Cirque Shanghai

Cirque Shanghai put on a great show last night and it was great entertainment for the whole family at a great price (well…at least if you use a Groupon…) The show was fun with different styles of acts and the performers are talented as well as daring. I did get very nervous for part of the show since we were sitting up close when they brought out this big double hamster wheel-​type contraption and 2 men started doing tricks on us. It seemed a little shaky and couldn’t help but think that if one of them fell off, they would probably fall into the audience. There were no falls or major mishaps though and overall we really enjoyed the show!

This performance is awesome. I got my tickets off of Groupon which was awesome! I highly recommend this show to anyone. Some of the performances just make you say wow or omg!
I must say that these people are skilled. They definitely have different moves that keep you engaged throughout the whole show. The show runs for about 75 minutes which was a bit short but it is definitely worth going to. I was amazed during the majority of the show. However, the intermissions were a bit corny and not that great which is why I rated it ⁴⁄₅.
It’s nice to go at night especially because the skyline just looks amazing. If you plan on going definitely make a day out of being at navy pier. Have some good food, watch the show and then take a walk with some dessert!

Go now while you still can! This was an AMAZING performance, and amazingly cheap. I’ve seen Cirque and Cirque-​like shows in Las Vegas & LA, and I have to say I enjoyed this one more than some of the big Vegas productions.
If you’ve seen Cirque shows in Vegas, I want to manage your expectations that the set & costumes in this one won’t be anywhere as elaborate as what you get in Vegas, but the acrobatics & talent in the show was out of this world… and for about ¹⁄₁₀^th of the price of a Vegas show (I think we paid $ 20 per seat with a Travelzoo deal), this is a must do in my book.
The setting is in the middle of the Navy pier tourist trap so a bit annoying to work your way back to the tent, but the open air tent where the show is at is a cool set up and depending on where you sit you might even be able to see some skyline views from inside which was cool to see at night.
They lose one star because they seat all the late-​comers right in the middle of acts which was a disruption for people who got there on time. I’m sorry, but if you arrive to a show late, you should expect to wait until they finish an act and then get seated between the acts… but instead the staff was bringing big groups in at all times throughout the show which blocked views and was a bit annoying.
The show was 75 minutes without a full intermission, so it is a pretty short show. Its a small venue, so there isn’t really a bad seat in the house, but I would try to sit in the center because of what I’ve explained above about the late seatings.

I have been to the show twice last year and decided to take my 4 & 6 year old niece and nephew to see it this year.
The show was very entertaining. The kids had a great time. I have to say that the performance last year was a little bit better than this year.

I went to see this show for July 4^th weekend with my in laws and had low expectations due to it being in Navy Pier and the loads of discount tickets available online. The show started with a few dances with all the girls and then the guys. As the show progressed, the acts got better! There were a few danger acts. After 90 minutes later the show ended. I was sad it was over but I did get to meet some of the acts after and they were taking pictures with guests and signing books for the kids. I would definately see this again!

Great entertainment for our entire family. With 2 girls and a boy (9,10,12), we were trying to find entertainment that fit all of us. This was definitely it! The performers were amazing, and think we were all on the edge of our seats for most of the show.
We went on a Wednesday for the 2pm performance. Bought seats right before going in, but if we had extra time, I would have looked online for a better deal. We ended up sitting on the right wing a littler farther back, but that was just fine with me. After the performance started, all the people who were late we escorted into the auditorium in droves. Many elderly people didn’t know where the seats were, and it ended up blocking the view for everyone one right in the middle. I would avoid that section if at all possible, just for that reason. It was distracting to begin with, but I would have been really angry if I had chosen those seats and had to spend the first five minutes with groups of people wandering in front of me.
Overall, one of the best types of entertainment we have experienced. I would love to go back, especially at night because of all the lighting. It would make it even more fun to watch.

Your countrymen are amazing, Au89. Lol.
I got in late because I decided to give Chicago’s public transportation a try. 8 miles took me 1.5 hours to travel. Never again especially when I got yelled at by 3 bus drivers for trying to pay with a $ 20 bill and then a $ 5 bill. Hey, I mean, he said $ 20 was too much so I tried the next one I had. I got kicked out of the first bus. Weeeell… Whatevs.
So I bought my ticket on Goldstar. Pretty good service, by the way. You get good deals on there. They even offer half priced tickets. Going back, I just had to go on the Will Call window and got my ticket. The usher led me to my seat (front row) and I found out I have to go all the way to the middle. Not wanting to bother everyone else, I decided to sit at the nearest area I saw. Which happened to be the entire 3^rd row. For some reason, I decided to go all the way in the middle of the empty row with coke, ice cream, and pretzel on hand. I didn’t realize I made a funny sight till I was halfway crouched on my seat. Dammit. I must look so lonely. The heck. No one knows me here. Blah.
I missed a good 15 minutes of the show but I was impressed with what I did see. The performers were amazing. Impressively strong, too, both men and women. A couple of their performances had me on the edge of my seat. This is definitely a good show to catch when you’re in downtown Chicago.

