SKILLFUL CIRQUE DELIVERS PLENTY OF LAUGHS AND THRILLS.

Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic

IN DREAMS, graceful people don't stumble. Or even threaten to. In Neil Goldberg's magical ``Cirque Dreams,'' they can. And there are times when a viewer becomes convinced that they will.

Yeah, yeah, I know that where acrobatics are concerned, you're not supposed to worry about agility or notice the net - or lack thereof. They'll be just fine, you reassure your queasy stomach, they're trained professionals. Their bodies are supposed to bend like that.

Even so, as performer after ``Cirque Dreams'' performer ascended progressively upward to the rafters Saturday afternoon in Cerritos, this critic's gastric juices would not be quieted. As the chairs piled up, as a mini teeter-totter ramp holding two balancing men wobbled precariously on cans - cans! - I would have bet the house that we were mere seconds away from blood, broken bones and paramedics.

But it never happened. It should have, but it didn't. Apart from a couple of botched jump-rope maneuvers early in the first act - one of which saw a performer tumbling off the stage and taking a floodlight with him - the ``Cirque Dreams'' feats of daring and fantasy were, well, utterly fantastical.

In the Salvador Dali-esque landscape of ``Cirque Dreams'' - which likely owes some creative debt to Cirque de Soleil - a Chaplin-esque clown called Ringabella (played by Martin Lamberti) nods off and enters a very cool subconscious. Here, the colors are wild and vivid. The gnarled hands of a backstage grandfather clock spin away the hours (clearly, it's a long dream). Technical and lighting designer Scott Wagmeister makes sure there's always something wonderful to look at, even if it's not part of the action.

The performers take care of the rest. The program lists 17 cast members, but it feels like there are more. Ringabella and his rarely silent Musical Muse (Noemie Jane) witness contortionists, aerialists, trapeze artists and some people who simply should not be physically able to balance the way they do.

Director/creator Goldberg gives every feat - one per scene, six scenes per act - the time and space to dazzle. And with true performance eye-candy flair, there are moments when something really interesting appears briefly on stage and then vanishes. A costumed creature. A bicycle.

The bowler-hat-wearing Ringabella is no mere observer. He gets into the act with a bit of block-juggling and through conducting the members of the audience in a symphony of cowbells that is as joyous as it is goofy.

Yes, ``Cirque Dreams'' isn't just gasps. There are plenty of laughs as well.

The production closes today with two performances at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts and plays Saturday and Sunday at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.

Evan Henerson, [phone]

evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com

NEIL GOLDBERG'S CIRQUE DREAMS - Three and one half stars

Where: Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd.

When: 8 p.m. Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets: $20 to $55. Call [phone].

In a nutshell: Delightful and dangerous as only the best feats of wonder can be.

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Feats of grace and strength are everywhere in ``Cirque Dreams,'' which stops this weekend in Thousand Oaks.