Displaying items by tag: Aerialist

At intermission, I sent Ken, Buzz Center Stage’s managing editor, a text: “So thankful I made it!! It’s intermission, and if there’s one show anyone sees it should be this.” By the time the lights came up at the end of The Attic, I couldn’t have agreed with intermission-me more.

The idea behind lifelong circus artist Shana Carroll’s autobiographical play began inside a CT scanner. Watching its bridge move in and out of sight above her, Carroll realized how much of her life could be told through the things she had seen while lying on her back. From her childhood bed to her mother’s and her child’s, from motel rooms to hospital rooms, each view from below held another piece of the story she now wanted to tell.

That story became The Attic: Things I’ve Seen While Lying on My Back, Carroll’s onstage memoir now receiving its world premiere in Goodman Theatre’s Albert Theatre. Carroll, a cofounder of Montreal circus collective The 7 Fingers, the company behind the production, also serves as its writer, director and choreographer.

The Attic perfectly walks the line between abstract and concrete storytelling. The pivotal events and overarching themes of Carroll’s life remain clear and accessible, while circus arts and contemporary dance explore the smaller details and dynamics that traditional narration could never fully capture. This is not a play with circus tricks added to it; it is a singular piece of theatre that replaces conventional blocking with a breathtaking physical language.

Tyler Meredith serves as Carroll’s onstage stand-in, carrying nearly the entire narration while moving alongside – and frequently flying among – the rest of the ensemble. Even within such a heavily collaborative production, Meredith deserves special recognition for the sheer feat of guiding the audience through Carroll’s life with such emotional depth, physical precision, and clarity, all while taking part in the circus work herself.

(Top) Anna Kichtchenko. (L-R, bottom) Melvin Diggs, FranAlvarez, Lucy Tan, Santiago Rivera Laugerud and Eduardo De Azevedo Grillo in The Attic at Goodman Theatre.

Still, The Attic cannot have only one star. Every one of its ten performers is essential to creating the world onstage. The remaining nine rarely leave the audience’s sight, and I defy you to find a moment when any of them is truly still. Rather than waiting at the edges of a scene, they continually ebb and flow with Carroll’s memories, moving like a single current that stretches across the entire stage while remaining connected at every point.

Nothing feels like a transition or choreographed scene change, even though every minute contains (no exaggeration) hundreds of precise decisions, from the subtlest shift in focus to a death-defying catch. If every movement executed by just one performer over ten minutes were written down, the resulting document would be longer than this entire review. The level of detail, polish, and commitment is staggering. Live theatre constantly reaches toward the seemingly impossible goal of appearing this intricate and effortless; The Attic achieves it.

Among an ensemble overflowing with talent, Nancy Luna is especially impossible to look away from. A fearless and mesmerizing flyer, she repeatedly launches herself – or is effortlessly launched by Fran Alvarez – into the air with a freedom that makes even the production’s most difficult feats feel instinctive.

The technical elements are equally precise. Projections, lighting and scenic movement distinguish and layer Carroll’s memories without overwhelming the physical storytelling. Even as performers soar and tumble in the background, the production carefully directs the audience’s focus, allowing the spectacle to strengthen the story rather than distract from it.

Although its explorations of illness, motherhood and mortality are geared more toward adults, The Attic offers enough acrobatics, movement and theatrical imagination to captivate nearly anyone. Carroll’s memoir is the beautiful thread connecting each mesmerizing scene, but every individual sequence is remarkable enough to stand on its own.

Plenty of shows claim to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. Shana Carroll’s The Attic earns that phrase in nearly every possible sense. The Attic: Things I’ve Seen While Lying on My Back runs at Goodman Theatre through October 4. Tickets are available at goodmantheatre.org/show/the-attic.

