Zarkana Returns to Radio City as Over-the-top as Ever

6/24/12 - By Anna Fader

Radio City Music Hall is known for hosting huge spectacles on its football-stadium-size stage. And Cirque du Soleil is known for its enchantingly beautiful performances. Put them together and you get Zarkana, a visually stunning extravaganza of epic proportions.

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This is the second summer in a row that Zarkana has come to Radio City and some changes have been made. Mainly the show is shorter with no intermission. Otherwise most of the acts are similar to what we saw last summer when we posted our tips for parents taking kids to see Zarkana.

While it's not a kids' show, there's really nothing inappropriate for children. The main drawback, besides the price of tickets, is that some children seem to find it creepy, which may or may not bother your youngsters.

Like last year, Zarkana is dripping with visual splendor. It's like a wedding cake: There are layers and layers of over-the-top beauty. Some people find the whole thing overwhelming. It does feel almost like a three-ring circus—you never quite know what to look at. Personally, I loved this feast for the senses. It reminded me of a Peter Greenaway movie, without the maggots.

If Louis XIV had commissioned a circus, Zarkana would have been the outcome. Whether you think all the visual richness adds to the incredible technical feats of the performers or distracts from them (I clearly fall on the "adds" side), Zarkana is a spectacle that can be enjoyed by anyone.

Zarkana is playing at Radio City Music Hall through September 2. Get more info and tickets at CirqueduSoleil.com.

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About the Author

Anna Fader

Founder & CEO of Mommy Poppins
Anna was born in Park Slope, spent her early years in the West Village. By the time she graduated high school, she had lived in 4 of the 5 boroughs. Growing up in NYC in the '70s meant the streets were her playgrounds. Museums and avant garde music venues were the kid-friendly activities. And living downtown taught her the importance of creating community for families in NYC.

Now, raising her own two children in the city, she tries to create the same sense of magic and community she felt growing up, despite today's more commercialized version of kid-friendly New York.

She started Mommy Poppins in 2007 to share a more artsy, educational, uncommercial, community-oriented vision of raising kids in New York City. Today Mommy Poppins is relied on by millions of families as the authority on the best things to do with kids beyond New York City: from Boston to Philly, Los Angeles, Houston and travel guides for dozens more cities and destinations.