TROUPE PERFORMS IN PARK : ‘MAKE-A-CIRCUS’ HAS THEATRIC TOUCH

Have circus, will travel.

At sprawling Hollenbeck Park on Wednesday, against a typical Southern California backdrop of blue sky and tall palms, the not-so-typical “Make-A-Circus,” a San Francisco-based troupe of clowns, jugglers, acrobats and musicians, good-humoredly presented its professional blend of circus and theater for kids.

The first half of the program was a play written by Adele Prandini, directed by Letitia Bartlett. In “Circus Comes to Toytown,” Molly Merkle (Hanne Moller) helped the broken toys of Toytown recognize their worth and thereby overcame her own poor self-image.

The message was conveyed amid circus acts, humor, and upbeat jazz provided by the “Make-A-Circus Jazz Band,” and bad guy Tex (Michael Orloff on stilts) was the recipient of loud audience disapproval as he bullied Molly and the toys.

The simple one-ring “Make-A-Circus” might seem tame to children who repeatedly view the impossible on television and in movies, but young Robert Thomas’ flashy back flips and Laurence Davis’ rope spins, 30 feet in the air, were awarded audible admiration. (Expert trapeze artist Pierre Nadeau, seen during the troupe’s visit last year, was unable to perform, due to an injury.)

The end of the play was not the end of the show. The performers conducted short workshops, teaching kids (and some parents) a few basic circus skills. There was no lack of volunteers. Fledgling jugglers, clowns and tumblers went through their paces.

And then came the finale. In director Peggy Ford’s adaptation of “Little Nemo in Slumberland,” all the workshop participants got a chance to perform.

Skillfully timed, imaginatively conceived, “Little Nemo” was the high point of the day. The under-5 set mimed, older kids tumbled and juggled, and moms and dads stayed gamely on their borrowed stilts. An eager crowd of family and friends pressed forward, intimately involved in the performing experience, energy sparking at peak level, on stage and off.

The accessible “Make-A-Circus” is a class act.

Admission will be charged tonight at Anaheim’s Pearson Park Theatre at 7. The performance at the Los Angeles Children’s Museum on the outdoor Triforium Stage on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. is free.