The scene is that of a little boy, gazing from the wings of an old vaudevillian theater. Through the lights descending on that stage, he watches in fascination as the ringmaster introduces an act in that night’s circus.
For now, this act exists only in the memories of Nicky Dewhurst. But it will be performed for the masses soon enough at New York-New York’s Zumanity Theater on March 7 during the annual “One Night for One Drop” charity production. A segment of the show, its first costumed rehearsal, was unveiled Wednesday at NY-NY.
“The idea is to go back into a vintage circus, and a lot of those memories are definitely from my childhood,” said Dewhurst, the son of circus-clown legend Brian Dewhurst, who at age 84 still performs regularly as the clown character in “Mystère” at TI. “One moment in the show, we have a little boy almost peeking through the curtains, looking out at the show. We are still figuring out how to achieve that image, but that was from my childhood, sitting on the stage, looking out at the world.”
Brian Dewhurst joined his family’s circus troupe when he was 13. Nicky was even younger when he began hanging around the stage. He currently plays the smarmy co-host of “Zumanity” and has been summoned to co-direct the fifth annual “One Night For One Drop” show with his wife, Laetitia Dewhurst.
The storyline follows an aged ringmaster, played by Brian Dewhurst himself, looking back on his life in the circus, along with his onstage assistant (played by Alan Silva of “Zumanity”). The elder Dewhurst was not onstage the segment of the show performed Wednesday, but he will be the lead performer on March 7.
Thus, the “One Drop” show is a family endeavor, for Cirque (with dozens of performers from the Strip’s seven Cirque shows volunteering their time and talent) and also for the Dewhursts . Laetitia Dewhurst and the Dewhurst boys opened the show at New York-New York. Her brother, Perry Ray, plays “The Timekeeper” in the show, and Sally Dewhurst (daughter of Brian, sister of Nicky) is also on the “One Night For One Drop” events committee.
Nicky and Laetitia also are developing an under-the-carriage look at circus acts for this production.
“We’re trying to create some of the drama backstage that doesn’t come onstage,” Laetitia said. “We have a teeter-board act performed backstage, like a rehearsal, so it is more free. The guys are bantering, egging each other on, and that is beautiful to see.”
Nicky, who has seen that act played out countless times, says of the co-directing partnership with Laetitia, “We have worked very well together.”
{ SOURCE: John Katsilometes, LVRJ | https://goo.gl/HvrdoW }
