Playwright: Shana Carroll, Gypsy Snider and the 7 Fingers Ensemble. At: 7 Finger Productions at the Broadway Playhouse ( fka Drury Lane ) at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut. Phone: 800-775-2000; $50-$71.50. Runs through: Dec. 19
The aesthetic of traditional circus aerialists is analogous to ballet, but the universe conveyed by the six men and one woman who make up the 7 Fingers acrobat troupe is that of the Afro-Brazilian art form capoiera, with gravity always exerting its power over those upstarts who would defy it. At one point, the performers disclose to us their individual heights and weights, making us aware of just how much musclenot the bulk-and-bulge kind, but the invisible steel-cable varietyis required to do what they do.
And what do choreographer Gypsy Snider and director Shana Carroll have them do? Well, they dangle upside-down by their feet from vertical poles, then suddenly plummet to halt only inches away from a fatal concussion. They do asymmetrical hand- and head-stands on flimsy mass-produced furniture. They dive through hoops so high that the spotters must climb one another's shoulders to set them up. They extend their entire bodies at 90 degrees horizontal, anchored only by their grip on the aforementioned vertical pole. Oh, and they also juggle chairs and diabolo spools, clown à la the Three Stooges, play the piano, break-dance and draw pictures on the floor and on each other.
They perform these amazing feats dressed in ordinary street clothes, backed by a score of hard-edged pop-synth music so contemporary that geezers like me will be unable to list its titles ( with the exception of the gentle "Paper Moon" that accompanies some Moiseyev-meets-Busby-Berkeley-style skateboarding ) . The intimacy of the newly renovated auditorium at Water Tower Place allows for individual characterizations and contextual development, too, generating a rapport between performer and audience that has us quickly cheering for our favorites.
Spoilsports may grumble about resemblances to Stomp!, Blue Man Group or the Flying Karamazov Brothers. ( The program also encompasses a standard-repertoire adagio or two, featuring the lightest members of the company tossed about like beanbags. ) But Broadway in Chicago offers a generous Rush discount, there's a Hot Tix outlet at the Visitors' Center in the Water Tower on Pearson Street and for a break from holiday shoppingan athletic event in itselfwhat better escape than 90 minutes of PG-wholesome gymnasts ( whose playbill boasts "No net! No wires! All heart!" ) flying higher on sheer cardiocentric energy than all your sequined big-top tinkerbells?