Review: ‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE is a Christmas Celebration for the Senses at the Eccles Theater

‘Twas the Night Before, currently playing at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City, is a Christmas celebration for the senses. It is brought to us by Cirque du Soleil’s storied brand of world class talent and exciting entertainment — a creative amalgamation of circus, dance and story.

Each act of ‘Twas the Night Before (from director/writer James Hadley and lead artistic director Melissa Colello) is connected to a line from the classic poem “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moore, sometimes literally and other times more loosely inspired by some of the language. A father is trying to connect with his daughter, but she’s growing up. When they are swept into a world of holiday cheer, they find themselves and each other.

From bicycle tricks to pairs skating to juggling to acrobatics, the varied tricks will blow you away. The aerial choreography is stunning in its physicality, intricacy, and beauty, including a couples’ act, a woman spinning by her hair, and an emotional epiphany for the father.

The music by Jean-Phi Goncalves is filled with contemporary riffs on holiday tunes — all bops made good use of by Vinh Nhuyen’s grooving dance choreography and Edesia Moreno Barata’s acrobatic choreography.

The glittering set by Genevieve Lizotte is delicious to behold, lit gloriously by Nicolas Brion. The costumes by James Lavoie and makeup by Maryse Gosselin hint at the circus pedigree, with jolly clown tropes well implemented in Santa and elf-like characters.

The design appears to have consciously avoided tired holiday cliches and color schemes, which makes an explosion of red and green at the end of the show all the more welcome. It does have the side effect of making the whole affair feel decidedly less Christmas-like than one might perhaps expect, so a longer finale reveling in the shift could tie things up with a deserved big red bow.

‘Twas the Night Before plays the Eccles Theater for a limited engagement through Sunday, December 14, 2025. For tickets, call ArtTix at 801-355-ARTS (2787) or visit www.artsaltlake.org.

Salt Lake City Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (West Valley Arts)

17.4% of votes

2. SOMETHING ROTTEN! (Hopebox Theatre)

8.3% of votes

3. DOGFIGHT (Sentinel Theatre)

7.5% of votes

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