Circus Flora to Mesmerize Crowds Under the Big Top with 'The Wizard'

If you're looking for a fun, family-friendly event that's sure to evoke the "wow factor," Circus Flora's "The Wizard - Merlin & the Legends of King Arthur" may be the ticket.

This year's 26th big-top production offers a delightful exploration of the Arthurian world of Merlin and Owl, Camelot and Guinevere, animals that talk, people who fly and much more. The production, which incorporates theatrical and literary elements, runs six days a week through June 24.

(Follow Patch on Facebook for updates- check out our page and "Like" it here.)

New to this year's show is the Bertini Troupe, a legendary, 11-member unicycle and acrobatic group. The troupe will comprise the largest unicycle act ever presented under a single tent.

"This is Circus Flora at its multi-generational best, putting together a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see three generations of the world's best unicyclists," Artistic Director Ivor David Balding said in a news release. "We love giving St. Louis audiences something they can't see anywhere else." 

The show will reunite some of Circus Flora's most celebrated performers including Nino the Clown, Yo-Yo the Narrator, the Flying Wallendas and the St. Louis Arches. It will also include several new acts including aerialists Shayna Swanson and Laura Lippert, an Aerial Mirror act comprised of Peruvian twins and the Anastasini dog act known as Luciano's Pound Puppies. 

Ticket prices (excluding service charges) run between $10 and $44. Show times are Tuesdays through Thursdays at 7 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays at 2 and 7 p.m.; and Sundays at 1 and 5:30 p.m. On Wednesdays at 10 a.m. there is a special one-hour show called "Little Top Wednesday" for smaller kids and the "kids at heart."

Circus Flora, a nonprofit arts organization, presents its big-top production each summer under an air-conditioned, red-and-white big top in Grand Center at corner of Grand Boulevard and Samuel Shepard Drive, which is adjacent to Powell Hall. For more information or for tickets, visit its website.

Do you have a suggestion for an upcoming St. Louis-area, can't-miss festival or event, email editor Sheri Gassaway at sheri.gassaway@patch.com.