There’s something about seeing a show inside the Big Top that brings out the wonder of childhood. Once you’ve stepped inside the tent and encounter the intoxicating fragrance of freshly made popcorn, the reality of the outside world simply melts away. That’s what you’ll experience at Celestia, the circus extravaganza at The STRAT.
Located in a huge outdoor tent, Celestia features amazing circus acts. Contortionists, athletes, dancers and acrobats from countries around the world share the stage with finalists from America’s Got Talent for 90 minutes of thrills, chills, laughter and gasps.
The premise of Celestia is rather simple. A lone star in the cosmos desires to become human, so it takes the form of an inquisitive young girl. Accompanied by two wacky sidekicks that serve as the show’s clowns, “Celestia” encounters a variety of dazzling stunts and circus acts before ascending back into space.
Celestia’s opening sequence is dazzling and epic. The entire cast fills the venue, plunging from the rafters and gathering from all directions onto a rotating stage. Live music, colorful costumes, fog and lighting effects create a veritable feast of sights and sounds. High-tech projections bathe the “skies” in astral imagery that transports you to a realm of wonder and awe, and you even witness a fire spectacular.
Children and adults alike will be spellbound by Alfredo and Anna Silva, who rose to fame as “Deadly Games” on America’s Got Talent. The knife-throwing duo performs a daring crossbow stunt using an audience member’s phone as a mirror. AGT’s father-daughter favorites “Sergey and Sasha” defy gravity with a head-spinning balancing act that may even make you a little dizzy.
Celestia fills the air with amazingly beautiful aerial acts. Bungees, spinning hoops and flowing silks lift artists high over the audience and enable them to dance across a colorful indoor sky. Flaming batons and knives dare you to reach out and feel the heat. Even “Celestia” herself takes to the air on the flying trapeze. New acts arrive at the big top from time to time, ensuring that every visit is unique. The latest, a comical pair of burly hand-balancing lumberjacks, will leave you in stitches.
The highlight of Celestia is undoubtedly the thrilling Wheel of Death. An epic finale that rivals anything you’ll find on the Strip, this heart-pounding act features a massive rotating apparatus with giant “hamster wheel” hoops on both ends. Two daring artists run, jump ropes and flip inside and outside the wheel as it spins faster and faster!
General manager Kim Scott is pleased that her show appeals to such a broad demographic. With so many adult-skewing productions in Las Vegas, Celestia is the rare all-ages spectacle that she believes will satisfy the gap that often appears. “Most shows on the Strip are not family friendly. From casting some of the top artists in the industry like Deadly Games and the Sandou Russian Bar Trio, who are now on AGT: The Champions, our talent is at the top of the bar.”
The STRAT, 7 p.m. Wed.-Thurs., 7 & 9 p.m. Fri.-Sun., $29-$99 plus tax and fee. 702.380.7777
