Cirque Du Soleil – Banana Shpeel

Eeeps! Usually I’m an optimist when it comes to reviewing, but now I’ve become a realist. I won 2 free tickets for Banana Shpeel’s Dress Rehearsal through a Red Eye sweepstake. I would have given 3 stars for that reason, however, my circumstance is unique so I thought it wouldn’t be fair. Perhaps BS (which it was definitely full of!) was not all that because the rest of the Cirque Du Soleil circuses have always set the bar too high. I am quite a CdS fanatic and have seen Alegria (in Barcelona), Kooza, La Nouba, Saltimbanco, Delirium, Corteo and counting.
With that said, I understand the goal of BS trying to be a play on Vaudeville, earning the credit for being the first theatre-​bound circus show, however there was wayyy too much stupid humor. The grandfather/​baby character who was an exhibitionist spooked me out to the point of causing me nightmares. Costumes were average, except the glow-​in-​the-​dark tapping on moving platforms part. The acts were fairly neat but didn’t stick out enough (although the hat juggler, spinning rug woman, and sexy pole acrobat were entertaining) from the rest of the show. It’s still supposed to be a circus, right? I just wasn’t sold on the whole idea, but I’ll add it to my list :(.

My boyfriend and I were sitting on the couch watching TV when an advertisement for Banana Shpeel come on. I expressed my love of all things Cirque and that we should go see the show sometime. Fast forward like 2 weeks and what did I get for my 30^th birthday? Two tickets to Banana Shpeel! Well, he listens, so that’s encouraging.
We went on what we believe to be either opening night or one of the opening nights. For whatever reason there were free appetizers and free (unlimited) drinks. Actually, even inside the theater itself we were given free popcorn, cracker jacks and candy! So right off the bat I was a happy Christy!
The show itself is unlike any other Cirque show. I knew going into it that it would be totally different so I was expecting that. I can see why some people gave it the reviews they did– specifically if they have seen other cirque shows and were expecting this to be the same. But this show is it’s own thing totally. In fact, the Cirque people would probably get better reviews if they removed «Cirque Du Soleil» from the name of this show. Does that make sense?
Anyway, it’s a lot of slap stick comedy. So if you dont like slap stick (Lucille Ball type comedy) you won’t like this, that’s for sure. lucky for me, I Love Lucy is one of my all time favorite shows. The show is narrated and navigated by 2 slapstick clown-​like comedians.
There were a few acrobatic acts which in my opinion were awesome (and made me feel very out of shape).
There were also some really bright, colorful, fun dance numbers which I LOVED to bits and pieces! It was hard not to go home and immediately sign up for a tap dancing class!
They pulled some poor, brave soul out of the audience and made her part of the show itself. (She was the object of desire for our MCs/​heros).
The only insult I have is that there was too much of the slap stick narrating and not enough of the actual performing. I’d have LOVED to have seen more acrobatics and more of the dancing and hear less of the jokes. But this show was supposed to be a vaudeville type performance and I thought it was really entertaining!
If you come in the door expecting a typical Cirque Du Soleil trapeze show with people balancing on a single eye lash and tossing one another through the air with their tongues, you will be dissapointed. If you want to see something different, and unique– a vaudeville old school type performance, you will be pleased as punch!

Here’s what I was thinking as I read one of my fave Unilocal girl’s review of Banana Shpeel.
Carol K’s Review: «Do you like poop jokes?»
Me in my head: «YES!!!» as I immediately RSVP for tickets
I understand that this show isn’t for most people but I was thoroughly entertained the whole way through. One of the only things I was disappointed in is that my show had absolutely no poop jokes. Boo! But there was one fart noise and man did it have me rolling in the aisles. But, that’s just me and those are the kind of jokes I like.
I’m the kind of girl who purchases some licks of Laffy Taffy candy when she needs a good wocka wocka. I’m a simple man, and I enjoy simple things.
Again, I really liked the show, but I also had free tickets and a free drink stub but I think I would have still liked it without. I thought the jokes were funny (I’ve totally been ripping them off and using them in everyday life since then), I thought the acrobatics and stuff were really cool too (though I can’t believe that guy on the pole was really doing all that stuff; bodies are meant to move that way, I think he had magnets in his undies). The 2 main characters really made me smile, I could have watched them and the 3 funny looking characters all day long. The dancing was weird but I liked it. I keep trying to recreate some of the moves at home when I listen to the new Lady Gaga release (it goes perfectly) but so far, it’s a no go due to my dancing ability. I thought the juggling guy was cool but I could have done with about 10 less minutes of juggling. I’m defo good on not seeing any more juggling for the next 3 months. The contortionist couple was really cool too. So sexy and daring. I wish I had an interesting talent like that.
Anyway, I really enjoyed it. It’s a simple good time show that’s different from anything else CDS has put out.

Banana Shpeel now tops the movies «Intersection» and «Congo» as the worst thing I have ever seen in any media. I would rather watch a video of my own autopsy before seeing this abomination again.
I considered walking out during the first act, and then again during intermission, but stuck around out of respect for my family. My manners were rewarded by a second act that was amazingly worse than the first.
The bulk of the second act was a Marx Brothers-​style farce in a French restaurant involving a woman from the audience. The segment may have been 30 minutes long, but it felt like 3 hours. The fact that someone felt confident enough in this limp material to sell tickets to it blows my mind. The fact that I didn’t boo until I was removed by security also blows my mind, so what can I say.
There were three acrobatic acts that were very interesting, but the bulk of the show focuses on two clowns and some other forgettable characters, each of which is unappealing and annoying in his own way. To break it down, the acrobats performed for maybe a combined 15 minutes; the clowns, «plot,» and amateurish dance routines comprised the remaining excruciating hour and 40 minutes.
Look, I am being a little over the top in this review, but I’m not sure how else to convey how awful this show truly was. Banana Shpeel is such an incredible waste of money that I cannot believe that no attendee has ever been arrested for jumping on stage to punch the talent. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.

Worst.
Show.
Ever.
I want my money back. No – even more, I want those two hours of my life back.
Seriously, this was the worst performance I’ve ever had the misfortune of sitting through. Mind you – I’m middle-​aged and like theater and dance and so have been to a lot of performances that run the full gamut. And I’ve seen Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas where I was absolutely blown away – loved it. My three friends had seen C du S before too, so expectations were high.
So. It’s not hyperbole when I say, again, that this was the most loathsome freaking mess ever assembled on a stage.
The show began with two, um, clowns on stage. They commenced to having a running dialogue with each other that consisted of interrupting the other, acting hurt, pounding with foam mallets, telling the least funny, excruciatingly painful jokes which were met with cricket-​chirping silence.
…and then the quality of the show went downhill from there.
I usually like dance performances, but shit, my friends and I commented that we could’ve done a better job up there – and that’s sad indeed, as we are not what you’d call a bunch of gazelles. Choreography – at the level of a junior high production.
There were a total of 3 truly Cirque du Soleil acts – while they were very good, as usual (two were great), I seriously felt that they were embarrassed to be a part of this. They only served to highlight the train wreckage that was the rest of the show. If this is what Vaudeville was truly like, then no wonder America suffered such a prolonged depression during that era.
Oh, I’m marking this good for kids, based on the reaction of two 6 year olds behind us – they loved it. So there you go. If you are 10 or under, and/​or your appreciation of performance is at the level of a small child such that you are amused by people running around pointlessly (kinda like kids, actually, but without the cuteness), then by all means, go for it.

I too got my tickets from groupon, and felt we really lucked out! Initially, I was worried that we’d get stuck with tickets on the main floor… but tucked away in the corner. Fortunately, we got really good seats! We were sitting pretty much right in the middle, and as it wasn’t a full house, we snuck up several rows after intermission =P
I’ve never seen a Cirque show before, but I had pretty high expectations. Banana Shpeel was… okay… but not quite what I was expecting. To be honest, all the cheesy jokes and over acting took away from the show… but the individual acts were pretty amazing, though. There aren’t as many dazzling acrobatics as I thought there would be, but the costumes were well done and the stage set up was pretty neat.
All in all… it wasn’t bad… but I would like to see what a «real» Cirque production is like… like in Vegas! If you’re not sure whether to spend the money to catch this show or not… I would tend to say save your money…

I am a big Cirque fan and I knew it was going to be different, but I was for the most part disappointed. This show is fully in English and made less sense than the ones in French. Dance, clowns, dance, act, clowns, dance, on and on and on and on.
I was shocked how dirty some of the language was in this show, especially since there were children in the audience. It also had the worst clowns of any Cirque show which came off more like freaks than funny. The three or so acts they had were of Cirque quality, but that was about it.
I feel really bad about giving such a low review, The costuming, set, music, and what they were trying to put on was fantastic, but the flow and plot fell on its face.
I hear that there were supposed to be two more singers, but they quit/​fired. Not sure whats going to happen in NY since tonight’s crowd was thin!

Maybe it’s just a matter of perspective, but most of the negative reviews on here seem to come from people with either preconceived notions of what they were expecting or just overactive critical disorders. You know, people who mark down a restaurant for things like waters not being refilled promptly and such.
This was my first Cirque produced show, and while I knew not to expect the famed acrobatic ballets they usually mount, I was still in the dark as to what was in store for us. And I will admit the first intro where the two MCs introduce the concept of the show was a little hard to get into (also people keep calling them «clowns» but I don’t remember them mentioning they were clowns or seeing clowns being portrayed, but then, most people apparently project too much). After the show got rolling with a strong dance number, though, I was hooked.
The dancing was definitely the highlight of the show, and the numbers were great, and because they were styles that have gone out of fashion, I kept thinking it was cool that someone decided to produce such a quality production. You won’t see this anywhere else, except in a few musicals that come to mind. The humor was good, and at times I can see how some people wouldn’t like it, but come on, an old man dressed in some sort of tutu, how is that not funny?
The regular Cirque stuff like the acrobats and the adonis pole dancers were great as expected and added some nice interludes, but the show overall was the dance routines, good music, creative costuming and lighting, and the shtick. Obviously it’s not for everyone, but if you have an open mind, I think you’ll like it.

Whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrl.
An otherwise cringe-​producing show, Banana Shpeel was redeemed by the acrobatic acts, particularly the performance by the balancing twirler, one of most graceful and strong women I have ever seen. How she could swiftly twirl cloths on both feet and hands while moving into a headstand, in a completely elegant manner, eludes me. She also did things with a guitar that were beguiling.
The male «pole dancer» was also an amazing, beautiful presence, demonstrating complete control over his (hairless) body, he was like a friggin Adonis. Not only can you appreciate his sheer strength but the actual choreography was simple and hypnotizing.
I agree with many of the others’ comments regarding the subpar comedy and way too long opening act. All in all, it was a hot and cold show, which would have been better in an a more intimate space (and an altered state of mind, to survive the non-​jokes.)

It wasn’t as bad as I expected (from reading these poor reviews), but I would not pay full price for these tickets. FYI — Goldstar Events has select dates for 50% off.
Don’t expect an entire show of acrobatics like other Cirque shows in Vegas. Maybe about half the show was dancing (not that impressive) with 3 acts of acrobatcs, and the other half was comedy skits with clown humor (crude and silly).

I’ve never seen a Cirque du Soleil show nor a Vaudeville show so I have nothing to compare last night’s performance with.
Reading Wiki’s description of what Vaudeville entails though, I think the show pretty much hit the nail — style of satirical songs, series of separate and unrelated acts, dancers, acrobats, etc. It just doesn’t jive with my taste of humor though. But I guess some people might enjoy it; my plus-​one certainly seemed to have enjoyed it.
I liked some of the costumes. I think they did a good job with that. I like how colorful everything else. The stage setup was also very vivid, which I like a lot.
Loved the tap dancing. I like the acrobatic part of the show too — reminded me of Chinese acrobats. Loved the hat show, the cloth twirling show, and the male pole dancer.
At least I got free tickets, thanks to Unilocal.But at one point, I nearly fell asleep. I don’t know if that was due to boredom or because I was feeling a buzz from my jack and coke.

I hovered between two and three stars, but since I got a free ticket I’m going to round up to three.
If you don’t feel like reading my whole review know that this is not your typical Cirque show. If you’re looking for lots of acrobatics, balancing routines, juggling, etc. skip this production. I also don’t think it’s ideal for small children, most of the humor is geared toward adults.
Likes:
* The Adonis-​like guy in the second half and his acrobatic routine.
* The couple’s acrobatic performance in the first act, truly amazing and kind of hot.
* The dancers were very talented, especially at tap.
* The skinny «show crasher,» his Borat-​like cohort wasn’t bad either.
Dislikes:
* Most of the schtick; too much, too long, and rarely very funny.
* The abysmal dinner skit that opened the second half; it made me question staying for the second half and almost made me walk out.
* The lack of acrobatic and balancing routines.
* The randomness of the show. It just didn’t flow, nothing tied it together.
* Most of the garish costumes, it was like a cracked-​out version of Laugh In.
Bottom line: I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it, but if a friend asked for my opinion I’d have to give it a thumbs down. I found it disappointing and sub par, with the exception of the acrobatics, compared to other Cirque productions I’ve been too. Too much «comedy» and dancing, not enough bendy twisty stuff! More Adonis, rawr!

