Only in their ‘Dreams’ is life this imaginative

Theatrical impresario and circus maven Neil Goldberg cast a wide net to find the talent for his current show, “Cirque Dreams,” now winding up a run at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts before continuing on to the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.

The show’s cast hails from Canada, Mongolia and points between. The most polished acts are of foreign origin. After all, where in this country do we have the equivalent of the Mongolian State School of Contortion or the Kiev State School of Circus Arts? That state-sponsored training is evident in the rigorous professionalism of these circus artists, whose various acts are the focus of “Dreams.”

Like his previous effort, “Cirque Ingenieux,” which toured widely in the U.S. in the late ‘90s, Goldberg’s current production is animal-free and embellished with elaborate costumes, bizarre sets and heavily synthesized music.

Comparisons with Cirque du Soleil are obvious. But where that Cirque is the 300-pound gorilla of circus shows, a mega-franchise whose venues range from towering big tops to enormous Vegas theaters, this “Cirque” is a cheerful chimpanzee, less imposing but engagingly frisky, designed to fit into standard proscenium theaters with a minimum of fuss.

Composer Keith Heffner, who contributed arrangements and additional music to “Ingenieux,” turns in a richly varied score for “Dreams” that ranges from lush classical sounds to rumbas. His music is performed to haunting effect by the plangent-voiced Noemie Jane, who sings in an exotic ersatz language that she created especially for this show.

The sets and costumes are uncredited, but Goldberg is billed as creator, director and choreographer. The design is purposely surreal. Skewed buildings with distorted faces loom over a nightmarish child’s bedroom dominated by a smiling, enigmatic grandfather clock.

Martin Lamberti, a dapper clown and accomplished juggler, is the glue of the show. In one of the wittier interludes, volunteers from the audience play cowbells as he hilariously conducts. Other acts -- all smartly executed -- include contortion, trapeze, German wheel and aerial rope routines. Gifted acrobat Yevgen Vilkovskiy cavorts on a tower of precariously balanced chairs. A humorously suave duo, Vladimir Dovgan and Anatoliy Yeniy, do a remarkable balancing act atop an impossibly stacked edifice of rolling planks and canisters.

The show closes with a beautifully choreographed strength act featuring Alexander Tolstikov, Sergei Slavski and Sergey Parshin, whose human pyramids and other configurations defy gravity and belief.

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‘Neil Goldberg’s Cirque Dreams’

Where: Cerritos Center, 12700 Cerritos Center Drive, Cerritos

When: Today, 8 p.m.; Tuesday, 2 and 8 p.m.

Price: $20-$55

Contact: (800) 300-4345

Running time: 2 hours

Also

Where: Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks

When: Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2:30 p.m.

Price: $24-$48

Contact: (805) 583-8700