I’ve loved Cirque du Soleil for as long as I can remember. I’ve seen shows like “Mystere” in Las Vegas, “Delirium” in Minneapolis years ago and their Christmas show “Holidaze” a couple years ago. Every show is absolutely breathtaking. My favorite scene so far is “One Love” from Delirium, but they all have blown me away.
So I knew I had to see the newest Cirque du Soleil show: “Crystal: A Breakthrough Ice Experience” which is at the Target Center this weekend through Sunday! My kids and I attended the opening night performance this week and not surprisingly, we were all mesmerized by it.
The show actually “started” about fifteen minutes before showtime, as characters came out to get the audience involved in throwing snowballs at their comic character (who was part of the show during the night). It was fun to watch this pre-show entertainment.
Then it was showtime and we were instantly transported away to an underwater world with amazing special effects and music. My daughter said it was like we were in a movie. I wanted the feeling at the beginning to last (as I’ve experienced in other Cirque du Soleil shows) but the whole show was a variety of different styles and settings. And as you can see, my son was totally captivated by it (this was his expression throughout)!
Act One took us through the main character “Crystal” falling through ice into an imaginative world. First she feels out of sync but then decides to take control of her surroundings and interacts with her rebellious reflection.
We go through scenes with jugglers and hockey players jumping and flying, just to end with the ice turning into a giant pinball machine.
After the intermission, Act Two starts in the city and there are impressive acrobatics. Then we’re taken to a romantic setting in a park where couples dance together on skates, followed by a ballroom where Crystal does some acrobatics on straps above with her handsome suitor (and he had no shirt on – oo la la).
Finally she is brought back to reality and breaks through the ice to resurface.
Throughout the performance, Crystal and her reflection dance together, chase each other, and separate and come together over and over again. And characters do impressive acts in the air and using props on the ice. It was amazing what can be done on ice. It’s nonstop action and “oohs” and “ahhhs.”
What I loved was watching all the effect on the ice and on the big backdrop. I still have no idea how they did it, but I’m guessing there were lights under the ice and screens on the backdrop as they changed so drastically. Even the ending “The End” was created in a way that no one expected (you have to see it!).
Cirque du Soleil “Crystal: A Breakthrough Ice Experience” is a visual spectacle combining arts, action, acrobatics and imagination. Of all the Cirque du Soleil shows I’ve seen, it wasn’t my favorite (Delirium still is), but it IS my favorite ice show. It was amazing the same way Ice Capades were to me when I was a kid (whatever happened to Ice Capades?). Now I got to take my kids to something as spectacular!
Shows are:
Thursday, November 9th at 7:30pm
Friday, November 10th at 3:30 & 7:30pm
Saturday, November 11th at 3:30 & 7:30pm
Sunday, November 12th at 1:00pm & 5:00pm
For more information and tickets, visit the Target Center website. Tickets are as low as $27 though I know they’re limited (check out their specials page via their tickets link).