CheekyChicago

Lookingglass Theatre brings out my inner kid.  Not many theatrical experiences will have me sitting at the edge of my seat in open mouthed awe, clutching the arm of my date and clapping with glee every few minutes.  But that is exactly what Hephaestus: A Greek Mythology Circus Tale did for me.  Created by Tony Hernandez, this production is a must see.

The show is an interpretation of the story of Hephaestus, the son of Hera and Zeus.  (Get out your Edith Hamilton book from high school!)  Hephaestus is thrown off of Mount Olympus by his mother when he is a baby and is severely crippled by the fall.  Sea nymphs find him and nurse him to health.  Although his legs remain mangled, he is able to use his hands and becomes a master craftsman, creating an army of silver people to assist him in his building endeavors.  His mother hears of his success and comes down from Olympus to ask Hephaestus to make her a new throne.  He complies, but makes a throne that traps Hera.  He releases her only when the gods of Olympus send Aphrodite for him to love.  Eventually when his legs heal, he ascends to Mount Olympus once more to take his rightful place among the gods.

This hyper dramatic tale is a perfect one to tell using circus arts.  Greek mythology conjures up just the sort of magic world that I saw created in the Owen Theatre.  The sea nymphs descend from above the audience and perform a visually stunning routine on the silks.  The silver people stomp around on stilts and bounce from the ceiling.  One silverguy (Nich Galzin) performs a jaw dropping routine on the German Wheel.  Hera and her messenger Iris, both played by members of the famous Wallenda family, perform gasp-inducing aerial routines (with no net).  Aphrodite (Katia Dimitriov) uses contortion and rhythmic gymnastics to seduce Hephaestus.

There are two definite highlights in this production.  The first is provided by two silver brothers – Giuliano Espana and Fabio Anastasini.  Giuliano literally juggles the younger Fabio using his feet.  My heart was thumping and I held my breath as I watched the tiny Fabio being flipped through the air.  There was a collective cheer from the audience as Fabio dismounted for the last time.  The second highlight comes in the form of a seven-person human pyramid that makes its way across a tightrope.  I’m not kidding.  It is so shocking (and frightening) that I had to look away.  But of course, these are professionals – the best in the business – and the travelng pyramid, meant to symbolize Mount Olympus, was executed with pure perfection.

Overall, the production is absolutely stellar.  However, there are moments when the underlying story is lost.  The narrator, a role rotated between Tatiana Ranallo and Khori Faison, is a little girl whose storybook comes to life.  I saw Ranallo and thought she was excellent.  What a voice!  However, her role seemed almost like a superfluous add-on.  Also, I am the first to say that these circus artists deserve to take a bow (or twenty), but when they do so in the middle of the production, a tiny bit of magic is lost.  I really wanted to believe that Hera traveling by cloud-swing was no big deal!

Those two (tiny) criticisms aside, this show is not to be missed.  I guarantee it will induce a sense of childlike wonder that you haven’t felt since maybe ever. Hephaestus is playing at the Goodman Theatre until May 23 and is likely to sell out, so get your tickets sooner rather than later.