MARCH 6, 1998 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE 19
EVENINGS OUT
From parties to theater, now he creates the Big Top
by Kaizaad Kotwal
Columbus Cirque Ingenieux has been whirling across America, and this fantasy circus will touch down in Columbus March 20-22 for five fantastic and mesmerizing performances. Cirque Ingenieux is part fable, part fairy tale and part allegory. This staged circus takes its audience on a voyage from a single-ring circus of our grandparents' days to a dream world circus floating in the solar system and beyond.
Sarah, Cirque's ingenue, is our Alice, who will take us through this wonderland dreamed up and brought to Technicolor life by Neil Goldberg.
Born and raised in New York, the 42-yearold Goldberg has created a new sensation with Cirque, and the show's tour is booked solid through June, 1999. With the success of Cirque, Goldberg has Broadway, television and movie execs knocking at his door.
Goldberg graduated from C.W. Post in Long Island with a double major in scenic design and business marketing. It is this combination of artistic genius and business savvy that has made Goldberg one of the hottest producers and artistic creators on the scene right now.
However, success did not come immediately, and in Goldberg's case one is reminded of the ancient dictum that two points are not always connected by a straight line. Having tried his hand at the theater in New York, Goldberg moved to Florida 18 years ago.
"I was working off-off Broadway and not winning any Tonys for my work," Goldberg said. "I have loved the theater since I was a kid. It was in my genes."
Although Goldberg is a performer himself, he said that what got him into the production and artistic creation side of things was that he was "more fascinated with what goes on behind the scenes than on the stage."
For Goldberg, "What takes place on stage in ninety to a hundred and twenty minutes happens from months and years of hard work and struggle behind the scenes."
Armed with this vibrant curiosity for the machinations of theatrical production and an even more vibrant imagination, Goldberg started to organize, host and produce parties for small groups to big corporate events. By 1992 his company, Parties by Neil and Entertainment Etc. was the fifth largest business of its type in the U.S.
If Cirque is amazing for its levels of fantasy, then Goldberg's list of clients is beyond anybody's wildest dreams. He has produced events for multinationals like Coke, AT&T, General Electric and a huge Hollywood clientele as well. Not able to divulge the name, Goldberg did share that he once organized a $1.5 million birthday extravaganza for a Hollywood celebrity with 150 guests aboard a boat on the Amazon River.
Goldberg has also produced shows for Disney, the Super Bowl and the Miss Universe Pageant.
Members of Cirque Ingenieux.
In 1993, Goldberg formed Cirque, Inc. feeling that he had accomplished all that he could in the world of throwing unforgettable parties.
"My signature style has always been the use of my imagination to showcase originality," Goldberg said. Expanding on his use of performance artists for his parties, Goldberg began to focus on creating Cirque Ingenieux.
Goldberg's vision of Cirque as a multifaceted show found him traveling all over the world to seek out new talent. Goldberg says he has traveled across 75 percent of the world to water festivals, street carnivals, and other such venues to amass the artists, contortionists, trapeze performers, and others who inhabit the wonderland of Cirque.
Cirque began as an act that was used at corporate events. Since its debut on the Today show and an ecstatic response from the New York Times, the show has taken on a life of its own. For Goldberg, this has been his most gratifying venture thus far.
"What is most gratifying is if I'm in a ticket line and I hear people talking about me and my show and they don't know it's me standing behind them," he said.
Goldberg attributes the popularity and success of the show to the fact that "audiences are very interested in seeing original and unique theatrical events. They want to see genius and pure artistry." The show is international in its scope, and Goldberg said that he is very keen on breaking down cultural barriers so that "four thousand people from very diverse backgrounds can come to watch this, enjoy it and yet walk away with something unique."
Goldberg's visions have been so unique
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that early on he had a hard time breaking through, but now with Cirque's artistic and financial success, his ideas are being taken seriously. It was also perhaps this vision and artistic originality that made his friends tease him that he was "too talented to be straight." That was before Goldberg came out.
Raised in an orthodox Jewish family, Goldberg came out relatively late. When asked if being gay and an orthodox Jew caused him much conflict, he astutely joked that he "was never gay and Orthodox at the same time."
While Goldberg says that being gay
doesn't necessarily affect the types of projects he chooses to work on, he believes that he is a role model to some, especially some of his performers.
Goldberg says that approximately half of his performers are gay. In one of his shows is a performer who has been working with Goldberg since he was 13. This young man came out to Goldberg at 17, and Goldberg helped him deal with issues of family, etc. Goldberg believes that being gay is only one part of his being, "it is inside me and I choose to fulfill that part that is inside me." "However, I am an individual as well, and
I conform to no cults of dress or behavior and such," he added.
Goldberg believes in being true to oneself, both artistically and in one's personal life. If there is one thing that he can testify to is that with honesty of vision and persistence, "there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow."
Part of that reward has been a six-year relationship with his partner, one he hopes "will be forever." Goldberg's visibilty as a producer and creator has also led him to do a lot of charitable work, for AIDS and Parkinson's causes in particular.
Cirque not only features globally renowned performers, but also an impressive artistic team. The score is by Golden Globe-winner and Grammy-nominated musician Kitaro. Tony-nominated Broadway designers Jerome Sirlin (set), Howell Binkley (lights) and Jonathan Bixby (costumes) help realize Goldberg's vision.
Cirque Ingenieux plays five performances only at the Palace Theater in Columbus, March 20-22; Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 4:30 and 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 3:30 and 7:00 p.m. For tickets call 614-431-3600 or any Ticketmaster location.
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