
Usually the horses within city limits are confined to the buggies on the Mag Mile and the police at events like Taste of Chicago. This summer marks the advent of a new kind of equine brigade, as Cavalia prances into town. And if you hear a faint whinnying on the west-bound Eisenhower near Racine, no, you aren’t going crazy. The stars of Cavalia are in residence inside that white tent that sprung up like a ginormous mushroom a few weeks ago. (The stage inside the castle-like structure is the width of a football field. T
he whole thing spans more than 26,000 square feet and is touted as the largest touring tent in North America. )
Cavalia runs July 14 – 25. As the creation of one of the founders of Cirque du Soleil, the show comes with an excellent pedigree and, no doubt, some of the most over-priced souvenirs this side of Wrigley Field.
Like Cirque, Cavalia features a bi-ped corps of acrobats, aerialists, dancers and musicians. Unlike Cirque, it has – yes – horses. Among the quadruped performers: Arabians, Spanish Pure Breeds, Lusitanos, Quarter Horses, Appaloosas and Paint horses from France, Canada, Spain and the United States.
In addition to horses and humans, Cavalia features the kind of techno-heavy stagecraft worthy of an Andrew Lloyd Webber mega-musical. A 21-foot-wide curved screen and an array of lighting and cinematic effects will, we’re told, take the audience to “a dream-like fantasy world.”
Amid extravagant production values, audiences should be able to discern a thread of a plot: Cavalia traces the evolution of horses and their bond with humans, beginning with their (the horses') unbridled life in the wilderness progressing through early domestication and ultimately reaching a rapport with people based on mutual respect.
We can only wonder what the tourist-trapped buggy haulers would make of it.

Tickets to Cavalia are $45.50 to $98.50, with discounts for children and seniors. For more information, a detailed list of show dates and reservations, call 1-866-999-8111 or visit www.cavalia.net