Will Vault for Food

Last night TGP saw The Great Domin-nik's son Will (hereafter known as Will Vault for Food) acting and looking like a star at the Palace of Fine Arts. He danced, he played piano, he twirled a skateboard like a cane a la Fred Astaire. But 'Traces' is no musical -- he and his four other troupe-mates were all the while jumping through Chinese hoops, hanging upside down on aerial straps, dancing ballets with basketballs, climbing all over each other on vertical poles and one even managed to do a pas de deux with a chair.

Criminy. TGP has known Will since he was in Middle School with The Great BeezieWeezie. WVfF has grown into a very large and accomplished person. He towers over the other regulation-sized acrobats in his troupe and there is an obvious athletic overlay to everything he touches.

Not that any of the others are chopped foie. When Heloise, the one woman in the show, takes an old armchair and attempts to read a book while 'sitting' in it, all the while managing to spin, twirl and turn the chair like a reluctant dance partner, it is easy to see this woman is a star in the making as well.



She and WVfF begin the show with a solo acro-mating dance that burns most of the varnish off the stage. It is clear that these two (who have been solo partners -- professionally only, we're told -- for several years) are a future duo who will go places if they choose to.

By the way, you don't want to miss Raphael Cruz falling to his death -- almost -- from the Chinese pole. You don't want to miss any of these kids.

'Traces' runs through New Year's Day. The tickets are a bit expensive, in Plotnik's view -- you want to take your kids and be near the front and that'll cost around $125 for a family of four -- but that is the only downside, and it's twice that to see Jersey Boys. These kids have energy and strength, plus they are artists. They've taken their show around the world and when they leave here there's no telling where they'll end up. I'd go now. That's right, I did.

The Great Plotnik Theater Awards Division awards Traces -- oh hell, Domin-Nik, why niggle? TEN Stars. Why not? Five stars was the maximum? So go see it twice.