Cheshire Native Joins Cast Of Acrobats For Holiday Show

November 20, 2009 by John Rook

For the majority of his young career, Cheshire native Kevin Spencer has performed in serious stage plays such as Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night. He has also tried his luck at musical theatre, playing the professor in Gilligan’s Island: The Musical.
But, the 26-year-old thespian has never experienced anything quite like his current role.
Spencer, who graduated from Cheshire High School in 2002, is performing in the production of “Cirque Holidaze,” showing through this weekend at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods Resort and Casino. In the production, Spencer plays a Dickens character ornament that comes to life to tell a festive holiday story.
Spencer, for his role, is responsible for singing and “keeping the narrative going,” however, the majority of the production revolves around the acrobatics of the other performers, who swing, jump, and somersault throughout the course of the play.
“It is like nothing I have ever experienced before,” said Spencer. “The first day of auditions I walked in and there was this great circus-like mix of acrobats doing back flips and things like that. It is incredible to watch.”
For Spencer, the acting bug has always been a part of him, even during his days in the classroom in Cheshire. Spencer performed in many of the school-produced plays during his time as a high school student and even joined with local theatrical groups in order to pursue his acting on his own time.
When he graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in 2007, Spencer began to pursue his life-goal of being an actor, auditioning for any number of roles and landing quite a few.
Though he had never thought much about musical theatre, Spencer admits that the job of an actor is to pretty much “audition for everything,” which eventually landed him a role in Gilligan’s Island: The Musical.
With singing and dancing now on his resume, Spencer broadened his horizon for job searches and, in the summer, came across a role in the new holiday play.
“I didn’t know what it was,” explained Spencer. “I sent my headshots and information, and we exchanged e-mails. I pretty much was hired over e-mail.”
Though Spencer had the job, he still didn’t have an exact idea of what the show entailed, which changed when he showed up for rehearsals.
“I didn’t know anyone until I walked in that first day,” Spencer remarked. “It was amazing. I had never seen ‘Cirque du Soleil’ in person, but you really get a sense of how much (the performers) do when you watch them rehearse. I spent those first three days just learning.”
Spencer is not responsible for any acrobatic moves in the show, joking that the closest he comes is when, during one scene, “I catch a ring, which is cool,” but the actor is on stage during all of the commotion, meaning that his movements must be as precise and exact as any other performer.
“In a normal play, if you bump into another person, you just keep going,” explained Spencer. “But, in this play, if you have to move to avoid someone, or bump in to someone else, you are probably going to run into someone who is performing an act or doing a back flip behind you.”
During one of his first days on the job, Spencer was taken aside by one of the veteran Cirque performers and given some important advice.
“She just told me to be aware of what was going on and to keep my head up,” remembered Spencer. “Everyone was very good and very accepting. They really welcomed me.”
Rehearsal time was short, said Spencer, as the actors spent approximately five days learning their roles.
Those days were long, however, and gave Spencer much-needed time to learn his steps and his lines.
The performance began its run at Foxwoods on Nov. 12 and will end on Sunday, Nov. 22, when it moves on to Atlantic City. Having the opportunity to come back to Connecticut has been special for Spencer, as he rarely gets the chance to return home.
“It gives all of my family and friends the opportunity to come and see me, which is nice,” said Spencer. “That is something I really enjoy.”
With the holidays fast approaching, the production has only a limited time left, as the last show is scheduled for late December. It will mark the end of what Spencer calls a “terrific” experience — one he has cherished from the beginning.
“It has been great to be a part of this and I know the audience has really enjoyed the show,” he stated. “The energy has been great and you can see the people smiling or gasping when someone performs one of the acts.”