'Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' ★★★½

The Shaolin Warriors of China are the public face of qigong, that uber-disciplined form of exercise that makes the rest of us feel like the rough equivalent of the strawberry jelly sloshing around inside a Dunkin' Donut. Their feats at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will blow you away. These gentlemen not only bend steel with their necks and chopped oak with their skulls but, in one truly heart-stopping moment, one of these terrifying brothers dives through a spinning octagon outfitted with sword blades and filled with flame. It's quite something. As annual editions of the Greatest Show on Earth go, "Dragons" is easily in the top two or three productions, mostly because it comes with a far sharper edge. -- Chris Jones
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Through Sunday at Allstate Arena in Rosemont; Nov. 14-25 at the United Center; $13-$60 at ringling.com or ticketmaster.com</b>

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( November 7, 2012 )

The Shaolin Warriors of China are the public face of qigong, that uber-disciplined form of exercise that makes the rest of us feel like the rough equivalent of the strawberry jelly sloshing around inside a Dunkin' Donut. Their feats at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will blow you away. These gentlemen not only bend steel with their necks and chopped oak with their skulls but, in one truly heart-stopping moment, one of these terrifying brothers dives through a spinning octagon outfitted with sword blades and filled with flame. It's quite something. As annual editions of the Greatest Show on Earth go, "Dragons" is easily in the top two or three productions, mostly because it comes with a far sharper edge. -- Chris Jones

Through Sunday at Allstate Arena in Rosemont; Nov. 14-25 at the United Center; $13-$60 at ringling.com or ticketmaster.com

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