Cirque du Soleil to rock Sears Centre big top
Even without P.T. Barnum, the circus - albeit a brightly colored, semi-psychedelic one - is coming to Hoffman Estates.
Tickets for Cirque du Soleil's Saltimbanco tour go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 20, throughsearscentre.com and (888) 732-7784.
The show - featuring clowns strumming guitars while riding bicycles, trapeze artists performing an aerial ballet and acrobats dangling from bungee cords - runs from Jan. 21 through Feb. 1 at the Sears Centre arena in Hoffman Estates.
Centre Executive Director Jeff Bowen said his staff has long wanted to bring the circus to the arena. But Cirque du Soleil is no traditional show.
"It's an event that brings a whole different flavor, a whole different entertainment experience to our patrons," Bowen said.
Saltimbanco is Italian, meaning "to jump on a bench." One of many Cirque du Soleil tours, it premiered in 1992 in Montreal and has since visited more than 75 cities with 4,000 performances.
"This is a great opportunity for the building," Bowen said. The 11,000-seat Sears Centre opened in 2006 at the Prairie Stone Business Park off Routes 59 and 72.
Adults tickets range from $40 to $110, and $32 to $88 for children 12 and under. Those wanting to purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public can register for the Cirque Club for free at cirquedusoleil.com. Club members can buy tickets at 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 13.