Verna, a beautiful young woman from Grand Rapids, Indiana wants to be a star in Paramour, the Cirque du Soleil/ Broadway show at the Lyric Theater, conceived and directed by Philippe Decoufle. AJ, a Hollywood director (Jeremy Kushnier) discovers her and renames the redhead Indigo (Ruby Lewis), but he's a devil and his attentions come with a price. From the show's first spectacle, a dance and acrobatic number on golden stairs, Paramour's story is old as the Hollywood Hills, but as AJ says, extolling the virtues of magic in the extravaganza opening number, all movies should have acrobats, and presto, Paramour does what Cirque du Soleil does best, create a dazzling show with juggling, gymnasts, and aerial stunts.
At the matinee I attended with my co-critics, Noah (11) and Hannah (9) there was a lot of oohing and aahing as aerialists flew into the audience on fabric, trapeze artists defied gravity, and a man in a hoop commanded center stage. A New York City rooftop trampoline chase scene was a favorite. Verna has run away with her true love, an up-and-coming young songwriter (Ryan Vona), and let us say, magic is great entertainment, but it is love that conquers all.
A version of this post also appears on Gossip Central.