Benise Tickets

Wow, its my first time seeing Benise LIVE and had the best time of my life. I would highly recommend the show to my friends. I love the music, dancing, beautiful costumes and an amazing performance. I bought the Benise 4 cd set which included the dvd Spanish Guitar. I love it. Just like watching Benise LIVE in my own home. Thank you so very much Roni Benise for the breath taking and lovely evening at The Chicago Theatre. I will cherish the experience forever. We love Benise in Chicago.

Left at the intermission and I haven't done that EVER! Nothing about this performance was authentic. I knew it would be stylized but this was cartoonish. All about over dramatized "Riverdance" style performance. Actually, I liked Riverdance in comparison and these performers just didn't connect with this audience member. Dancers were a mixed bag, some good, but one that looked like she was bored and just walking through the moves. Maybe they need to fire their producer and go back to authentic street music.

This event was recommended by a dear friend. She was very correct as far as the quality of entertainment that Benise provided. I would definitly see them again!!!!

Absolutely loved it!!!!! His musiv is so up tempo smooth and enjoyable. Didn't want it to end.

Great music and dancing; costumes were beautiful. The casts seem to be having a great time performing

I thought the show was very good. My only complaint would be that some of the music was dubbed in. If I am going to see a show at the Chicago Theater, I expect all of the music to be played live, it was not!

Same basic tune over and over. Supposed "plot" never really develops, too much time wasted on solos that did not tie in to anything. Lack of musicality. Terrible audience control, people walking in and out all concert long. About a half-hour to an hour too short compared with other concerts. But I wasn't interested in more of the same, so Ok by me. Still just street performers. If you want to charge like big time, hire some big-time consultants to help you put on a show.

BREATH TAKING, SO COLORFUL, NEXT TIME HE COMES TO DOWN I AM GOING TO BUY A ROW OF SEATS FOR ALL OF MY FAMILY TO COME. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND FOR EVERYONE TO SEE. HIS MUSIC IS SO DEEP. IT MAKES YOU WANT TO BE IN ANOTHER PLACE.

The show was very good, I would like it to have lasted a little longer, but overall it was a very enlightening experience. I would rate it Amazing

left at intermission due to disappointment. violin too dominant

This is the second time I've seen this artist and his crew. He continues to amaze! The stage is amazing and the music inspiring. Count mr in for next time,

Benise is incredible, inspiring, poetic…the music speaks to the soul and the dance awakens the senses. Absolutely amazing!

Drove 140x2 mi to see it in Columbus, then 350x2 mi to see it in Chicago. Sent the DVD to each sister-in-law for Xmas. Bought the Christmas CD and two DVDs. Facebooked friends to spread the word. WHY? Missi loved the staging, the costumes and colors, the hot Latin dance, the sexy-cute nuances, the happy Benise persona, the big drumming presence. She likes the tango that reminds her of Moulin Rouge. She likes Aranjuez (though I prefer the Herb Alpert disco version!). I've studied dance for decades and have been reviewing the Paul Taylors and Twyla Tharps for years. But I've long thought that someone who could bring seriously-well-choreographed dance in a different kind of theater, based more closely on highly evolved folk dance forms, but with modern staging, would be more watchable. I was right. Benise and his choreographer and artistic director have a winning formula. Brilliant! You have a strange multicultural gypsy core -- a Bon Jovi rocker with an Israeli girl's name who plays Latin guitar as well as you would want to hear it (more Carlos Santana than Jorge Strunz). You have a fan-favorite violinist who plays like Jean-Luc Ponty doing Astor Piazzolla. You have an Alice-and-Chains percussionist with a Spanish name who strangely is more effective on conga and djembe drum than rock drum or salsa rhythm! A gorgeous Cuban dancer who looks happier doing West African dance and ballet. And a fabulous lead dancer from Tahiti with way too many syllables in her name, who performs a poignant sweet tango (a veritable dulce de Tango) in a Miss USA evening gown with an equally talented male partner. But it all fits together, as any good gypsy troupe should. Just pull up Bamboleo on youtube and tell me that you prefer four middle aged men standing around strumming, over the fabulous show-stopper on stage here (btw, plz go back to all-yellow feathers)! Montserrat is a special number and the group is smart to keep it. The slavic-named blonde vocalist is no Giorgia Fumanti, but is better than Kimberley Locke on the DVD, with much better on-stage chemistry (but who is the terrific, uncredited male vocalist on the DVD, and why isn't his vocal counterpoint present here?). Benise dances like the Hasselhof, but it's good to see him in the mix, lest he remain the detached orchestrator, like the creepy uncle in the Nutcracker. De Los Reyes had an off night in Columbus, but brought it, in Chicago. We respect artists who are not on auto-pilot after 40 tour dates, so if that means a bit of variation from night to night, so be it. Meanwhile, Benise is a model of consistency. I don't believe others who claim there is pre-recorded lead guitar. I used my binoculars to check. Meanwhile, those who disparage the box seats at the Chicago theater are wrong -- the "table chairs" behind a "barricade" are exactly what a theater box is supposed to be. It is a multicultural Benise world, with Bollywood and Morocco and Sevilla and Buenos Aires' Recoleta, just like the mix that actually gave rise to Andalusian arts through the centuries. And it is spectacular.

WOW! What a show! It was truly amazing, glamorous, fabulous... the music, the beats... the dancers... OH! THE DANCERS!! Of course the guitar and the violin cannot be forgotten!! We cannot wait for your return to the Columbus, OH area... we are already talking to different people about your show!! We'd never heard of Benise... so it was truly a treat to watch and enjoy the performance in person.

We left at intermission. We have seen much better performances in this "category." In our opinion, Benise is not yet ready for "prime time"

Great show! Unforgettable and amazing! Recommended for any age.

If you are on the fence about going to this show and saw the PBS special, pull the trigger! I had an exciting experience. The band seems to be down to earth. I believe they remember where they came from, former street preformers in southern California, 3 years hence. The show was one of the best I have seen. The stage was simple but elegent, perfect for the production. The stage performers were highly energetic and completely engaged the audience. Roni Benise is a vertuoso with the Spanish guitar. He captivated the audience with his mixure of Spanish and modern rock guitar. the rest of the musians were equally as impressive and involved with the production. A personal note, i sat next to a mentally handicapped young man that had a great experience as well. His experience was enhanced as was mine when the percussionist and one of the dancers took special notice of the young man. The show was a great experience!

Highly entertaining. Benise is extremely talented!

We left at intermission!! I was expecting to enjoy some Spanish guitar music. The guitar was completely drowned out by the violin, drums, & dancers. At one point, Benise was "guitar synching"- pretending to play while the music was coming from the guys in the wings!!

Had such a good time, bought Chicago tickets to see it again four days later, 300mi away! (to be fair, we were headed to Chicago anyway!)