Great show to bring the family. It’s outdoors, so dress appropriately. Tickets are on sale at GoldStar or Groupon or both. Every seat in the house is a good one, so no need to spend extra on a center or front section seat.
The show was fun and suspenseful, I was surprised how talented the performers are. Great show overall!

Color me impressed. I loved every bit of the show. Went here this last long weekend — navy pier was teeming with the tourists. I bought the tickets in advance and you will find a 50% off deal on travelzoo. So it was a fantastic deal. I didn’t know what to expect from the show, but the performers were fantastic. Energetic, entertaining and extremely athletic. The costumes were good and the stunts were awesome. Some of them were just highly awe inducing.
The show runs for around 75 mins and its well worth the money. I would definitely recommend this show to others when they are at the Navy Pier.

Wow they had defied the laws of gravity. Some serious amazing acts the price was definitely a great deal felt like we robbed them. Have seen over a dozen Cirque shows guess it is now an addiction lol. Sponsored by Pepsi lol costumes they had on later on the show looked jus like the trade mark red, white and blue.

This show was very entertaining! I used to be a gymnast so I love the acrobatic parts in the show. However, the drumming parts I could’ve lived without… but nevertheless the cast was very entertaining and at times, very humorous! I think the show is great for all ages. I know my parents enjoyed it and I bet a lot of kids love it too. There were many parts where the crowd was like «No way… don’t do it, it’s too dangerous!» and there were people putting their hands over their mouths because they were so scared for the performer. Then the performer would execute the task flawlessly and everyone would clap. It would be very suspenseful at times!
The only downside would be the website says it’s 1 hr 15 minute show but it only lasted 1 hour yesterday… =(

How many times can you say that you scored front row tickets for $ 25 apiece? Check out Travelzoo or Goldstar for ongoing discounts!
The show is fantastic! It’s extremely thrilling and entertaining and will have you holding your breath! There were even times when the acrobats looked thisclose to falling 20′ or biting it (eek). I immediately went home and started working on my flexibility and balancing skills (ish). I have new role models!
The Navy Pier pavilion is a great venue. It’s outdoors, but covered, not too big or small, and you can get churros or ride the ferris wheel after the show!
Extremely talented athletes + great seats = fun night!

As my first Cirque-​anything performance, I was super impressed!!! However, I could see how it wouldn’t be as entertaining to someone who’s already seen Cirque du Soleil shows.
Things I REALLY enjoyed about the show:
— MOTORCYCLES!
— The guys. I felt like their level of athleticism was crazy!
— The spinning metal thing!
Other things worth noting:
— There’s no real story line. This is an acrobat kinda show.
— I sat in row E, seats 9 – 10. While I had a good view of the stage, my neck did hurt when the guys were in the metal thing… it’s kinda a trade-​off though bc I felt like I had the perfect seats for the rest of the show.
— When the guy with the tie comes out and the curtains close, it’s «intermission».
— No pictures! I understand no flash photography, but why no pix… I don’t understand.
— Tix are cheeeeap! $ 40/​person!
— It’s in a covered auditorium
— No re-​entry, but you’re allowed (according to the person I talked to) to bring outside food & drink in.

It was okay…
If I haven’t been to two Cirque du Solei shows before I think I would’ve been impressed by this.
The stunts performed are by no means easy but after seeing two cirque du soleil shows I can definitely see the vast differences of the level of professionalism. They’re just on two completely different wave lengths.
I was most impressed by the moto bike show at the end. That is something I’ve never seen on except on TV.
I just didn’t like how cheesy the production and costumes were. They pause a lot in between moves for applause and such. I think it would be much more exciting to skip all that to keep the momentum of the action going.
There are two drum shows in between, which I could’ve done without. Watching them drum I realize it’s not an easy thing to do and they are very good at it but I was bored and I wanted more action. I wouldn’t recommend this to a friend.

Must see!
Great open air arena and relaxed atmosphere. All the actors are amazing and have great on stage personalities! Multiple death defying acts and only one I was too nervous to watch!
No pictures allowed as to not distract the performers, so I am guessing if you bring along loud children you may want to sit towards the back as to also not distract, though seats are assigned on tickets it was only like ¹⁄₃ full when I was there during the week.

