Carnaval! was a party, and it felt like everyone was there. The celebration held annually on Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts included music, food, drinks, performers, and casino games. I arrived about 30 minutes into the party portion, and there was already a nice sized crowd enjoying all the entertainment. By 7 p.m. — thirty minutes before the concert — the lobby was packed and the party was in full swing.

This was my first year attending Carnaval! at KCPA and I wasn’t totally sure what to expect. Every entrance had tables set up with beads and traditional Mardi Gras masks for sale, setting the tone and adding to the atmosphere of the evening. There were acrobatic performers from the CU Circus Collective (performers included Neonium, Jeto Gingersnaps, Celeste Cielo, and Beckie Kane), who were set up at various parts of the lobby, each dressed the part: wearing sequins, beaded fringe, elaborate jeweled makeup, and donning purple wigs. They performed with various apparatuses including beautiful swaths of fabric and light up hula hoops. 

Servers mingled throughout the crowd, passing hors d’oeuvres. Drinks were available at the bar, and there were music performances by a Latin American Ensemble with Guido Sanchez-Portuguez as the conductor; The Brazookas Band; and The Jose Gobbo Quintet. One of the main attractions were the casino games set up throughout the lobby: blackjack, poker, and roulette were all attracting crowds. The games tables were always packed, and overall, it seemed like everyone was having a great time. Plenty of people had dressed up according to theme for the evening: I noticed many outfits of bright green, gold, and purple (the traditional colors of Mardi Gras), and there were even more outfits featuring beads, feathers, sequins, and finished off with elaborate masks. 

Following the party in the lobby, attendees moved into Foellinger Hall for the main event, a concert hosted by Lyric Theatre at Illinois. The acrobatic performers had relocated into the atrium near the hall entrance, and they then followed into Foellinger, performing in front of the stage before the concert began. A small detail, but it really helped maintain the party atmosphere even in the transitional spaces. 

The concert program was diverse and truly a celebration of musical theatre with something for everyone. There were numbers performed from many recognizable classics including Romeo et Juliette, Ratatouille, The Little Mermaid, Carmen, Evita, and In the Heights. The audience was wonderfully enthusiastic — appropriately awed by the ballads, cheering on the lively dance numbers, and laughing at the more humorous parts and jokes. 

Several of the numbers including dancing, choreographed by professional ballroom dancers Alex Tecza and Kato Lindholm. Tecza and Lindholm did a remarkable job incorporating various dances and styles throughout the evening, including tango, samba, mambo, and even Viennese waltz — not an easy dance for non-ballroom dancers — but everyone did an impressive job with the choreography. 

There were so many great performances, it’s hard to pick an absolute favorite. I particularly enjoyed both the opening number, appropriately titled “La Vida Es un Carnaval,” as well as the closing, “Breathe” and “Carnaval del Barrio” from In the Heights. These three numbers featured the entire group of performers dancing, and it really felt like everyone was having a great time. There was a palpable energy on stage, the singing was superb, and it was just a fun start and conclusion to the concert.

Some of my other favorite performances included “Nuit d’hymenée” from Roméo et Juliette performed by opera singers Héctor Camacho-Salazar and Xin Zhou. Camacho-Salazar and Zhou gave a beautifully moving performance, and you could feel how enthralled the audience was with every note. I likewise appreciated Kathryn King’s rendition of “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina” from Evita. It was one of those performances where you know what’s coming, and you sit with bated breath waiting for those powerful notes, and King didn’t disappoint. It was a memorable performance of a well-known classic. 

Alongside the ballads were more lighthearted performances, often with playful flirting between performers and tales of ill-fated courtships. A few performances were even laugh out loud funny, including one love story involving a fly and an impressive amount of buzzing. “Les Poissons” from The Little Mermaid seemed to be another crowd favorite, performed for the newly-crowned Mardi Gras Queen, and featuring a “crab” clad in a red tracksuit — a brilliantly simple but effective piece of costuming that added to the humor of the performance. 

As we exited the hall, the four acrobatic performers had changed into head-to-toe spandex bodysuits that obscured all facial features and hair, immediately giving a “Mardi Gras after dark” turn to the evening. The lights had dimmed in the lobby, and there were tables set up with traditional beignets (square donuts covered in powdered sugar). Waiters were also circling with small cups of coffee. Both were a lovely way to conclude the evening, and more evidence of the meticulous planning and thought that went into the event. 

Carnaval! was overall a lot of fun. I was impressed with every aspect of the evening, from the good food, drinks, and the superb singing and performances to the transformation to a casino-like feel of the typically familiar KCPA lobby. It delivered on what it promised, and I can see why this event is a local-favorite.