Cirque Do Somethin'

Though it sounds like an irreverent variation on Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Do Somethin'is really about two clowns who, well, do things. Some of the things Moshe "YooWho" Cohen and Unique Derique do are engaging, but overall the 50-minute show is as fluffy as cotton candy. Cohen resembles Woody Allen minus the verbal neurosis (neither clown talks, per se, but both vocalize). Derique is more flamboyant, unabashedly mugging to the audience. Dressed in ill-fitting suits with tails and sporting black-framed glasses (but no white makeup), the performers sometimes partner, but otherwise have no relationship to string the routines together. In a weak attempt at structure, they reveal large cards on music stands that read "Play a little somethin' somethin'" and "Play a whole lot of somethin' somethin'." Well, thatnarrows it down. It turns out that Derique is expert in hambone, an African-American body percussion art form. He slaps his thighs and chest and stomps his feet in quick rhythm, creating a surprisingly complex musical arrangement that's good reward for sitting through some other unimpressive bits. Cohen also redeems parts of the show. In his absurd flamencolike dance, he first tries to woo a woman in the audience, then produces a large red plastic bag to antagonize a bull, and finally tosses three bags into the air in a sort of slow-motion juggling technique. The rest of the evening, full of typical routines such as pulling soft red balls from a child's ear, is a been-there-done-that experience for the adults, but kids will probably love it. The production needs a critical mass, preferably of squealing youngsters, to keep the energy and excitement up. Inexplicably billed as a holiday show, Cirque Do Somethin'instead comes off as a workshop of new acts in progress. Some of it is promising, but it needs polishing.