Another awesome show done by Cirque Shanghai. I’ve seen the shows from years before but they somehow know how to add more to the show and make things more dangerous. My hands were getting clammy from being so scared for the performers!!! Its the worst when the performers are struggling a little bit to do handstands 20 feet high in the air!!! Incredibly talented performers and we really enjoyed the show. They even offered the opportunity for the audience to get involved in one of their acts.
It is a covered outdoor theater, but there were still little gnats flying around. I highly recommend putting on bug repellent and bringing some tissues to wipe down the seats in case they are wet or covered in bird poopie.
We purchased cheap discount tickets from Goldstar. You can find the 2012 tickets here:

Thank you Gold Star for tix to this coolio show at this outdoor venue! Contorting their bodies which such balance, strength, and ease… acrobatic stunts much like Cirque de Soleil. Wow! The girls in the show are pretty awesome! There’s a period where they do a little improv inviting someone from the audience to «help» in one of the stunts. Pretty funny, especially if you get a good sport.
Definitely check this out while it’s in Chicago. Take the kids, change it up and go with a buncha friends. It’s definitely entertaining. Lots of «are you kidding me’s»!! The hour and «what??‘s». Mid-​afternoon and late evening shows daily. It will not disappoint!

Holy moly! What a show!
My hubby and I stopped here thanks to the suggestion of one of my besties who lives in Chicago on a recent visit to see her. She emailed saying it was awesome, but apparently she didn’t use enough adjectives because it didn’t fully get across to me. For that reason, here are a list of my adjectives for you:
AWE-​INSPIRING
MESMERIZING
SHOCKING
SCARY
NERVE-​RACKING
MIND-​BLOWING
Basically, the feats of Cirque Shanghai performers will have you covering your mouth and wanting to turn your head away (before you decide not to). I don’t want to tell you too much about the tricks since not knowing what comes next is part of the appeal, but just know that it truly is «fun for the whole family.» My hubby and I went with just the two of us, but there were entire families who were there as well and the kids had a ball watching performers (most of them, very young themselves actually) and their death-​defying tricks. Just make sure you tell them «don’t try this at home.» DEFINITELY DON’T.
They must have practiced for years to be this good. Freaking amaze balls. My friend goes to see this show annually. If I lived in Chicago, I definitely would too. I am already making plans to head back here on my next visit at the end of the summer. Yes — THAT good. Plus, it’s not that expensive. $ 30 to $ 30 and you can have prime seats, my friend. ;)

The choreography is beautiful and delicate yet strong and wonderfully executed. The talents these young performers have is truly amazing. We enjoyed the performance and It was fun that they involved the audience, which is always entertaining.
The music selection help set the mood for each act and each one was different from the prior. Whether it was balancing plates, doing acrobats on rings, or balancing on one another they made it look effortless.
One of my favorite for the Cirque Shanghai Extreme Show was the 4 motorcyclist in a globe. At times I was worried for their safety, but they rode inside and intertwine with each other like they’ve done it a million times before.
Got our tickets on
for only $ 18/​person. A fun and entertaining event to attend at Navy Pier!

my hot tix brings all the boys to the yard, and they’re like, «cirque shanghai…»
Categorically, for the Cloud 9 production:
location: 5 out of 5
if you live in chicago, you should know where navy pier is. once you’re there, make your way to the pepsi skyline stage, just east of the ferris wheel. if you’re visiting from out of town, it’s fairly simple to reach. if you’re not familiar with the ins and outs of where you can park cheaply at a cost of walking a little further, there’s on site parking at navy pier for a flat rate of 24 dollars. might as well make a day out of it if you’re going to pay that much for parking.
pricing: 5 out of 5
yes, please do visit your local hot tix location for discounted «gold circle» tickets. the 29.50 tickets that are usually sold are around 14 dollars on hot tix. even if you order online (and then have to go through ticketmaster), you can still get the 29.50 tickets for around 22 bucks. of course, if you have access to the outlets, you won’t have to pay the ticketmaster fees. for a ~75 minute show, paying roughly 20 dollars isn’t exorbitant when you consider all that you get.
variety of acts: 5 out of 5
as i’ve only seen the cloud 9 production (summer 2010), i can only speak to the variety of acts for this particular show, but i thought that it was well paced with a mix of whimsical, audience participation, displays of strength, agility, flexibility, hand eye coordination, etc. as expected, they balance one fast paced act with another act that may require more nuances. as others have alluded to, the motorcycles in the globe at the end is pretty frickin’ awesome. (see my pictures or picture album)
quality of acts: 5 out of 5
near flawless. the one blip that i saw on 08÷13÷10 at the 8pm show was a slight hiccup with the bicycle balancing act. coordination on some of the fast paced whimsical acts (such as the hat act) could be a little more polished, but then again — what do i really know? not to give too much away, there are a lot of acts where i sat there thinking, «man…how do they do that?» and trust me, the temptation to go home and try to juggle a potato, knife, and ladle at the same time was pretty strong. ha. overall, like i said — near perfect, and given the ever changing performing environment with distractions (such as a thunderstorm in our case), the cast should be given every bit of accolade as possible.
overall: 5 out of 5
couldn’t be happier with how much i got out of the show in comparison to what i paid. remember to use hot tix if at all possible, and check out the pictures below: