BIG TOP, BIGGER DREAMS: ETHIOPIA FLIPS THE SCRIPT
AT NAVY PIER (OR “GRAVITY? NEVER HEARD OF IT!”)

Despite their being a part of nearly everyone’s lives, dreams hold a never-ending fascination in our psyches and imaginations.  And all around the world, they routinely act as a fuel that focus and power our aspirations.

One of the most thrilling manifestations of what dreams look like when they come true just arrived on Chicago Shakes’s Courtyard stage. That’s where Circus Abyssinia: Ethiopian Dreams is opening eyes to what is possible in the form of first-class circus themed entertainment.

The spark that inspired this dream was quite inauspicious. Two brothers in Ethiopia, Bibi and Bichu Tesfamariam, became enthralled when they witnessed someone juggling fruit. As young boys at the time, they wanted to learn how to do it, too. It wasn’t long before their interest in the circus arts turned into a calling. Coming from a country that had no circus tradition didn’t dissuade them. If anything, they knew others would be just as interested in developing skills that would turn them into top rate circus performers. Fast forward just two decades, and Circus Abyssinia is a worldwide phenomenon swimming in accolades.

Reasons why appeared as soon as the lights went down and a stream of smiling acrobats marched onto the stage to flank two golden hoops at its center. As would be true throughout the show, fresh inventive lighting techniques and sensational music would play key roles in supplying dramatic sensory backdrops to each of the acts.

In this routine, tumblers would take turns running to and then flying through the hoops, one large, one menacingly small, while completing complex acrobatic feats. As each leap through the hoops became more challenging and the margins for error kept shrinking, the more bravado the tumblers displayed, reminding you of jocular matadors defying a sinister adversary. While your eyes marvel at their skill and daring, your ears are being serenaded with enchanting music. Made up of both old and new music drawn exclusively from the Ethiopian culture, it is its own startling revelation. Entirely sung in the Amharic language, the richness of its sound is captivatingly beautiful whether its modern, traditional, derived from jazz or some other genre.

The music took on an almost spiritual quality when an aerialist walked down the center aisle of the theater, mounted the stage and wrapped his hand around the strap that would lift him high into the air. How effortlessly an artist demonstrates strength, litheness and control as they turn, twist and roll in space using the brawn of a single arm defines the level of their proficiency. The performer featured opening night brought such a stunning level of power and grace to his routine that it set a new performance high. Exhibiting near balletic control and precision, his program resembled as much the elegant movements of dance as it did an exercise profiling the brawn of a Hercules.

With both the hoops and the aerialist, you watch artists pushing the envelope ever closer to the impossible. In the balancing routine, where a performer stands on a narrow platform placed on top of a round cylinder, there was a palpable sense of danger that kept building as the act unfolded. Not only were more platforms inevitably stacked on top of the cylinder, another canister was added to the mix. Taking place on a base high above the floor turned the precarious into the perilous. Whether the concern registering on the performer’s face was all for show or only mildly genuine, his chutzpah prevailed, making his performance one of the most spellbinding of the night.

Comic relief came in the form of a congenial flop-haired wag who didn’t speak and communicated only through gesture and expression. Using a long rope as a prop, he amused by playfully leaning into the ridiculous and even brought up members of the audience to join him in his high-spirited antics.

An impressive multi-talent, the aerialist would return to rival the first balancing act with a jaw dropping display of a different type of balancing prowess coupled with formidable upper body strength. Standing on his hands on long flat-topped spikes that took him higher and higher as they multiplied, he made you keenly feel the degree of risk tied to his remarkable craft.

Magnificent juggling and a splendid pole routine emphasizing teamwork and timing rounded out a 70-minute program that would have been even more enjoyable if it was twice as long.

That the evening featured an all-male cast suggested the routines being presented may vary during the run. That prospect makes it tempting to return and discover a few more delights this entertainment phenomenon has stored in its superb repertoire.

photos by David Rubene and Rod Penn

Abyssinian Circus: Ethiopian Dreams
Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Courtyard Theater
Navy Pier, 800 East Grand Avenue
Wed at 7; Thurs at 2; Fri at 2 & 7; Sat at 11am and 2; Sun at 2 & 5
ends on August 3, 2025
for tickets, call 312.595.5600 or visit Chicago Shakes

for more shows, visit Theatre in Chicago