If you’ve been following us on social media this past year you know Peyton and I love to take in live shows. Peyton also likes to perform in local theatre productions and has been in The Jungle Book Jr and The Little Mermaid Jr this past year. Living in the Twin Cities area we are fortunate with all the amazing theatre opportunities around us. One of my favorite places I like to take Peyton is the Minneapolis Children’s Theatre. Their shows are perfect for children. They are shorter, with intermissions and they understand these are children and sometimes children get scared or overstimulated and need to leave. They are wonderful with their guest. They even have sensory-friendly performances for every run so that all children can experience the theatre.
This past weekend, Peyton and I took in Circus Abyssinia: Ethiopian Dreams at the Children’s Theatre. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s been a crazy month and all I knew is I had tickets and we were going. I couldn’t even remember where our seats where. It’s just been once of those months with school starting and illnesses and work that things are moving fast and I’m just trying to make sure we don’t forget things.
To my pleasant surprise, we had front row seats! Peyton really struggles when there are people in front of her. She’s on the spectrum and having rows of people in front of her or sitting in the middle of an aisle is too much. She gets distracted, can’t see the show, frustration sets in, sometimes she feels constrained with being surrounded and this lets to sensory overload. So I was grateful that I had thought ahead and bought seats in the first row. Now she could see it all without the distraction of other patrons and if she felt the need to leave we could discreetly walk out the side without having to step over a dozen people to get out of a row.
Now the show is unlike anything we’ve ever seen at the Children’s Theatre. It’s a circus, unlike any circus we’ve ever seen. Created by brothers Bibi and Bichu Tesfamariam in 2017, they have both been circus performers for over two decades! Their most recent show was the Disney’s live-action remake of Dumbo as members of the Medici Brothers Circus.
They’ve been touring worldwide with the show and have been in the UK, New York, Japan, France, Hungary, Australia, Abu Dhabi and now here, in Minnesota! This is only the second time that Circus Abyssinia has been in the United States.
The show delves into the rhythms and roots of Ethiopia’s rich musical and artistic traditions to weave its story through death-defying tricks, and feats of juggling, clowning, and contortion, all performed to the irresistible beats of modern Ethiopian popular music.
It’s a wonderful family-friendly show that everyone will enjoy. The cast is energetic, upbeat and a pleasure to watch. You can tell they love what they are doing. A big bonus is you can meet them after the show! Take a photo, get an autograph or ask a question.
Circus Abyssinia is running from now until October 20th.
Runtime is 90 minutes with a 15-20 minute intermission. There is a special sugar cookie! You can either bring your own snacks or purchase snacks there. I highly suggest purchasing your snack before the show and picking it up during intermission. We always get a cookie and drink.
Here’s a listing of all the dates-
Friday, September 20 7pm (Opening night)
Saturday, September 21 2pm and 5pm
Sunday, September 22 2pm and 5pm
Thursday, September 26 7pm
Friday, September 27 7pm
Saturday, September 28 2pm and 5pm
Sunday, September 29 2pm and 5pm
Thursday, October 3 7pm
Friday, October 4 7pm
Saturday, October 5 2pm and 5pm
Sunday, October 6 2pm and 5pm
Thursday, October 10 7pm
Friday, October 11 7pm (ASL/AD Performance)
Saturday, October 12 11am and 2pm
Sunday, October 13 2pm and 5pm
Thursday, October 17 2pm and 7pm
Friday, October 18 2pm and 7pm (Sensory Friendly Performance)
Saturday, October 19 11am and 2pm
Sunday, October 20 2pm and 5pm (Closing Performance)
You can purchase tickets online at the Children’s Theatre.
You must be logged in to post a comment.