By Jason and Alisha Hagey
At the Eccles Theater, stunning artistry and holiday magic collide. Like a wrapped gift opening in front of your eyes, Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Twas the Night Before… is a breathtaking display of wonder, music, and acrobatics. It’s an effervescent celebration of world-class athleticism and imaginative creativity. The result is a shot of pure magic that leaves audiences enchanted.
Unlike most Cirque du Soleil productions, ‘Twas the Night Before… maintains a plot to bring together the versatile and visually stunning vignettes. Isabella feels that she’s grown too old for the usual Christmas ritual she and her father have of reading Clement Clarke Moore’s classic poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” As her father begins the tale, she openly avoids listening to it by putting on headphones. Then the snow sprite and hip-hop dancing elves materialize. Suddenly, she and her father separate in a snowstorm, and Isabella slips into a dream realm where the impish elves help her to find the happiness in the holiday again.
These entertaining rascals are Victoria Cone, Kiara Fina, Kai Ogawa, Kai Ogawa, Chaz Walter, and Jerould Jorge (Dancers). The rhythmic complexity of their choreography, due to the music’s remixing and reinvention of Christmas carols, is remarkable. Still, their ability to hit the various layers of the beat is unparalleled. Each dancer has a fundamental pulsing that connects all their movements. They provide a natural, effortless bounce that’s whimsical while being grounded and in-the-pocket. Their comedic timing is top-notch, and their vibrance is over-the-top.
Once transported into the winter wonderland, Isabella sees the snowstorm become a duo-straps act. Aryn Shelander and Ben Huey (Dou Straps) are two aerialists rising into the rafters in slow, carved lifts. They don’t hurry and thus become winter silhouettes traced onto frosted glass. They use their honed muscles to balance and hold each other in graceful, gorgeous twists, appearing to fly through the air. Their performance is so captivating that you can hear the room release its breath, never realizing it was holding its breath in the first place – complete magnificence.
Our first glimpse of Santa Claus is Chris Aguirre Aceituno (Jolly/Juggler), appearing with pins and balls to juggle with stunning agility and exceptional control. He spins the juggling pins as if speeding up and slowing down the world were something Santa always could do – after all, Santa gets to every house every Christmas night, so he must have some kind of command of time. Aceituno is sheer bliss, exuding every inch of himself and his skill with mirth.
Then the Hotel Cart routine barges in with a grin. Victoria Baudry-McPherson (Acrobatic Hotel Cart) is a contortionist par excellence, twisting her body as if she were a toy herself. Without warning, the contortion act within the hotel cart becomes something aerial and altogether mesmerizing as Baudry-McPherson becomes aloft with the cart. She manipulates the cart’s function into a device that resembles a floating Rubik’s Cube puzzle, using her body to solve it by subtly shifting her weight. The combination of aerialist skill and real risk expertly captures the show’s playful pulse.
The line, “The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads,” sets the scene for a high-energy Acrobatic Table Act. As if children kept up with anticipation of Santa’s arrival and their excitement for the presents he brings, Aaron Blomme, Esteban Masco, David Tanner, Lucas Costa De Souza, Mohamed Conte, Chángzhēng Xù, and Shane William Minerich (Acro Table/Hoop Diving) tumble their way in ever-growing mischief as the stunts they pull go from slides across the table to three-person towers that come plunging in rhythmic rolls and gymnastic flips. Their acrobatic antics are hilarious.
Hilarity pivots to hypnotic with Carmen Ribas Segura and Holler Zavetta (Roller Skates) doing things that no one should ever do on roller skates. In a combination of cabaret dance lifts, dips, and tricks, Segura and Zavetta perform on a small platform while on wheels. Zavetta launches Segura through the air, swooping as close as possible to the ground and up again as if they were on a disco dance floor. Couple this with gliding about with four wheels on each foot – the two of them cause as much wonder as they do anxiety. As if this were not enough, they become a trapeze act at one point, just without the trapeze. The result feels death-defying and deliriously delightful.
With ethereal grace, Martina Trombetta (Hair Suspension) floats by nothing but her hair. Her ascent is a silent defiance of gravity, a breathtaking tapestry of strength and vulnerability woven high above the stage. The moment her body lifts, suspended by a seemingly impossible anchor, the audience holds its collective breath. It’s an act of profound, almost religious beauty that transcends mere acrobatics, leaving a lasting impression of delicate power and sublime, airborne artistry.
From the darkness of Trombetta’s disappearance appear four glowing baubles. The slings and flings of the lights illuminate four people in sparkling, puffy coats. Shih-Rong Huang, Yi-Fang Chen, Yu-Hui Teng, and Shih-Wei Huang (Diabolo) utilize the subtle yet showy expertise of Chinese yo-yos to create something visually unique and gloriously fun. The rhythmic snap and whir of the Diabolos (often tossed to astonishing heights and caught with razor-sharp precision) are perfectly synchronized, turning simple toys into whirling, light-streaked comets. The four young artists execute complex passing maneuvers and high-speed solo tricks with an infectious, bold energy, reminding the audience that skillful entertainers can deliver even the most technically demanding routines with a magnificent sense of play.
