Two different 'Cirque' shows keep the dreams alive

"Cirque" is the French word for circus, and two family-friendly performing troupes both bearing that name start performances in Chicago within days of each other.

"Cirque Dreams Illumination" plays a run of eight performances at the Bank of America Theatre from June 2 to 6, while "Cirque Shanghai: Cloud 9" opens Friday for a longer run that keeps it in the city until Labor Day.

Neither show is affiliated with Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil, the worldwide media empire famed for its multiple tours and its site-specific Las Vegas and theme park spectaculars.

Rather, the Cirque Dreams and Cirque Shanghai shows are smaller, yet still very successful operations. And both feature performers doing amazing feats of strength, balance, contortion and so much more while wearing flashy costumes.

"Cirque Dreams Illumination" comes from the Florida-based Cirque Productions, known for shows that combine European and American-style circus acts with Broadway-scale production values. Founded in 1993 by its current artistic director, Neil Goldberg, Cirque Productions tours shows to theaters across the country for one-night stints or longer.

"Cirque Dreams Illumination" debuted in 2009 and has been on tour since (it played a one-night-only stint last November at Waukegan's Genesee Theatre).

Featuring an internationally assembled troupe of 27 performers drawn from Eastern Europe to Mongolia, "Cirque Dreams Illumination" shows a vibrant cityscape that comes to life with workers, tourists, street performers and even street signs.

Acts include shoeshine workers balancing on stacked chairs reaching up to perilous heights and construction workers walking across tight wires that are actually quite wobbly. There's also a lot of dance, ranging from traditional ballroom to modern hip hop.

"The unique thing about 'Illumination' is there's a visual appeal so language barriers are not an issue," Goldberg said. "But there is a clear narrative or English thread and journey that is delivered in 'Illumination' that is unlike any other Cirque show that exists Friday."

"Cirque Shanghai," meanwhile, comes from the China-based International Special Attractions. It's reconfigured each year, and there are new acts designed just to play the Pepsi Skyline Stage at Navy Pier.

When "Cirque Shanghai" debuted in Chicago in 2005, attempts where made to localize the show. While audiences rooted for competing Chinese acrobats dressed in Cubs and White Sox baseball uniforms, the show's "Marco Polo" narrator (who spoke with a stereotypical Italian "spicy meat-a-ball" accent) was just downright annoying.

Now into its fifth season, the creators of "Cirque Shanghai" realize that its amazing performers transcend language barriers so there isn't much need to "Americanize" the show.

For this year's Chicago edition of "Cirque Shanghai," there are both Asian and Western antecedents to the show's title of "Cloud 9."

"In Chinese folklore there's a story which talks about the sky and there's nine levels and each of those levels possesses a different wonder," said Sylvia Hase, the show's creative director who previously created the 2008 edition "Cirque Shanghai: Gold." "We like the idea of wonder and wonderment" that ties to Asian roots and also the Western expression of blissfully being on "Cloud 9."

Hase is especially proud of the new technology that has gone into the design of this year's "Cirque Shanghai." Designers have created a back wall of traditional Chinese lanterns covered in changeable LED lighting.

"We are combining a contemporary technology with a traditional Chinese art," Hase said. "What I like is we can use this LED technology during the day, so it's not just the audiences at night who will be able to see some very theatrical lighting. We really have much more of a transformative set design this year."

In terms of performers, the big news is the first-time inclusion of the motorcycling daredevil team called "Imperial Thunder." One by one, four cyclists all circle around inside a steel dome on stage.

Also new is an act featuring "hanging sway poles" for performers who cling on and leap from one moving pole to the next from the theater's rafters.

Rounding out the show are troupes of contortionists and balancing acts that show off amazing human strength and concentration, continuing centuries of Chinese traditions where performers start training as kids.

And like previous editions of "Cirque Shanghai," the producers of "Cloud 9" are emphasizing the fact that the show is affordable (the ticket prices have not gone up from last year).

"We are choreographing the acts more down the aisles, so it's really done for the venue and the audiences really feel like they're taking part in the acts by being so close," Hase said. "What's really beautiful for me is that we're giving audiences a piece of China in the show."

"Cirque Dreams Illumination"Location: Bank of America Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St., Chicago, (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.comShowtimes: 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 2, Friday and Saturday, June 4-5; 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 3, and Sunday, June 6; 2 p.m. Thursday, June 3, Saturday and Sunday, June 5-6Tickets: $25-$75"Cirque Shanghai: Cloud 9"Location: Pepsi Skyline Stage at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave., Chicago; (800) 745-3000 or navypier.com/cirqueshanghaiShowtimes: Opens today and runs through Sept. 6. Shows are 2 and 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 2, 6 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and Wednesdays; 2 and 4 p.m. Sundays. Extra shows: 2 and 4 p.m. May 31, July 5 and Sept. 6; 2, 4 and 8 p.m. July 4.Tickets: $14.50-$19.50; $12.50-$14.50 for kids. $29.50 Imperial Circle seatingFalse206492A wobbly high-wire act is part of "Cirque Dreams Illumination," which plays at the Bank of America Theatre in Chicago. False <p class="factboxheadblack">What's in a name? A lawsuit</p><p class="News">There are many differences between troupes that carry the "Cirque" name. But those differences weren't enough to halt a contentious lawsuit.</p><p class="News">Fearing that ticket buyers would confuse the similarly named companies, Cirque du Soleil sued Cirque Productions in U.S. Federal Court starting in 1999 in a trademark dispute over the word "cirque."</p><p class="News">The costly and protracted lawsuit lasted six years. In the end, the name "cirque" - French for circus - was deemed to be a generic word that couldn't be trademarked.</p><p class="News">"It ultimately prevailed in our favor and both companies agree to coexist and follow their own business models," said Cirque Productions artistic director Neil Goldberg. "I'm of the belief that everyone should do what they know how to do best."</p><p class="News">"We can take a theater - a proscenium stage - and create an atmosphere that engages audiences in a way that has proved to make the Cirque Dreams brand very successful," Goldberg said, referring to the successful holiday engagement of "Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy" at the Chicago Theatre in 2007 and later on Broadway in the summer of 2008. </p><p class="News">As for "Cirque Shanghai," it also exists as a branded touring entity outside of the Windy City. "Cirque Shanghai: Bai Xi," the 2007 edition of the Chicago production, has gone on to tour internationally while another show, "Cirque Shanghai On Ice," has toured across Asia.</p>