Luckily, I saw the show for free… but I was STILL upset that I wasted my time going to the show. It was painful — pretty much from beginning to end. There were a few real «cirque» acts that made it almost tolerable. If you want to see the show, stop reading, because I’m about to unleash a can of spoilers…
1. The comedy was not funny. It reminded me of something I’d do with improv troupe when I was 10. Or 8. And we’d be putting on a show for 2 year olds who would find it funny.
2. I think most of the people laughing in the audience were under the age of 12, or laughing because they felt it was polite… and they were completely caught off guard at how bad this show was.
3. There was a small man who ran around in his underpants and spoke gibberish much of the show. At first he was amusing, but it got old.
4. I do not want to see a little man give birth to himself. That was stupid and gross.
5. There is a guy who is supposedly funny because he does impressions of people with leg pain. It’s slightly amusing for a second but they keep going with it and after about 10 minutes it’s like they couldn’t think of anything funnier?!
6. Much of the show is spent doing stupid gags (three stooges-​like, but not as funny) on each other, and chasing each other around the stage. Again, something I would have thought up at the ripe ol’ age of 10.
7. There were some acrobatics that were kinda cool. They were a lot like cirque shanghai (if you’ve seen it at navy pier), and only ONE guy wowed me, his act probably lasted 5 minutes, he was really strong and flew around a pole.
That is all. I recommend not seeing this show.

This is not true Cirque Du Soleil whatsoever. We bought tickets for this more than 3 months ago expecting a great show like the ones in Vegas or the ones that have been held at the United Center. We were greatly disappointed.
First off, there was way too much dialogue that was in English instead of the gibberish Cirque is known for. Second, there were too few acrobatic performances. I understand that the Chicago Theatre has limited space, but they needed more of the acrobatic acts that Cirque is known for. Finally, the jokes weren’t even that funny.
Perhaps the only saving grace of the show were the tap dancing routines. While, not common in traditional Cirque shows it was nice to have.
Truly disappointing. Tickets weren’t cheap and the show was not worth it.

Having never been to any Cirque Du Soleil show before, I went in with very few preconceived ideas of what I would see. That may be why I’m rating this higher than other reviewers — we did enjoy the show — however it was not ‘fantastique’ as I would expect based on the circus’ reputation.
I enjoyed parts of the show very much. The dancing and costumes were wonderful (as well as the lighting to complement both). Way more energy going on in those dances than I’ve had in my entire life! Loved those parts.
Also excellent were the two circus acts (equilibrist and antipodist) — would have enjoyed more of that.
The slap stick comedy (think Groucho Marx) was middling and forced at best. The show needed wittier and more clever dialogue to support somewhat low brow humour style. Having said that there were moments where they hit the right note, or were so outrageous one could not help but laugh.
Husband said «they should have billed it as ‘from the producers of Cirque du Soleil’ instead of as Cirque»… Yeah — that might have helped with the expecation setting.
We will give the next show a chance — I really feel like we did not see a typical Cirque show — and the overall bad reviews here on Unilocal bear that out. Expectations are high for this circus, and they’ve apparantly not been met.
Would I recommend: Yeah, with qualifiers — «it’s not like normal cirque shows — don’t expect to see what you’ve seen before»
Would I return: No. It was fun to go see, but not worth the money for a second viewing.

YIKES! Worst show I think I have ever seen. It was painfully boring to sit thru the first half — and we left during intermnission — with about 500 other people.
I was scared for them, when I first heard the concept. Going back to days of vaudville… why?! The bar in entertainment is being raised all the time. To go back to funny things that may have worked 80 years ago — they just don’t work now.
Felt like I was robbed.
Sorry Cirque.

