Cirque du Soleil: Banana Shpeel Tickets

This is not the large Las Vegas style show. This is a great show with amazing performances! I was awe struck with some of the dancers. Wonderful!

The actual Cirque acts were very impressive. The "inbetween" scenes were a little folksy. Bringing someone onto the stage from the audience and the other "comedic" actors were a little over the top.

I really enjoyed the show. Cirque is a great company to see the dancers were exceptional. The theatre was not sold out and i had upper balcony seats and they should of moved me closer.

WHAT A GREAT SHOW!!! A MUST SEEE! THE DANCING WAS AWESOME! THESE PEOPLE ARE SO TALENTED. WE HAD THE VIP TICKETS AND WERE TREATED SO SPECIAL. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS SHOW TO ANYONE. WHAT A GREAT EXPERIENCE!!! LOVED IT!!!!!!!!

Growing up, while other kids wanted to be cosmonauts, firemen and policemen, my ambition in life was to be a clown. Hold off on the snickering for a moment (yes, I know some would say I succeeded beyond my wildest dreams). I am not talking clown as in Bozo. If I grew up watching Bozo I too might be scared of clowns. I am talking clown as in Oleg Popov. There was just something about him that spoke to me as a child. The world he lived in was wondrous and a little bit scary and his routines were full of whimsy and wonder. There was very little of the mean spirited in him. My mom even made me a Purim costume once with his trade mark floppy hat and bow tie. Its a fond memory. The love of the clown led to a love of the Circus. Riga had a permanent Circus building and all of the greats of the time would sooner or later pass through it. Here too there is a world of difference between the circus of Ringling Brothers, for example, and the Circuses of Europe. American circuses seem to be more about spectacle and grandeur. Europe's circuses were more about artistry and performance. I never could get into the three ring circus. Too much information. Too many distractions. Not that the US lacks for alternatives. Big Apple Circus and even Chicago's very own Midnight Circus come to mind. But there is a distinct difference. Until Cirque Du Soleil come along. Still vividly remember the first show I saw by them (Allegria). I just couldn't stop enthusing. Haven't missed seeing too many opportunities to see a new show every time they come through town. Not that everything they touch is perfect. Hated Zumanity. Burlesque is burlesque, but this wasn't even the burlesque of Cabaret. This to me was the burlesque of Cafe Flesh. Rather than sensual it was raunchy. And not in a good way. Cafe Flesh works in its own fashion (just don't ever watch it in a crowded theater with people expecting something completely different, but that's a blog for a different day). So when a friend pointed out that Cirque had a new show that they were previewing in Chicago in which they take on Vaudeville I was a little apprehensive. Will this be another Zumanity? Will they treat Vaudeville with some affection and reverence or will this be a broad farce? A dark satire of something which at its very core is already a parody of itself? Banana Shpeel works. It works very, very well. I had the same thrill that I did the first time I saw a Cirque show. It treats the subject matter as it should be treated. It doesn't try to out do vaudeville, but retains its feel while updating it for the modern age. Whether its the shtick of the clowns, the dance numbers, the jugglers, the comedy bits, or the acrobatics, they all work. Well, okay. Not everything works. The bigger comedy bits fall flat. They probably sounded really good on paper and they might work on the screen where you have the luxury of editing and close ups, but live on stage they just become a bunch of people running around in chaos. Hopefully as the show moves to New York they'll work out the kinks. Either way, there's still a lot of Shpeel to like. Dima Shine's balance act is just incredible to watch. Remember the China Olympics openning ceremony and the bit where that older man ran around the stadium walls while suspended by wires? Dima does the same thing while holding on to a spinning pole perfectly perpendecular to the floor without a single muscle quivering. No wires. Vanessa Alvarez puts a new spin (literally) on a traditional foot juggling act and Tuan Le does some very interesting things with hats. The circus and the cirque are not for everyone, but for those of you who enjoy either one or the other I highly recommend the show. The Chicago run has unfortunately ended, but sooner or later its bound to come back around. Either that or show up as part of the ever expanding Cirque Vegas empire.

