Gaylord Palms Resort is awash in holiday cheer as usual, with its annual “Ice” exhibition featuring characters from “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and the return of “The Greatest Story,” a multicultural musical retelling of the birth of Christ.
But one festively theatrical show is hoping for a Broadway future — while giving Central Floridians a sneak peek as it develops and offering Orange County students the chance to see their creativity onstage.
“Pomp, Snow & CIRQUEumstance” is a 40-minute spectacle of music, movement and eye-popping circus arts. It’s based on the children’s book by Neil Goldberg and Nico Nickolao, and tells of three sprites-in-training who cause trouble and learn lessons after graduating from a secret wintry school where Santa himself hands out the diplomas.
“This is just testing the waters,” Goldberg said. “We’re getting the costumes out in front of people and seeing what works musically.”
The show also offers a special opportunity to an Orange County Public Schools student: In a contest through Goldberg’s Dream Foundation, students were able to submit their own costume designs for the production. The winning design will be chosen in the coming days and incorporated into the show for the rest of its Orlando run.
“We’re delighted to collaborate with ‘Pomp, Snow & CIRQUEumstance’ on this unique educational and artistic opportunity,” said Kathleen Wright, administrator of Partners in Education for Orange County Public Schools, in a statement. “This contest not only encourages our students to express their creativity but also connects what they’re learning in the classroom to the world of professional theater. It’s inspiring for them to see that their imagination can lead to something real — something that shines on stage.”
Goldberg is no stranger to the world of the circus arts, having created “Cirque Ingenieux,” the extremely successful “Cirque Dreams: Holidaze” and “Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy,” which had a run on Broadway.
This latest production is a labor of love for Goldberg, based in South Florida, who wrote the book and created the show in memory of his daughter Ali and in tribute to her three daughters.
Aerialists perform high in the air in front of the giant Christmas tree in the “Pomp, Snow & CIRQUEumstance” show at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee. (Matthew J. Palm/Orlando Sentinel)
“It all comes from a place of imagination,” said Goldberg. “I like bringing smiles to people’s faces.”
He envisions a show that can entertain multiple generations. And, at a recent Gaylord Palms viewing, children were enthralled by the cavorting of the sprites, dancing in the aisles, clad in colorful costumes dripping with all kinds of doodads and whatsits.
Mom and Dad, meanwhile, could be enthralled by the variety of circus acts, including pairs juggling, a roller-skating duo with strength and grace, a how’d-they-do-that magic performance and multiple variations of aerial arts with athletes high overhead.
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It all runs with the smilling energy, recorded upbeat music and clockwork precision of a top-notch theme-park show — if theme-park shows had casts this big and stunts this spectacular.
The hope is to expand the show into a 90-minute narrative piece, following the plot of the storybook, in time for the next holiday season on Broadway. But Goldberg has other ideas, too: An animated series, perhaps, based on the characters. He’s expecting representatives from Cartoon Network and Netflix as well as Broadway producers to view the Orlando show.
The costumes are Goldberg’s pride and joy. His background is in design of all sorts — a degree in scenic design, early jobs designing the famed display windows at Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s in New York City. Then he moved into the world of fabric design, which is what brought him to Florida.
But he discovered fabric “was not my passion” — unless he was turning it into something beautiful and fanciful himself. IBM hired him to work on corporate events, and traveling to different countries while seeking unusual talent for those gigs, led him to fall in love with circus arts.
Neil Goldberg, who made a career in the worlds of theatrical design and circus arts, has brought his “Pomp, Snow & CIRQUEumstance” to Central Florida. (Orlando Sentinel file photo)
He opened a studio in Pompano Beach, where he could design costumes and stage dance rehearsals with room for aerial work. Eventually, he was inspired to blend circus with musical theater.
His productions got residencies in Atlantic City, then NETWorks licensed the touring rights — which taught him about touring business. And most important, he was loving what he was doing.
“I got to experience all the things I’d always wanted to do in the theater,” he said.
Suddenly, New York City came calling in the form of the Schubert Organization, which owns and operates 17 Broadway theaters.
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“The Schuberts came knocking on the door and said, ‘The Broadway Theatre is available,” he recalled. “Sometimes it’s about being in the right place at the right time.”
“Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy” ran at that venue during the summer of 2008 and, to Goldberg’s delight, received a Tony nomination for its costume delight.
Eventually, in 2018, Cirque du Soleil bought his business to expand its portfolio. Goldberg was retired, it seemed.
Until he came up with the idea for “Pomp, Snow & CIRQUEumstance” after his daughter’s death. A printing of 20,000 copies led to a three-book publishing deal.
“The phone just started ringing,” he said.
And he realized he missed the creative outlet of putting on a show.
“I’m not chasing a payday,” he said. “I’ve had a successful career. I’m just interested in using what I’ve learned.”
And he’s also interested in paying it forward.
Creator Neil Goldberg hopes an expanded version of the “Pomp, Snow & CIRQUEumstance” show at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, pictured on Nov. 16, can make it to Broadway. (Matthew J. Palm/Orlando Sentinel)
In addition to sponsoring the costume contest, the Neil Goldberg Dream Foundation has given “Pomp, Snow & CIRQUEumstance” books to every elementary school in Orange County and created an artistic fund to enrich art programs in the district’s 74 middle and high schools.
Goldberg knows first-hand that creative children don’t always have it easy, for a variety of reasons.
“I grew up in a very religious, Orthodox Jewish family. Art was not on anyone’s mind,” he said. “I would doodle at night and make things out of paper — and then find them discarded or missing. I had to work really hard to overcome a lot of obstacles.”
So if he can help the next generation, he’s going to.
“It’s the greatest feeling in the world: To give back, to see those smiles, to let those kids reach for the stars,” he said. “I was one of those kids.”
Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Find more entertainment news and reviews at orlandosentinel.com/entertainment or sign up to receive our weekly emailed Entertainment newsletter.
‘Pomp, Snow & Circumstance’
Where: Gaylord Palms, 6000 W. Osceola Parkway in Kissimmee
When: Several times daily, through Jan. 4
Cost: $14 and up, can be bundled in multi-activity tickets with other Gaylord Palms attractions such as “Ice”
Info: christmasatgaylordpalms.com
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/27/gaylord-palms-pomp-snow-cirqueumstance/
