Cirque du Soleil’s recent visit to the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates proves the entertainment colossus hasn’t the slightest interest in resting on its many well-deserved laurels. Quite to the contrary, Cirque du Soleil’s CRYSTAL seems to be forging new paths in the organization’s pursuit of delivering sumptuous world class spectacle grounded in compelling theater and exceptional circus arts.
With twenty shows focusing on a broad range of themes currently in production around the world, Cirque’s CRYSTAL inhabits a dominion of ice and combines the talents of the globe’s finest skaters with those of its most gifted acrobats to tell a thrilling story of self-discovery. None of the show’s magic is evident when the audience streams into the arena to find their seats. Two ornately filigreed trees stand solemnly in shadow on either side of the rink and an imposing prop that resembles an iceberg looms mysteriously in the back. CRYSTAL‘s blood begins to flow when skaters randomly appear and a jokester armed with a bucket of snowballs begins to assail the audience. Combining the best elements of mime and clown, he masterfully lightens the atmosphere while simultaneously endearing himself to a receptive crowd. When a strolling trio playing klezmer music join in on the fun, the mood transforms from one of simmering anticipation to an air of light hearted ease; well primed for a plunge into a captivating fantasy.
Manipulating perception might qualify as one of man and womankind’s earliest arts. Combining the highest levels of that ability with incredible physical prowess makes for dazzling performance. The potency of that mix fills this production. A misunderstood teenager who’s constantly harangued by both her parents and her peers for being different, Crystal finds herself skating alone in quiet reflection. By the time she realizes the fragility of the ice, it’s too late and she falls through to an alternate world full of wonder, danger and discovery. Orchestrating the illusion of Crystal’s fall and descent into her counter reality in three-dimensions was a singular triumph and set the tone for the show’s impressive technical sophistication. Dramatic, elegant and fantastical, it offered the audience permission to free it’s imagination by opening the door to the incredible.
As Crystal’s odyssey took shape, scenes would smoothly alternate between those that centered on her adventures and those that showcased other performance disciplines. Nothing ever happened in isolation which kept the eye attentive in its effort not to miss anything transpiring on the ice. Superb scene supportive music remained ever present. Cirque du Soleil’s renown rests on its refusal to languish in the conventional. By presenting the best, it offers entertainment that can’t be found anywhere else. That standard makes all of the artists in CRYSTAL more than simply skaters and acrobats. Their extraordinary skills and training seem to endow them with super powers; allowing them to defy psychics and sometimes even reason.
A show made up of layer upon layer of calculated intricacy, story, action and music become everchanging parts that make up a fascinating whole. When acrobats balance themselves on a precarious tumble of chairs, a flood of other performers are also on the ice conducting their own dance with chairs. Scurrying to the music’s melodic frenzy, they’re like a swarm of hyperactive ants who eventually line up in flawless formation to watch the acrobats’ final awe inducing feat. Throughout the production, the balancing act and similar performance achievements caused grown men to utter wow with the incredulity of small children.
Boundaries between crafts would constantly vanish, making you wonder where one talent ended and another began. The synchronized skating segments often provoked that question as skaters, dressed in strait laced business attire, moved with the sultry fluidity of dancers. With a generous spritz of humor folded into the choreography, the team of retro clad skaters would break off and turn the heat up with daring individual performances that left no doubt about their dizzying degree of skating virtuosity.
As the show progressed, the level of excitement and the degrees physical and artistic challenge in the performances kept ratcheting up. With spectacular core and upper body strength, CRYSTAL’s trapeze artist was another of those performers whose acrobatic prowess invited disbelief. The timing and coordination needed to execute his routine required skill sets that far surpass admirable. Portions of his act included duo hand to hand trapeze work with the show’s intrepid heroine where he revealed astounding grace in addition to an Olympian’s power.
A first for Cirque du Soleil, the pendular poles show how the arts, regardless of their origin or how ancient their tradition, can evolve and move into uncharted territories. Acrobats climb towering poles that are then either pushed or ridden to swing like massive pendulums. High above the crowd and without harnesses, they then leap from one pole to another or hurdle through the air to perform pinpoint standing dismounts.
As stunning and jaw dropping as the poles were, few things stimulate primal excitement as much as the union of speed and daring. The incorporation of extreme skating into the format appeals to the daredevil lurking in all of our psyches. Outfitted as hockey players, skaters slashed over the ice with the resolve of driven warriors. Using ramps strategically positioned on the rink, they’d perform audacious skateboard style flips and spins in tandem and solo. The intensity of their numbers and their speed caused even the audience’s adrenaline to race. Structuring the sequence to include both Crystal and the show’s comic relief betray how thoroughly and thoughtfully the segment had been choreographed to induce maximum delight.
In each minute of the two-hour program, you could sense the thread of purpose that’s been defining the Cirque du Soleil ethos from its inception. The desire to share the timeless wonder of the acrobatic arts. By imbedding their offerings in the grandeur of extraordinary theater and swathing them in exceptional music, Cirque du Soleil productions, as CRYSTAL exemplifies, enrich our lives immeasurably. That they do so by kneading in ample doses of charm and enchantment only adds to their overwhelming appeal.
Cirque du Soleil Crystal
March 22-24, 2024
NOW Arena
5333 Prairie Stone Pkwy
Hoffman Estates, IL 60192
Cirque du Soleil Shows and Dates: https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/shows