who has developed such a strong and enticing character.”
Carisa Hendrix as Lucy Darling (Photo by Christian Ashby)
Darling’s socialite aesthetic and wit were born out of Hendrix’s love for old Hollywood and science fiction. “I just thought it would be cool if there was a character that was a cross between old Hollywood and Q from ‘Star Trek,’ ” Hendrix says.
She adds that the death of actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, a socialite and actress who died in 2018 at age 99, also inspired her.
“It felt like the last of that old Hollywood energy had gone, and there was a tragedy there,” Hendrix says. “I thought about how many generations of people would never have the opportunity to experience it. I thought, ‘Well, if I’m gonna do this, now is the time. I will not allow this energy to leave the world. So I have to become it. That’s the only answer.’ ”
When Hendrix signed on to host as her Darling alter ego, she worked alongside Madorma to tailor the show to fit her character’s charm and wit. They accomplished this by tying the performances together through the story of the Guardian of Time. Madorma describes this year’s tour, with new storylines, lighting and set design, as a more defined experience.
“It took a little getting used to,” says Hendrix, an award-winning magician who set a Guinness World Record for fire eating. “It’s a very different way of performing. Some of the acts are crowd work and improv. For the first couple of weeks, I found I was still learning.”
A year later, the creators of the ambitious narrative that weaves time travel, magic and music with circus acrobatics are certain they’ve cooked up something special, set to a soundtrack of Christmas classics performed live. The show also features “America’s Got Talent” alums such as unicyclist Jonathan Rinny and bow-and-arrow contortionist Aryn Shelander. The songs will be sung by former “The Voice” contestant Audri Bartholomew, who appeared on the show with Jennifer Hudson.
“It’s like a jukebox musical throughout the decades, and it’s deeply nostalgic and beautiful,” Hendrix says. “I think of it as, last year, we had raspberry syrup. This year, we've got raspberry concentrate.”
"A Magical Cirque Christmas” comes to the Altria Theater on Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $28.50 to $68.50.
