PHOTO FLASH: Magnolia Bakery Renames Pudding in Honor of Cirque du Soleil’s Banana Shpeel

Cast members from the new Cirque du Soleil show Banana Shpeel visited Magnolia Bakery’s Upper West Side store on Wednesday, May 12, to celebrate the renaming of the bakery’s banana pudding to ‘Banana Shpeel Pudding!’

It will keep the name throughout the run of the Cirque show, which is currently in previews at the Beacon Theatre, with an opening set for May 19. David Shiner has written and directed the piece, which is scheduled through August 29.

Broadway veteran Danny Rutigliano leads the cast as Schmelky, a fictional producer, and he is assisted by Daniel Passer, Wayne Wilson, and Shereen Hickman. The company also features the comedic trio: Claudio Carneiro, Patrick de Valette and Gordon White; Russian hand balancer Dmitry Bulkin; Vietnamese hat juggler Tuan Le; Spanish foot juggler Vanessa Alvarez; Canadian Hand to Hand duo Preston Jamieson and Kesley Wiens; Russian contortionists Tsybenova Ayagma, Tsydendambaeva Imin and Zhambalova Lilia; and tap dance duo Joseph and Josette Wiggan.

The creative team includes artistic guides Guy Laliberté and Gilles Ste-Croix; director of creation Serge Roy; composer and arranger Simon Carpentier; choreographer Jared Grimes; costume designer Dominique Lemieux; set designer and props co-designer Patricia Ruel; props co-designer Jasmine Catudal; lighting designer Bruno Rafie; sound designer Harvey Robitaille; and make-up designer Eleni Uranis.

For more information, visit www.schmelkyproductions.com.