'Cirque Shanghai: Cloud 9' lives up to its name
The physical feats come fast and furious in "Cirque Shanghai: Cloud 9," the fifth edition of this just-for-Chicago crafted revue showcasing outstanding circus performers imported from China.
Under the curvy white canopy of Navy Pier's intimate 1,500-seat outdoor Pepsi Skyline Stage, a cast of nearly 30 young, limber and strong entertainers speedily serve up one spectacle-filled act after another under the fine-tuned direction of Sylvia Hase and Miao Miao Chen (Lincolnshire-based choreographer Brenda Didier provides the linking bits of dance during and between numbers).
Drawing upon Chinese folklore that suggests that the sky possesses nine levels of wonderment, this "Cloud Nine" edition of Cirque Shanghai attires its cast in silky sequin-laden costumes that frequently suggest elements of the sky ranging from clouds to fiery smoke plumes. And considering how many seemingly gravity-defying configurations the cast contorts and balances into, the show's airy theme is more than apt.
As Chinese ribbon dancers stream down the aisles to herald the show's opening, the first feat to truly amaze is a woman riding a unicycle atop a spinning umbrella.
More high-tension balancing tricks also wow the crowds, including several people precariously balancing atop a two-legged ladder and bicycles (both moving and stationary).
This time around it's the men who get to dazzle more with their outstanding acrobatic feats, whether spinning down from aerial straps wrapped around their torsos or clambering up and leaping from swinging suspended white poles.
The show does have its quieter moments, despite the nonstop blaring of Asian-influenced techno music that often (thankfully) blocks out the yapping of fellow audience members.
Ballet fans will be amazed at a pas de deux featuring a woman balancing on top of her partner en pointe in many unexpected locations.
And it's amazing that the contortionist women can still execute all of their curvy configurations while wearing 6-inch-long Thai-influenced golden fingernails.
Though there isn't too much inherent humor in the show, a few laughs can be derived during the juggling routines involving hats and kitchen utensils since an audience member gets invited onstage to try his or her hand at keeping those objects in the air.
All of the acts lead up to the penultimate new attraction of the motorcycle troupe Imperial Thunder. After a heavy-duty steel sphere majestically descends from the ceiling, four cyclists take their turns to loop around inside it - often simultaneously.
If there are any drawbacks, it could be with the continual use of safety wires attached to the performers. This takes away an element of danger since you never know if the wires are aiding the ever-higher perched performers (though it's probably better to be safe than sorry).
Audiences looking for "oohs" and "ahhs" will certainly get their money's worth of entertainment with "Cirque Shanghai: Cloud 9." In its nearly 75 jam-packed minutes, "Cirque Shanghai: Cloud 9" heavenly delivers on its promise of circus showbiz bliss.