Neil Goldberg Hopes to Bring People Together with Cirque Dreams Holidaze

The Broadway director's gravity-defying, holiday show opens in Boston for the first time this weekend.

Cirque Dreams Holidaze

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Wire-walking toy soldiers, acrobatic gingerbread men, and more high-flying performers will take over the Shubert Theatre this weekend when Cirque Dreams Holidaze debuts in Boston.

From the creator of the hit Broadway play Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy, director Neil Goldberg’s holiday-themed performance is a mesmerizing, two-hour affair that has a little something for the whole family to enjoy. A mix between European cirque shows and musical theatrics, Holidaze features over 300 costumes, 20 acts, and 30 performers from 12 countries.

“I truly believe that this show lends a high caliber of Broadway production value with the world of European circus artistry and holiday spectacle, all in one,” Goldberg told Boston magazine.

The acclaimed director hopes the show will give audiences a much needed break from the world of “politics and reality television,” as well as bring people from different faiths and backgrounds together. In addition to Christmas, Holidaze puts a variety of holidays in the spotlight, including Hanukkah, New Year’s, and more.

“There needs to be commonality and unity in life,” Goldberg said. “This world is a crazy place right now. So many people are so separated.”

This weekend’s string of shows in Boston is one of three Holidaze tours that are simultaneously taking place across the country. The performance is scheduled to hit more than 50 cities in less than six weeks before returning to the main Cirque studio in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Overall, Goldberg believes local crowds will be impressed with the holiday extravaganza, which will hopefully translate into a return to Boston next season.

“It’s a $2 million production,” Goldberg said. “The only complaint that we’ve ever gotten with this show is that people’s hands hurt too much from clapping.”

$43 to $103, Friday through Sunday, December 9-11, Boch Center Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont St., Boston, cirqueproductions.com.