| Broadway in Chicago presents |
|
|
| Cirque Dreams Illumination |
| Created and directed by Neil Goldberg at Bank of America Theatre, 18 W. Monroe (map) through June 6th | tickets: $25-$75 | more info |
reviewed by Katy Walsh
Scale down Hephaestus, gather a few Billy Elliot dancers, add in some Fuerza Bruta illusion, sprinkle with Second City comedy, and set it in a Red Line subway stop, and you'll have Broadway in Chicago's Cirque Dreams Illumination. The touring show has a limited one-week engagement at Bank of America Theatre. Cirque Dreams Illumination is circus acts strung together by a reporter singing about the daily occurrences of the commute. Electricians, bellhops, military personnel mingle in with traffic cones and headless businessmen to create a visual spectacle. By ground or air, Cirque Dreams.. uses acrobatic dancing and stunts to illustrate how to make a city's transit system more entertaining. Even without the traditional physical division inspired by the Big Top, Cirque Dreams creates a three-ring circus frenzy throughout the show. These standout chaotic moments showcase the main act and surround it with secondary simultaneous activity. When the action goes solo, primarily in Act 2, the pacing becomes sluggish with a one-trick-pony dissatisfaction. Cirque Dreams Illumination is at its best as death-defying burlesque incarnate resurrected out of the tumultuous pedestrian.
Check out the rest of the review at Chicago Theatre Blog.
