As I was exiting into the lobby of the Chicago Theatre after Thursday’s opening of Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Twas the Night Before…, a boy of around 8 came bursting through the theater doors and then turned to his trailing family. “That was amazing!” he exclaimed as I strode out of sight.
A good reminder to see holiday entertainments through the eyes of a child to the extent possible. Even when it’s the first Christmas revue put on by the august circus ensemble that has brought so many memorable thrills and moments of acrobatic artistry to the big top, not to mention Las Vegas. And through the eyes of a child, this is a splendid 90 minutes.
The music is recorded, but the peppy score by Jean-Phi Goncalves includes 29 original songs along with several reworked holiday classics. The framing story, with acts intended to align with certain lines from the ubiquitous Clement Clarke Moore poem, is a bit tenuous. But the set is gorgeous and everyone’s favorite jolly old elf is played with Cirque’s trademark off-kilter, high-energy zest by Mexico’s Roberto Carbajal–complete with an outfit that emphasizes the whole tarnished with ashes and soot bit. He’s a hoot and an impressive juggler to boot.
There’s a good bit of dancing in the connective storyline that could be trimmed to add a couple more acrobatic numbers. But the acts showcased here are highly accomplished and quite entertaining. In addition to Carbajal, I was most impressed by Spain’s Maxine Piché-Luneau and Tim Kriegler’s artistic and athletic duo straps; Taiwan’s Chieh-Chu Chen, Tsung-ying Lin, Han-Yen Shen and Portugal’s Ioi Hei Long spinning glowing magic out of their diabolos; Spain’s breathtaking roller-skating duo Holler Zavatta and Carmen Ribas Segura; and Canadian Leah Simone Wolff’s lovely feats of twirling in a high-flying hotel cart.
Afterward, as I walked along Lake Street past the Goodman, where A Christmas Carol is still going strong, I reflected on the wonderful array of holiday entertainment on hand in the Loop this season. There’s The Nutcracker, The Hip Hop Nutcracker and Emmet Otter rounding out the big Christmas shows, along with Christkindlmarket, the Macy’s windows, the tree at Millennium Park and, my personal favorite, Tom & Jerrys at Miller’s Pub. It’s pretty amazing what our lovely downtown is doing to bring us good cheer this month. And that includes Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Twas the Night Before…, especially if you’ve got a kid or two in tow.
‘Twas the Night Before… runs through December 28 at the Chicago Theatre.
For a full roundup of reviews of this show, visit Theatre in Chicago.
Photo by Kyle Flubacker
