Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...There are no embarrassing costumes — just a variety of comfortable street clothes. The music expresses cool, straightforward emotions. Rigging is kept to necessities. The material is rooted in traditional circus disciplines and classic acrobatics, but street-influenced elements like skateboards and hip-hop moves leaven the mix and free the performers. The audience is acknowledged and empowered as a partner in the work. All kinds of rich emotions — comedy, sensuality, sadness and play — are explored. And while the performers have their specialties, they all contribute generously to the whole."
Daily Herald - Recommended
"...Everything in “Traces” is much more personable, since Carroll and Snider have the performers introduce themselves with physical stats and random interesting facts (for instance, Canadian performer Philippe Normand-Jenny is the son of two psychologists). Childhood photos of the artists are also flashed by at strategic points, making you think about the paths that led the performers to this very moment."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Carroll, Snider, and company understand the complex relationship audiences have with daredevil physicality—with the fact that at any given moment something could go horribly wrong. Fancier circuses sugarcoat the risks with Vegasy costumes, soaring electronic music, and the safe distance afforded by a big arena. Sure, 7 Fingers makes flying without a net in a small space look easy. But by emphasizing personality over faceless synchronized pageantry, they up the stakes and truly do reinvent the circus."
Examiner - Highly Recommended
"...At 90 minutes, Traces keeps up a breathless pace throughout. There may be more breathtaking costumes out there in the world of circuses, but there’s few performers who captivate with the heart and immediacy of Traces."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...Spoilsports may grumble about resemblances to Stomp!, Blue Man Group or the Flying Karamazov Brothers. ( The program also encompasses a standard-repertoire adagio or two, featuring the lightest members of the company tossed about like beanbags. ) But Broadway in Chicago offers a generous Rush discount, there's a Hot Tix outlet at the Visitors' Center in the Water Tower on Pearson Street and for a break from holiday shopping—an athletic event in itself—what better escape than 90 minutes of PG-wholesome gymnasts ( whose playbill boasts "No net! No wires! All heart!" ) flying higher on sheer cardiocentric energy than all your sequined big-top tinkerbells?"
Copley News Service - Highly Recommended
"...Traces gets the audience in the proper loosey-goosey mood by flashing their entrance into the theater on a lobby television screen. Those images then are re-telecast in the theater, to the amusement, and in a few cases embarrassment, of the seated spectators. Ten minutes into the show any barriers between performer and audience have evaporated."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...
Our investment in the performers as people is key: Traces lightly explores the marks we leave on one another, whether by direct contact (as in the sensual hand-to-hand acrobatic duet between Mason Ames and Valérie Benoît-Charbonneau) or near misses (Bradley Henderson and Xia Zhengqi on Chinese poles, leaping past each other in midair). The acrobatics are inventive and increasingly astonishing, culminating in an astounding hoop-jumping climax. Thrilling, sexy and sincere, Traces leaves a hell of an impression."
ShowBizChicago - Highly Recommended
"...Traces isn’t perfect, it is the rare moment that lacks polish, but the show is charming in its imperfections. The industrial set design, raw energy of the performers and unbridled creativity equals a show that knows how to shock and seduce an audience — and leave its trace on modern theater."
ChicagoCritic - Somewhat Recommended
"...This reasonably entertaining 90 minute show is devoid of spectacle as it relies on the agility and unique talents of the seven circus/acrobatic talents. The opening night audience enthusiastically appreciated the eye-popping stunts and manic movements. Those who love the Cirque shows will be impressed with the talent level of these seven. However, with a ticket price between $50 and $71.50, I think Traces will have a hard time filling the 500+ seats at the Broadway Playhouse. Look for discount deals for this show."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"...At times they seem to be playing more for their own amusement than ours, almost flaunting their undeniable coordination, stamina, balance and raw strength. Their skateboard ballet to a rendition of “Paper Moon” is almost lovely and they give a new meaning to “hoop dreams” when they dive through or ride around in tiny or giant plastic rims. Their use or exploitation of live video, chalk drawings, reality TV contests, and gravity-defying tumbling worthy of Cirque du Soleil or Cirque Shanghai (but, alas, minus the diverting scenery) impresses throughout. Hard as it is to maintain for an unstoppable 90 minutes, they manage to make it look like fun, as if they’d be doing this on the street if they weren’t on a stage."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...“Traces” is almost a combination of other theatrical experiences tied into one- We have the feeling of a “Stomp” and a “Cirque Shanghai” mixed with the rock sounds of a “Blue Man Group” all rolled into a well choreographed “Urban Acrobatic Experience”- to bring the circus to a more personal and human scale. We get to watch the amazing “hoop” well executed by Bradley Henderson, a new chair balancing act that will amaze you, performed by Florian Zumkehr ( who also plays the guitar and piano) and a marvelous and very sensual dance/acrobatic sequence by the only female in the troupe, Valerie Benoit-Charbonneau and Mason Ames. Ames by the way is a large man with the agility of a much smaller one. In fact, I doubt that there is one ounce of fat on this entire cast."
Reviews You Can Iews - Highly Recommended
"...So, there’s six dudes and a chick and they’re all built. They come out onto this kick-ass looking stage that’s got chairs and poles and a piano and shit. And they just start doing some of the craziest shit I have ever seen. There’s this one part, where these two guys are on the poles and they start BACK-FLIPPING back and forth between them. AT THE SAME TIME. Then, two other guys get in on this back-flipping thing. And then, all six of the dudes are flipping all over the poles like they’re on fire, or something. Then the chick gets up on that pole-flipping, and everyone is flipping and going nuts. And then, they all get skateboards and—I am not making this shit up—they start skateboarding like they’re in some old musical with tuxes and hilarious shaking and then they’re jumping from board to board and going under and over each other. What the fuck, man? I could barely stay in my seat! I smiled so hard I’m going to have to frown for three days straight just to even it out."
Chicago Theater Beat - Recommended
"...Besides the freaky-talented ensemble combo, Traces provides a personal approach to the circus theatrics. Biographical information is shared by individual performers. Not just driver’s license info but three words to use to self describe. An intimate bond develops. Knowing Mason self identifies as ‘clumsy’ makes me worry about his scaffold plunging. Multi-media is also used for a distinctive element. Various projected camera angles showcase action from different perspectives."
