Oak Park Newspaper

TRACES

Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place
(175 E. Chestnut)
review by Ed Vincent

This artistic delight playing in Chicago, at the newly redesigned
Broadway Playhouse in the Water Tower building is fantastic and mesmerizing in its talent. This ensemble of top notched acrobatic muses will delight you in movement, dance, and wonder for the entire show. The seating is intimate, the experience is breathtaking.

This group of special forces gymnasts, and they are not military, (but I wanted to say that because I could see them launching a person in the air high enough to see the enemy approach from miles away.... )

Their art is born from the soul of Cirque du Soleil, but on this smaller scale it is very personal. The core of this group trained in Circus schools of Canada and met together to form this gifted, gold medal winning troupe of talent.

Some of the performers are more than large enough to play football and yet have the ability to transform themselves into a movement of a demigod. There are six kinetic Kings and one Queen, with a sense of humor. You may not believe what you see, but you will want more.

This is the most diverse, nationally represented group of artists that we have ever had the pleasure to witness in a show that rivals even films using special effects. Some are past Olympians and all are worthy of gold medals for their efforts on stage.

Chicago has had some of the best performance art of this genre in past few years with much being represented by the Lookingglass theatre, only a block away. Shows like “Hephaestus” and “Lookingglass Alice” entertained many and now they have "Peter Pan". This show "Traces" has grand choreography, acrobatics, music, comedy, and even a funny announcer who welcomes you with bizarre advice.

Cirque du Soleil will return to Chicago next summer with its newest show called "Ovo". This show should be on your must see list of beautiful performances and bring the kids.

A Brief Selection of the Group's kinetic ART

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Behind the Scenes with the Wheel.....

Parking is about $11.00 in Water Tower Place with validation.

CHICAGO (September 9, 2010) Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to announce the Chicago premiere of TRACES, a fantastical blend of circus, physical theater and music. The North American Tour opens in Chicago at the new Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut) on October 26, 2010. Created by the Montreal-based performance group 7 Fingers, TRACES is the first theatrical production at the new Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place. Individual tickets will go on sale Friday, September 10 at 10:00 a.m.

Combining extraordinary acrobatic feats, music, film, narration and dance seven performers deliver gravity-defying displays of skill that are fresh, urban and inventive. The cast’s wide-ranging talent includes traditional Chinese acrobatics, balancing on each other's heads, tumbling through hoops and leaping spectacularly up giant poles without using their hands. Poetic and explosive, funny and thoughtful, TRACES creates an experience that will surprise and delight all ages.

TRACES has left critics from Paris to London to Toronto begging for more. The show was a breakout hit at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where the Edinburgh Sun enthused, “the audience was left gasping for more. This is unadulterated showmanship and talent at its very best.” The Toronto Stage said TRACES is “a show not to be missed, TRACES is a permanent etch that celebrates eye-catching generational inventiveness” and exclaimed this show is “instantly addictive.”

7 Fingers is a twist on a French idiom ("the five fingers of the hand") used to describe distinct, individual parts moving in coordination towards one common goal. Founded in Montreal by seven seasoned circus performers, and now with five touring shows, this collective has charmed audiences across the globe with their strikingly human and unprecedented multi-disciplinary approach to circus, moving their distinct parts towards common artistic goals.

The North American Tour of TRACES is being produced by Fox Theatricals, Tom Gabbard and Amanda Dubois.

TRACES is part of the 2010-2011 Broadway In Chicago Subscription Series.

Individual tickets to TRACES are $50 - $71.50 and go on sale Friday, September 10 at 10:00 a.m. Tickets are available at all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St. and 18 W. Monroe St.); the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (800) 775-2000; all Ticketmaster retail locations (including Hot Tix and select Carson Pirie Scott, Coconuts and fye stores); and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com. Groups of 10 or more should call (312) 977-1710.