Chicago Tribune
- Highly Recommended
"...You don't watch these acts from the back of an arena or a tent. They are a just a few feet away, and your kids get a lesson in Greek mythology to boot. This 90-minute show is an unexpectedly ideal match for the courtyard-style Owen Theatre at the Goodman — which has a higher ceiling than the Water Tower space in which “Hephaestus” first was produced. Now, if you snag a seat in the top row, you get to sit at the same level as the high wire. You could read the excitement on the faces of everyone up there. And that's not the only example of how spectacularly well this show crams itself into this space — creating intimacy, thrills, shared storytelling and, most certainly, a sense of real danger."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...The eye-popping venture, which has a sci-fi-meets-Greek-mythology feel, is built around Hernandez’s adaptation of an obscure Greek myth. To that he has added a mix of acrobats who perform a series of high-level stunts that several times brought the audience to its feet in the middle of the show. It’s a rare in-your-face combination of ethereal beauty and heightened danger not often seen on stage."
Chicago Reader
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Hernandez, who created the piece and plays the title role, has infantilized the powerful ancient narrative by putting it in the hands of a tween narrator, and the physical feats often don't relate to the story. Sea nymphs on aerial silks, for instance, make a nod to their characters with a swimming motion, but then launch into a conventional, albeit impressive, routine."
Copley News Service
- Highly Recommended
"...The mastermind behind “Hephaestus” is Tony Hernandez, who created the production, co-directed with Heidi Stillman, and plays the crippled title character. He is aided immeasurably by Brian Sidney Bembridge’s scenic and lighting design, Lijana Wallenda-Hernandez’s costume design, and the brilliant sound and music accompaniment by Ray Nardelli, Andre Pluess, and Josh Horvath. They all make “Hephaestus” a feast of the theater arts as well as a celebration of circus performance of wondrous achievement."
Talkin Broadway
- Highly Recommended
"...The myth of Hephaestus has many variants. As it's told in this production, Hephaestus, the child of Zeus and Hera, is thrown from Mt. Olympus down to Earth because his crippling deformities displease the Gods. The story here is framed by a scene in which a present day young girl, troubled by the offstage sounds of her parents fighting, pulls out her storybook and begins to read the legend to the audience. The story is an effective framework to tie together 90 minutes of most impressive circus acrobatics. Though the acts symbolize the action of the story, this is—as the subtitle suggests—circus rather than drama, but circus done with theatrical production values."
Centerstage
- Highly Recommended
"...The finale – a 7-person pyramid on a high wire (yes, it's as impressive as it sounds) – uses the full air space of the theatre and serves as a fitting cap to a spectacular piece of circus-filled artistry. If you missed the first two runs of this 'Greek Mythology Circus Tale,' don't make that mistake this time around. "Hephaestus" is magical."
Chicago Stage Review
- Highly Recommended
"...Hephaestus: A Greek Mythology Circus Tale is a MUST SEE manifestation of the timelessness of circus, mythology and creative excellence that carries you off to an enchantingly exciting world of wonder. Do not miss this singularly unique and overwhelmingly entertaining triumph!"
Time Out Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...
Hephaestus’s minimal plot, like the dazzling work by set and lighting designer Brian Sidney Bembridge, is just in support of the astounding circus-arts talent on display. New additions include the Anastasini brothers, ninth-gen circus performers, whose “Risley” act—think a teenage boy foot-juggling his preteen brother—wins the crowd like crazy. And the Owen gives the performers a higher ceiling than Lookingglass’s space and a closer proximity to the audience, making possible a new seven-person-pyramid high-wire climax that, if it fails, will have acrobats falling onto audience members. If we’ve forgotten by that point what any of this has to do with the Greek gods, so what? Our breath is taken nonetheless."
ChicagoCritic
- Highly Recommended
"...I can not say enough good things about this show. If you don’t enjoy Hephaestus, chances are you don’t have a pulse. Take the kids, it’s a great way to introduce them to the theatre and give them the kind of circus experience they won’t get inside a large arena. As I said, this is the third time this show has played in Chicago, so don’t roll the dice and wait to see if it comes back to Chicago. Go and see this show while you’ve got the chance, you won’t regret it."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Highly Recommended
"...This is ninety minutes of pure artistry and even stronger than the previous production due to the largeness of the new venue. With the higher ceiling, they had the ability to enlarge the final pyramid to represent the 7 Gods, a spectacular feat done with no wires, no nets and no spotters. Just pure ability, training, trust and teamwork. It is a breathtaking moment for young and old, a memory that will last for years to come."
Chicago Theater Beat
- Highly Recommended
"...And lest you discount that 7-person pyramid as just another circus stunt: Wallenda and Hernandez were among the artists who pioneered the act, and got it into the Guinness Book of World Records in 1998. In other words, it’s a form of dangerous beauty that they actually invented. It was largely considered impossible before they did it. Watching Hephaestus, much of it seems impossible. The artistry is just that stunning."