I am a large fan of Cirque du Soleil and seen many (many) shows. Unfortunately I have to say I wish I hadn't seen this perfomance. There were only 4 traditional Cirque acts in the entire performance of the show. The rest of the show was filled with nonsense. I have never been inclined to walk out of a Cirque du Soleil show but I gave it some serious thought for this show. If I hadn't purchased the more expensive ticket I would have. Bottom line.. If you want to see this show because you are Cirque fan buy the cheaper tickets so if you are as disappointed as I was you can leave.

Different kind of Cirque, but entertaining regardless. Captured the feel of a vaudeville show.

It's not quite up to Teatro Zin Zanni which we saw recently in Seattle, but all in all a very worthwhile show. Good dancing, very funny in spots, and excellent performers. I'd go again

I have been to five Cirque Du Soleil shows prior to "Banana Shpeel" and have ejoyed all! I extended my stay in Chicago, to see this show on jan 2 2010, and could not have been more disapointed!! My wife and I convinced another couple to attend with us, and very much regreat that recomendation. This show had very little to none of the great accrobatics and displays of skill that I have come to expect when attending a "Cirque Du Soleil" show. It is little more than a "Bad Play". Truly unshure as to weather or not I take a chance on another!! Sorry I Attended.

I was disappointed. It was not up to the standards as other Cirque Du Soleil productions. It caertainly was not worth $98 a ticket. I will be skeptical of other Cirque shows in the future.

Average at best I have seen much better from Cirque De Soleil.

Perhaps the worst show I have ever seen. Only two of the acts were really Cirque Du Soleil worthy. The strong man and the hat juggler were very good, but the other acts looked like something you would see at a county fair. I did not find any of the "comedy" moments funny in the least. These skits went on way too long and counted on crude, outdated material that was not funny. The dance numbers were also nothing special. These also went on way too long. The sparse crowd that witnessed the last performance in Chicago wasted their money.

Cirque Du Soliel: Banana Shpeel was an amazing show. I attended the show with my girlfriend as a Tapis Rogue member and thought that the entire event was simply amazing. The show was funny, the seats were amazing and the service was simply outstanding, well worth any price.

It was very entertaining - funny and amazing. The talent of the dancers and other performers is amazing. We had a great time - did not want it to end.

Never having seen a Cirque Du Soleil performance before Banana Shpeel, my expectations may have been too high. Instead of people flying through the air doing incredible acrobatics in fantastic costumes like I thought I would see, I got unfunny jokes and dancing. There were some highlights such as the juggler, the scarf twirler, the acrobatic couple and the jaw-dropping male pole dancer, but, other than that, the show consisted of tap, jazz & hiphop dance numbers with a few songs that were separated by really bad shtick.

This production was mildly entertaining, but nothing close to what we would have expected from a Cirque de Soleil event. The tickets were more costly that most shows we've attended, and we can't see why. Would not recommend.

Fun time. It is really silly, and I laughed and laughed. Really different from the other Cirque shows and worth seeing.

We had been to the CDS-Saltimbanco performance last year and it was amazing. When promotions for Banana Shpeel appeared earlier last year, we were very excited. However, the show turned out to be below our expectations. It has a lot more focus on dancing and comedy as opposed to acrobatics. While some of the dance sequences were pretty neat, quite a few of the comic bits were downright boring. Unless you get the tickets as a gift or something, I wouldn't recommend the show.

Banana Shpeel was everything we expected and more. The 2 hours of non-stop action made the show go by in a moment. My wife and I had seen some negative "professional" reviews ahead of our going but after seeing the show we realized that it was likely that the reviewers were unfamiliar with vaudeville so the production seemed like "lame" comedy. We found the comedy exactly as it should be in vaudeville, in your face, slapstick and very shticky. The circus acts were excellent and the dancing, especially the tap, was very impressive. We felt like we might have liked a little more of the circus acts and a little less shtick and then we would have given the show 5 stars. As it is, the production was well worth the money and we would highly recommend it to anyone with the same unsophistocated tastes as we have. Very good family entertainment!!

What an absolute disapointment. This is the worst show I have ever seen. Went to see Beatles Love Cirque in Vegas last week and it was superb. Banana Shpeel is an embarasement to the Cirque name.