Marvel superheroes unite for high-tech Chicago, Rosemont shows
It's the ultimate battle of good vs. evil.
"Marvel Universe LIVE!," a new high-tech arena event featuring the most Marvel characters ever assembled in one show, will put fans at Chicago's United Center and Rosemont's Allstate Arena in the middle of a quest to save the world. Twenty-five characters battle for control of the Cosmic Cube, the source of ultimate power and one of the most coveted treasures in the Marvel Universe.
"Fans will feel like they've stepped into a Marvel blockbuster film come to life with nonstop movie-style action and stunts," said show producer Juliette Feld.
The arena spectacular, produced by Feld Entertainment, stops at the United Center from Sept. 10 to 13 and then moves on to the Allstate Arena from Sept. 18 to 20. It's the show's first stop in Chicago, one of 85 cities included in the tour.
Marvel's biggest superheroes - including Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Spider-Man and Wolverine - must unite the fragmented pieces of the Cosmic Cube while fighting off adversaries including Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Red Skull, Madame Hydra, Aldrich Killian and Electro.
The show features cutting-edge set design, aerial stunts and pyrotechnics. Stunt performers are supported by new lighting design and 3-D projection.
Each scene is underscored by video production on the arena's back wall to supplement location, so viewers are transported to spots including New York City, the Himalayas and Hydra Island.
"This is the most ambitious undertaking in the more than 40-year history of Feld Entertainment," said company Chairman and CEO Kenneth Feld. "We know this is going to be game-changing for the live entertainment industry as a whole, and we are making a tremendous investment to surpass the audience's expectations at every performance."
Juliette Feld, who is from Chicago, says it took two years to develop the show, double the normal production cycle. Much of the time was spent on researching new show elements.
For example, one scene features a live action car chase with the car rolling over and bursting into flames. "It does this live every performance," she said. "Had it been a movie stunt performance, the car would have just been destroyed. We found a way to keep the car but still deliver the stunt. When you're live, you never get to cut away from the camera. To augment the experience, everything that people are seeing is what's actually happening."
Another challenge producers faced was in creating the characters, she says. Hulk, for one, is 8½ feet tall and he's never been seen in live action before, Feld said. Producers also worked on various flying technologies for each character, as their styles - whether it be soaring, swinging or zooming - all differ. "The mannerisms, feats and powers that they all have, each one had its own unique challenges," she said.
Based on fan feedback, the attention to detail has paid off. "One of the moments that gets the biggest reaction is at the end of Act I, where Spider-Man swings out over the audience before he ascends up into the top of the arena," she said. "And it always get a big collective gasp from the audience."
Now that the show is touring, Feld said she's most excited about friends and relatives seeing the production. "I've been talking about this for so long, and now my friends will get to know that it's real," she says. "Chicago is a great town for all our shows, and I'm so lucky that it's my hometown."
“Marvel Universe LIVE!”
“Marvel Universe LIVE!”
When and where: Various times Thursday, Sept. 10, through Sunday, Sept. 13, at the United Center, 1901 W. Madison St., Chicago; and Friday, Sept. 18, through Sunday, Sept. 20, at the Allstate Arena, 6920 N. Mannheim Road, Rosemont. (800) 745-3000 or
ticketmaster.com.Tickets: $25-$90Information: