‘Banana Shpeel,” the new, vaudeville-style entertainment at the Beacon Theatre, is that rare show that critiques itself.
“This place is infested with clowns,” complains its frustrated producer/emcee, Schmelky (Danny Rutigliano) — and most of us in the audience would agree.
To be fair, Cirque du Soleil — that prolific, Canadian troupe that seems intent on world entertainment domination — is trying for something different. “Banana Shpeel” is a true departure from the lavish, exotic spectacles that have been popping up here for years.
Cirque followers know that the laborious clown segments tend to be the show’s weakest elements. And this show, written and directed by veteran clown David Shiner (“Fool Moon,” “Kooza”), is stuffed with them. Barely five minutes pass before the first blow to a man’s crotch. That pretty much sets the tone for the raucous proceedings, which are surprisingly not all that child-friendly — one of the hunky performers even briefly drops trou.
Between shticks featuring Schmelky’s hapless sidekicks, his female assistant and an array of clowns — including a supremely creepy one who athletically cavorts in tight red underwear — are jugglers, contortionists, gymnasts and several dance routines, including a tap-dancing duo.
But the acts, though fine, are on a smaller scale than usual — and without the lavish theatricality that usually surrounds them, they seem overly familiar. A particularly unfunny segment featuring one clown’s “date” with a woman in the audience was as painful for us as it must have been for her.
It helps that the show unfolds at the beautifully restored Beacon, which once hosted vaudevilles like this one. But this time, the usually reliable Cirque slips on its own banana shpeel.