*Extended through October 11th

One might be unsure of what to expect from a show featuring 65 horses and 48 artists, but the mystical grandeur of Odysseo by Cavalia leaves one feeling awe and in disbelief of the athletic feats and performance they have just witnessed. Set to live musical performances of a band and live singers, Odysseo takes the audience on a journey through different lands, cultures, seasons, and across land, water and air to display the astonishing talents of the horses, riders and acrobats. Hailed as “The Best Show Ever”, Cavalia is a performance like no other seen in the past. 

Sitting under a Big Top as large as a football field, everyone is anxious to see the first horses enter the scene, and once that happens the crowd is giddy with delight as they gallop across the stage. It is wonderful to be in the presence of such beautiful horses and one can’t help but feel lucky enough to be near them and imagine brushing their beautiful manes. An incredible amount of talent is demonstrated through each routine. The horses also display their personalities through their interactions together, sometimes even picking on each other in the middle of the act as if to say, “Hey! That’s where I’m supposed to stand!” 

Some of the most daring parts of the show establish the bond between the artists and horses. This bond is very apparent throughout each act as they work together to perform many stunts and dances in unison. Riders often appear hanging from the side, underneath, or standing on top of a galloping horse. The timing alone is so crucial for the stunts and the trust between the horse and performer is palpable. 

The acrobatic feats of the performers is one, no, two steps beyond what one might have seen from other troupes. Angel-like Aerialists are kept grounded via their flowing aerial silks to horses and riders below who are guiding them in a circle while they float, spin and wrap themselves in a dance that could only be done in the air. Phenomenal acrobats flip across the stage, across each other, and often on top of each other forming human steeples and pyramids that look like one person is entirely supporting at the bottom of the steeple. Performers wearing spring-legs are human kangaroos often jumping as high and as far as the horses. The strength and agility of the performers during the act "Carosello" is breathtaking, the piece completely unique to Cavalia. Incorporating a spinning carousel suspended from the top of the set, acrobats are dancing together on the moving poles demonstrating immense strength and teamwork that is disguised with graceful, flowing moves, sometimes looking effortless.

The set by Guillaume Lord is magnificent and plays like a main character throughout the show. The depth that is created through use of video screens, lighting, and a stage that slopes down from the height of three stories, creates a vast landscape that is used to tell stories with a cinema-like quality. Horses and riders arrive from distant mountains and are most stunning in the act "Travellers". Water is brought to the set through creating rain and a pond that helps highlight the very talented prancing horse, accentuating the performance of acrobats and the stunts riders perform on the galloping horses. The large screens display video creating a layered backdrop and the use of lighting helps to fashion different textures on the ground that takes us to many different landscapes, producing a mystical world where horses, riders and acrobats live in harmony while creating art. 

Under the Artistic Direction of Normand Latourelle and the Direction of Wayne Fowkes, Odysseo by Cavalia will transform your expectations of shows of similar caliber. It is an inimitable experience that gives the audience the opportunity to enjoy a spectacular performance like no other that demonstrates agility and grace through cooperation and trust. It is a must see along with anything that Cavalia creates in the future. 

The horses in Cavalia are used from all parts of the world including Spain, France, Germany, Australia, The United States and Canada with breeds ranging from Arabian, Appaloosa, Lustitano and Holsteiner to name a few. Well cared for, a 20-person team comprised of trainers, veterinarians, groomers and health technicians travel with the show. To stay in tip-top shape, the horses go through a daily stretching and gymnastic routine daily. And no need to worry as the horses are well fed, receiving eight healthy meals per day with special treats (carrots and apples) given to each on Sunday evenings. In fact, each horse has a diet based on its individual needs. 

The human performers are also well-traveled, coming from Italy, Brazil, the United States, Russia, France, Guinea, Poland, Canada and Ukraine as nine languages are spoken at Odysseo.

Visually stimulating, adventurous, spectacular and one of the most original shows to come through Chicago in years, Cavalia is a family-friendly show that people will be talking about for some time. 

Odysseo by Cavalia will be performing under the Big Top located in the South Lot of Soldier Field through April 23rd (now extended to June 3rd). Tickets are available at www.cavalia.com or calling 866.999.8111. Special pricing and packages are available or groups.