“Circus Abyssinia:Ethiopian Dreams”

**** For many years, Chicago’s Navy Pier, held court for “Cirque Shanghai”. Every Summer, for I believe 6 years, this troupe would come in and play the outdoor tent theatre adjacent to the Court of Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. This is the area that has now become The Yard, where some amazing work is presented all year. I missed the summer sessions during Covid and thereafter, but love what The Yard has brought to Chicago theater.

It was a delightful evening of entertainment in  the Courtyard Theater tonight as we were witness to  a soaring spectacular show, albeit, very short in time, where some very talented Ethiopian performers gave us something that has been missing at Navy Pier, ” A Circus performance! This troupe does their story, which is based on the lives of the creators, Mehari Tesfamariam and Binyam Shimellis. The tale follows their youthful dream of joining a circus. The journey is one where as they progress, they meet different and unique performers who do dazzling acts of awe.

The script was written by Cal McCrystal and the show is choreographed by Kate Smith ( not THE Kate Smith that sang God Bless America”). The show is written in a manner where different performers do their thing and while the entire performance is 80 minutes in duration ( including 1 10 minute intermission), the entertainment value is worth going into the city, visiting Navy Pier and paying the $22 for parking ( don’t forget to bring your ticket to the theater for discount validation.

The jugglers were amazing! The silks was creative! The acrobats who also did the pole jumps and slides in the second half were as good as it gets! The comic ( all circuses must have a clown) was able to bring two audience members onstage and have a blast with them. They truly got into it and the more they did, the more the audience got into it as well. The bit with the rope jump was what one might call a “show-stopper”. The other performer did a few different  acts. First, he did the board on a can, but increased the height by 5 times the initial- wow!. In the second act, he did a number with only a ladder and his ability to work it so that he never lost his balance.

All of this performance has the addition of music ( Ethiopian) that works well with the stunts and feats they are performing. This troupe is composed of all male performers and while there is no actual story with words, one can feel the emotion of these circus performers who train, work and live together. They are there for each other and will always be Ethiopian. They will be the first and only fully Ethiopian Circus, and you can see them on the stage at Chicago Shakespeare Theater located at Navy Pier thru August 3rd with performances as follows:

Wednesdays    7 p.m.

Thursdays       2 p.m.

Fridays       2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Saturday  11 a.m.  and 2 p.m.

Sundays  2 p.m.  and 5 p.m.

For tickets visit www.chicagoshakes.com or call box office at 312-595-5600

There are a number of great attractions at Navy Pier and wonderful dining as well. Why not plan ahead and make a day of it.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at  “Circus Abyssinia: Ethiopian Dreams”.