Hephaestus

When we were planning this trip to Chicago, Terri ran across some good reviews for a show called Hephaestus. It's a retelling of the Greek myth using music and acrobats, which sounded curious enough. So we stopped at the Goodman Theatre on our walk from the Clark/Lake train station to our hotel and picked up same-day half-price tickets, front row mezzanine.

We checked in to our hotel, piddled around, then explored the neighborhood before going to the theatre at 7:15.

About Hephaestus, oh my, it was incredible. The acrobats were as good as Cirque du Soleil, and the music was reminiscent of Blue Man Group, all presented with a twist of Devo. I'm not sure that makes much sense, but it all came together into one of the best shows we've ever seen. The acrobatic routines actually worked to tell the story, and the final act is a three-level seven-person pyramid tight rope act that is unbelievable -- the theatre was absolutely quiet as everyone in the audience held their breath until the performers all made it safely across.

Here's the Hephaestus Circus. Be sure to check out the blog and the embedded photos and videos.

Afterwards we went next door to Petterino's for an after-show dinner. This was another pleasant surprise: 1940s style red velvet booths, white table cloths, and a fine meal.