The Charming ‘Sunset Circus’ is Back

By Alix Cohen

What makes Sunset Circus different? “Two things: the story and the intimate environment. Ours is a theatrical show (on stage) in which the circus acts help tell the story. Physical closeness allows us to share in joy, laughter, and emotional journey as if audience is part of the family…” Artistic Director Mark Lonergan. Imagine- No loud music, distracting three rings, glaring lights, or merchandise, just a tender, straightforward tale:

“The head of our traveling circus family is not ready for his daughters to grow up, something with which we see him grappling throughout the show. Both his daughters perform aerial acts which demonstrate their desire to push into adulthood, much to the dismay of their father…There’s a romance and a roustabout who becomes a clown.”

I talked to four performers:

Olivia Tavolacci started training as a gymnast and aerialist at 9 through classes and summer camp. She studied design at FIT
(a second profession), then went to Ecole Superieure in Brussels, majoring in (the circus kind of) straps. “I only thought it was possible to make a life with circus skills about five years ago.” Her grin is wide and warm.

Venues vary. “It doesn’t have to be all circuses. I perform a lot at weddings…” Imagine that. She’s hung up to 50’ high. There are no nets with aerials. How do you keep from getting dizzy? Is there a trick? “In circus we don’t spot because we can spin faster than our bodies can technically handle. It’s too much for the neck to keep shifting.” (A dancer clocks one place each time around.)
“I’m pretty much full time circus now. I’m gonna ride it for as long as my body can handle it. I’d like to tour. When I’m not performing, I’m teaching.

Olivia plays Lily, the 12 year-old, youngest member of the family who want to be in the show. Her father says one sister up there is worrisome enough, but Lily prevails.

In 2008, Randy Kato had a girlfriend (now wife) who conscripted him into a hula hoop making workshop. (He was a web developer.) They went to a jam in Central Park where he saw, not the traditional 1950s rotation, but “amazing tricks and movement.” The artist began teaching himself the Cyr Wheel (the body makes an X inside a big twisting/rotating hoop), then attended a workshop. As he got better, friends casually asked him to perform, which lead to touring with Sunset and other circuses at the ripe age of 43.

How do you train your balance? “Pretty much ON the wheel. When you stand, gravity’s right there. When you’re spinning and tilting, gravity becomes a moving target. You’re always falling one way or the other. It becomes a dynamic balance your body has to learn.”

Randy has a closet full of costumes, each of which has its own themed music. And many wheels: indoor, outdoor, one with led lights, one that can emit fire. (He wears welding gloves.) His character is Luca’s brother, Philippe. Everyone else pairs off, but Randy’s love is the wheel. “If you look really closely, you can see real affection.” He feels it himself.

Starting gymnastics and dance at 3, Stephanie Keaton competed through college. “Most people are done after that. I always loved the circus so I found a class at Aerial Arts NYC. where I now teach. I don’t think I knew the outcome, but I knew I wanted to move my body in that sort of way.”

“My first circus performance gig was about ten years ago. I also work in fashion. Had I found circus right out of college, I’d ’ve wanted to tour, but not now. I do something physical every day, however. In Sunset, I tumble down the rope. ( Yes, she gets rope burns). You just try not to slide.” Stephanie has dropped from as high as 30’. The artist plays Lily’s older sister, a staple in the show within the show. She thinks Sunset’s characters are very relatable.

Are you aware of audience when you’re up there? “Kind of. I’m not thinking about them. We’re all together like friends. If I’m in the center, I go into a zone, otherwise I might hear someone laugh or call out.” Stephanie wants to perform “in a way that explores the strength, wonder, and hope of circus and joy.”

Sam Ferlo’s father and mother were both in Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus. He then traveled with his dad and brother in their own Knucklehead Circus until he was 14. Then came Circus Smirkus. Miraculously, he’s been able to predominantly support himself in the profession. Circus people are a community. Most jobs come word of mouth, but there are schools.

What’s your definition of clown? “It’s the most humiliating part of your human experience brought to light. I enter the room as my child self and interact by connecting to the audience’s everyday lives. Sunset is definitely the type of circus I want to be a part of.
It’s more theatrical.” Sam studies acting and coaches acrobatics.

What does laughter feel like to you? “It’s bliss, overwhelming, an emotional out of body experience,” he responds eyes shining. “Applause is just- they liked it.” The performer’s character is Luca, a roustabout whose natural bumbling is clown-like. He’s spotted and put in the show.

HEADS UP CAREGIVERS! After the circus children are encouraged to come on stage and ask questions.

Artistic Director Mark Lonergan arrived at his craft through theater, dance, and circus. During The Pandemic, collaborator (and lyric clown) Joel Jeske came up with the idea of Sunset Circus, a seven member ostensibly traveling troop whose family dynamics come into play as they perform.

The show is utterly charming, for small children and nostalgic parents.

Sunset Circus is a production of Parallel Exit, a physical theatre company that creates and presents original work each season in New York City. Parallel Exit is a nonprofit that is funded through a combination of grants, donations, performance fees, and ticket sales.

Photography by Maike Shulz
Opening Joel Jeske and the Company

Sunset Circus- in NYC on March 22, 2026, and May 3, 2026
Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan 334 Amsterdam Avenue
11:00 AM – Noon and 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
https://parallelexit.com/sunset-circus/