Acrobatics and symphonic music will transport the Huntington community to another world as “Cirque Musica presents Holiday Wishes” comes to the Keith Albee Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9. The circus and orchestra combination is expected to give some students a once-in-a-lifetime experience as they witness twists and turns from the storyline as well as the performers. 

“We’ve never really had a show of this magnitude with the ‘cirque’ theme,” said Angela Jones, director of marketing for the Marshall Artists Series. “We’ve had smaller shows at smaller scales in the years past with Chinese acrobats and things like that, but this is more of a big show. Big like it’s going to fill the stage.” 

“Cirque Musica presents Holiday Wishes” tells the story of a family and their relationship with technology during the holiday season. The producer and creator of the show, Stephen Cook, said he hopes attendees will be able to take a step back to appreciate the time they spend with family and friends during the holiday season. 

“I remember growing up and going to shows with my family and creating memories,” Cook said. “I hope people enjoy it; I hope they appreciate it.” 

Cook  said the idea came from his own home as well as the world around him since technology has become a major part of many people’s lives.

“I have an eight and a 10-year-old, so this hits home,” he said. “This is reality though. Everyone is busy, everyone has a phone, so (‘Cirque Musica presents Holiday Wishes’) really addresses that.” 

Jones said she expects to see the audience filled with children and said she hopes the event is one that everyone can enjoy and relate to, since the theme follows how she thinks today’s world is headed.

“The holidays always tend to bring people together, but we don’t really realize we are all glued to our phones until someone else points it out,” Jones said. “You don’t always realize it takes you away from situations.”

Keeping the children in mind, Cook said one of his favorite parts of the performance is seeing children and how they view the show.

“I love seeing kids with their families,” Cook said. “Watching the performers on stage and seeing the reactions, it’s great.” 

Cook has been working with Cirque Musica for  roughly nine years and explained that the company creates different shows each year to entertain audiences throughout the country.

“Every year we create a brand new show, new themes, new music, new laughs,” Cook said. “It’s a very technically advanced show with a theatrical twist. I think for the students, it’s something they maybe have not seen before.”

Jones also said she wanted to remind students they should take advantage of the fact that they can get Marshall Artists Series tickets for free or reduced prices, especially because the event can give them a chance to relax during finals week.

“It’s going to be a stressful time of the year, you know, finals week,” she said. “It’s a good way to kind of take a stress-free date for yourself or your friends. And it’s a good way to get you in the holiday spirit.”

Full-time students can get one free ticket to the event, and part-time students can get one ticket at half price. Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. 

The Marshall Artists Series will continue to bring entertainment to the Huntington and Marshall communities in the spring with events such as “The Simon and Garfunkel Story,” “Finding Neverland,” the Spring International Film Festival and multiple others. Information on event dates and ticket release dates can be found at https://www.marshall.edu/muartistseries/. 

Sarah Ingram can be contacted at [email protected].