"This company exudes an enticingly musky scent of vagabond glamour...Watching this show suggests what it might have been like to experience the circus in the days of Dickens and Hardy, filled with exotic and illicit promises...The cast is steeped in a sort of louche, defiant and highly attractive arrogance. Its members appear to be less courting your applause than allowing you to hang out while they do improbable and seemingly very pleasurable things with their bodies."
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"Though there’s some snazzy stuff with trampolines and visual coups de théâtre, 'Bianco’s' most striking moments utilize little more than strands of rope and the performers’ physical prowess. 'Bianco' wants to be both iconoclastic and flashy but isn’t quite either. The appeal of this big-top show isn’t in the high-concept aesthetics or technical flourishes, which feel a little overcooked. It’s in the curve of a bicep, the arch of a back and the tightrope walker’s foot that negotiates the wire."
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"If hunky dudes in skimpy clothing are your bag, check out NoFit State Circus’ 'Bianco'—at times the show feels like 'Magic Mike' under a big top. There are women in the cast, too, and they’re as fit as you’d expect...The effect is even more striking, since 'Bianco' is mostly aerial and the stunts take place right above our heads — this is literally standing-room only."
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“While it has all the elements of a truly unique circus experience, a series of misfires and oversights leaves us feeling unsatisfied...That's not to say that the acts aren't amazing...Angelique Ross is grace personified in her dance trapeze act...Unfortunately, many of the routines feel quite short compared to the considerable transition time...It may not be the greatest show on earth, but you have to admire the scrappy resourcefulness of its young performers.”
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"If you're tired of the pretensions of the Cirque du Soleil shows, you might find the performers of 'Bianco' to be congenial company...One of the pleasures of 'Bianco' is the ability to roam the tent, watching the action from different angles...Then again, this is a variety show that suffers from a lack of variety...With a program that consists almost entirely of aerial acrobatics, a certain sameness sets in...The novelty factor of 'Bianco' lies in its style rather than its substance,"
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“The general vibe was anti-technology, homespun, sort of old-fashioned and human scale—all of which, of course, is camouflage for extraordinary technical expertise...Frankly, the main difference between ‘Bianco’ and its sister circuses is its ambiance and not the acts, wonderful as they are…‘Bianco’ presents them as people, not virtuosos...Worth a trip to its river’s edge location under the bridge to satisfy a yearning for unpretentious entertainment.”
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"The creator of 'Betty & The Belrays' pretty much dares you to compare his well-meaning, but cartoony, new musical to 'Hairspray', a comparison in which the new musical fares poorly. Written-book and lyrics-and directed by William Electric Black, with music by Black, Valerie Ghent and Gary Schreiner, 'Betty,' like 'Hairspray,' tells the story of a white high school-aged girl, the eponymous Betty (Paulina Breeze), living in a racially divided city, here 1963 Detroit."
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"For families who prefer edgy and scrappy neo-circus troupes to the slick razzle-dazzle of Cirque du Soleil, 'Bianco' is a heart-pumping thrill...Don't worry about the story and focus on the incredible sights. Many performers shine in solo acts...Sometimes a sense of sameness creeps in as the two-hour show stretches on. But just as your mind starts to wander, a breathtaking visual will grab you back, like fake snow covering the audience at the finale."
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