In the role of Father, William Borges (Father/Aerial Lamp) is discouraged by his failure to locate his daughter, Isabella. This sequence offers a crucial emotional counterpoint to the festive atmosphere that much of the show provides. He uses the heavy lamp, suspended high above the stage, as a tangible extension of his grief. He suffuses every movement – slow and deliberate – with melancholy grace. Borges transforms the cold, metal lamp into a confidante.
One rider balancing atop a bicycle, Elodie Sanna (Isabella/Acrobatic Bike), performs tricks on a bicycle you may never have seen before. Perched on a bike, a deceptively simple prop, Sanna executes astonishing feats of balance and control, from dynamic pirouettes atop the narrow seat to breathtaking handstands on the frame. Sanna demonstrates that a humble bicycle can serve as a vehicle for high art.
In the finale, the Acro Table/Hoop Diving team transforms into Santa Claus’s reindeer. The performers combine high-energy acrobatics with Christmas merriment, executing breathtaking dives through stacked hoops. Their velocity and synchronization create a visual metaphor for Santa’s sleigh lift-off. At its end, the Hoop Diving Act leaves the audience imbued with a festive spirit.
The technical and artistic architects of ‘Twas the Night Before… deliver a beautifully and meticulously realized production. James Hadley (Stage Director and Writer) shapes the familiar narrative into a sharp, energetic contemporary fable, providing a perfect runway for the astonishing talent. The constructed reality is a masterwork of collaboration. Nicolas Brion (Lighting Designer) uses sophisticated illumination to bring Geneviéve Lizotte‘s (Set Designer) dreamlike, multi-level set to life. The modern, beating composition of Jean-Phi Goncalves (Musical Composer) is the catalyst for the acrobatics and highlights their visual dynamism. Crucially, Edesia Moreno Barata (Acrobatic Choreographer) and Vinh Nguyen (Choreographer) craft movement that is both thrillingly complex and intensely character-driven, wrapped in the playful, richly textured costumes by James Lavoie (Costume Designer) and finished with the bold, theatrical strokes of Maryse Gosselin‘s (Makeup Designer) character-filled approach to makeup. The result is an exhilarating, creative vision.
Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Twas the Night Before… is a mesmerizing, high-velocity fusion of nostalgic charm and breathtaking artistry that beautifully and kinetically encapsulates the spirit of the holiday season. The company takes the familiar poetry of Christmas and transforms it into a spectacle that is both surprisingly emotional and relentlessly thrilling. Through its captivating performances, ‘Twas the Night Before… reawakens the magic of Christmas and invites audiences of all ages to rediscover the raw joy and excitement that comes with it. This unforgettable spectacle is a heartwarming, adrenaline-fueled dose of holiday cheer, proving itself a guaranteed festive must-see.
Addendum: This reviewer still wants to know, just how and what made the fabulous fairy lights the characters all seemed to share throughout? It is all just part of the magic.
Run time: 1hr, 20mins – no intermission
Recommended for all ages. All patrons require a ticket regardless of age (including infants)
Zions Bank & Broadway at the Eccles present: ‘Twas the Night Before … by Cirque du Soleil
December 4th – December 14th, 2025
Salt Lake City, Utah
The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater
131 Main St, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Tuesday-Thursday 7:00pm
Friday 7:30pm
Saturday 1:00pm, 4:00pm, and 7:30pm
Sunday 7th 1:00pm, 4:00pm, and 6:00pm
Sunday 14th: 1:00pm and 4:00pm
Tickets are $69.94 – $201.28
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801.355.2787 (ARTS)
Accessible Performances:
ASL INTERPRETED: Thursday, Dec 4 at 7:00 PM & Saturday, Dec 13 at 1:00 PM
Patrons who are interested in the American Sign Language (ASL) performance should select seats located at Orchestra Left on the Main Floor rows D-H.
AUDIO DESCRIPTION: Friday, Dec 5, 2025 at 7:30 PM
The spoken narration of the performance’s key visual elements. This option is available on the following performances. Devices are available at the Patron Services window in the main lobby.
CAPTIONED: Saturday, Dec 6, 2025 at 1:00 PM
CLOSED CAPTIONING
This service may be utilized from any seat.
Click the link below on your smart device at the start of the performance to be taken to the Closed Caption link. Please note that the screen will be black until dialogue begins.
StreamText.net
For the best experience, we recommend the following settings:
– Turn off device’s auto-screen lock settings (otherwise the device may close while captions play)
– Turn off all notifications and silence any ringers
– Ensure phone is fully charged.
OPEN CAPTIONING
During our captioning performances, we offer a screen near the stage that will provide live captions throughout the show. Patrons who are interested in the captioned performance should select seats located at Orchestra Right on the Main Floor (excluding Orchestra Pit seating). Subject to seating availability.
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