Do you like poop jokes? How about stupid comedy that has people spitting on and slapping each other? No? Then surely you must like juggling hat routines that go on forever and tap dance numbers that look like a children’s tap class? Still no? Well– my advice to you then, is to not see Cirque de Soleil’s Banana Shpeel currently playing at the Chicago Theatre.
What a let down. So bad that we left after the first hour even though the tickets cost $ 75 each. If you go– this is not the kind of show to see anywhere but in the first 10 rows or so. I think you need to be able to feel a part of the stupidity in order for it to be funny. It wasn’t funny from the 18^th row, that’s for sure. And, sad to say there wasn’t an empty seat in the house.
While I wasn’t expecting a story line (after all it’s billed as a vaudeville type act) I was expecting it to at least hang together. It doesn’t. It’s not interesting or visually stimulating. It just sort of sits there. And worse are the embarrassed laughs from a few in the theater who like that kind of humor that echo in the quiet of the rest of the audience. I’d love to say something positive about this show, but I can’t.
Chicago is the trial run for this show before it goes to Broadway. I’m guessing it may never get there.
Maybe the last hour got better. But for me– when going to a show is a «treatment instead of a treat». .. .it’s definitely time to leave. And so we did.

Just like previous posters have stated, my husband and I are huge fans of most everything Cirque, I’ve seen 8 shows so I’m pretty much sold.
I, unlike other posters, actually paid for my tickets, unfortunately, and I really want my money back! We paid 75 a pop with taxes and fees bringing them closer to 90.
The show is a disaster from the beginning. There is no real story line and the jokes felt pushed and desperate. There were a few shining stars like the clown «claudio» from brazil and a almost streaker who moves with the agility of a cat on speed. There were some odd moments where you feel like the director might have been smoking something. It was out there but not in a usual cirque kind of way. It felt like an inside joke they never let the audience in on.
The dance numbers felt like dr. suess choreographed them (which sounds awesome right? Wrong) and they went on forever. There was not a lot of substance or bite to this show. It felt chaotic and desperate. It feels like it needs to be seriously tightened up and slimmed down. They’ve got a few months to get this act together before it goes to Broadway and I’m rooting for them to save it.
I don’t normally say this about Cirque but it’s not worth the money. Or really the time. Its a shame because there is some true talent but the direction seems blurry and drunk. It felt less like vaudeville and more like community theater. At least in comparison to other Cirque shows. If you slap the name Cirque on it and you charge 75 a ticket, it better be good. This was not. It’s a shame.

I also was fortunate enough to receive free tickets for opening night from a friend whose office was given a large number of free tickets. Everything is better when it’s free, right?! Well…
Not quite vaudeville, not quite clowns, not quite, well, comedy… I could have greatly increased my enjoyment of this show had I made use of the bar and purchased a few drinks. Although there were some highlights in the show by some performers, overall my husband and I found ourselves looking at each other and shrugging our shoulders numerous times because a lot of it just wasn’t funny. The show also seemed to have no real «flow»…some sections seemed to drag on fooooreever, while others that were great and enjoyable were far too short. Seems like Cirque du Soleil just put their name on this performance… but I wouldn’t expect much of the typical acrobatics if that is what you are looking for. I would compare it to a high school talent show (put on by professionals).
A row of younger kids (7 or 8 years old) were sitting in front of us; I would say although the show is not «R-​rated» by ANY means (I wish!), it definitely isn’t geared toward children.
I would have been highly disappointed if we had paid for our tickets!

My office was invited to the opening night performance of Cirque Du Soleil’s «Banana Spheel» show at Chicago Theater.
I was really let down! I love Cirque and everything that they’ve done in the past. This was a «twist on Vaudeville» which was exactly that — It was more of a comedy than a broadway show or Cirque Du Soeil. Lots of continuous jokes throughout the show that popped up sporadically… There weren’t any clowns… just entertainers. A few cool acts — some fun dancing. The tap dancers multiplied and Vince and I held each other for dear life (j/​k) but over all, it was a little boring! Vince and I were the only ones in our group who stayed until the end… which wasn’t entirely the end. but it was enough.
I overheard someone say the right thing… it’s not a «Dinner and a Show» type of show. Its a «Go out drinking beforehand and laugh at silly acting» type of show. That is true. It was nothing phenominal, as Cirque is known to be. Bummer, but was still fun to see.