Marion scored some preview tickets to "Hephaestus: A Greek Mythology Circus Tale"at Goodman Theater last night from a friend so we went. Not the type of thing I see on the regular, but it was a diverting hour plus. The guys who created this are obviously fans of Cirque de Soliel (of which I have seen 3 production -- my mom's a fan) and the influence was clear throughout (along with a healthy portion of Thunderdome). From the youngster narrating the action from her bed to the music to manner of introducing the varying acrobatics, etc. all very Cirque. So it makes sense to compare the show to my experiences there. And yes, Cirque de Soleil is better.
But it is also more expensive (I would assume), and certainly in a larger venue with much less intimate contact with the performers--these guys and gal were literally on top of us in the small theater. My feet were brushed by passing dancers on more than one occasion--thanks god there were no clowns to harass the crowd, I'm sure I would have been a prime target.
As far as minuses, the costumes were dreadful. Like a mid-nineties rave. No joke. Exactly like a mid-nineties rave. The music was piped in, aside from the drumming, while Cirque is all live. But that's really about it as far as complaints.
The story was a retelling of the tale of Hephaestus, blacksmith to the gods; his literal fall and return, wrapped in the ever familiar contemporary frame tale of family squabbles, sad little kid--think Neverending Story. In the end, certainly an entertaining evening. Check it out!
Did you happen to read the bios of the performers? The Wallendas, for example? The show was not created by "fans of Cirque du Soleil" as you noted. And your notion that "Cirque" is definitely better is off the mark. "Better" is subjective, and the last Cirque show, Banana Schpeel, was an embarassment of epic proportions and nowhere near "O".
Yes, my short review would be a subjective take.