Circus Vargas coming to town

It may seem like Circus Vargas was just in town — it’s been roughly six months — but crews were at work Tuesday raising its big blue-and-yellow tent by the Golden State (5) Freeway, near the Burbank Boulevard exit.

The show opens Thursday and runs through May 18, and its producers hope to make it something to remember, like all their shows, said Katya Quiroga, who co-owns the circus with her husband, Nelson. That means guests will enjoy a show that’s been revamped “from top to bottom” from what they might have seen in October when the traveling performers last passed through Burbank.

PHOTOS: Tents go up for Circus Vargas

“We never come back to a location with the same show,” said Quiroga. “We know they’ll remember, so we want to give them a new show.”

This year’s production, called “ArleQuin,” was developed during a month-long break from traveling in December, she said, with the goal of letting audiences “see the circus through the eyes of a child.”

It tells the story of a young boy who dreams of becoming a part of the circus and is visited in his sleep by a magical clown named ArleQuin, who guides him through the circus experience filled with aerialists, acrobats and clowns.

The show features new costumes, new music and new acts, Quiroga said, but it includes crowd-pleasing favorites such as the motorcycle globe, in which stunt riders race inside a spherical cage, and the “Wheel of Destiny,” with two performers doing tricks while balancing atop a revolving pendulum with hamster wheel-like cylinders at either end.

Quiroga said it’s all about family-oriented fun, and the performers try to have fun with everybody, involving the audience in the show. Guests who arrive to shows early can also participate in a preshow event to meet ArleQuin cast members, she said, and children will have a chance to learn circus skills.

One thing that’s not new this time is a partnership between Circus Vargas and the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission, which suffered a fire that engulfed its 30-bed shelter last May. In October, the circus collected donations of new and gently used clothing and household goods for the mission in exchange for $10 discounts.

This time around, the circus is offering a similar $10 discount off the price of admission for donations of two nonperishable food items. The discount is limited to four tickets per family.

“Last year was such a positive experience that we decided to see how we could top it in 2015,” said Rolanda Kaiser, community relations director for Circus Vargas in a statement.

Suggested items include beans, rice, peanut butter and jelly, pasta and sauce, cereal, oatmeal, granola bars and other healthy snacks.

Rebecca Wells, a development intern with the mission, said the suggested items are always in need and will be especially helpful as the organization prepares to move into a new 90-bed facility in Northridge in the next few months, tripling its previous size.

The circus also donated a couple hundred tickets to the opening night show last year for the mission’s staff, volunteers and past and present families it serves, said Wells, adding that it was “kind of like a family reunion.”

This time around Circus Vargas will repeat the gesture, Quiroga said, providing 200 tickets for Thursday’s opening night show. As part of what it’s calling “Community Heroes Night,” a guest ringmaster will introduce the organization and talk about its services, she said.

“It’s a really cool partnership that’s come our way,” Wells said. “We’re really grateful.”

What: Circus Vargas

Where: 777 N. Front St., Burbank

When: May 7 through 18

Admission: $25 to $70 (discounted tickets for children ages 2-11 are available and children under 2 are admitted for free)

More info: For more information, visit www.circusvargas.com or call (877) 468-3861