CHICAGO—Arny Granat has 39 Broadway productions under his belt. On May 4, he and Irene Michaels, a singer, performer, and dancer, saw Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Civic Opera House.

“It’s different from [what] most American audiences see. I think that it catches the people’s imagination. ... It’s beautiful, very artistic, very professional, and awesome,” Mr. Granat said.

Mr. Granat was once invited to China to produce performances there for the American audience. He was surprised to learn that Shen Yun cannot perform in China.

“So pristine and proficient. ... I used to dance, not quite like this though,” Ms. Michaels said.

“Beautiful. The men fascinate me, how they could get their extensions so high,” she said.

Shen Yun’s use of its digital backdrop is patented. Its versatile use of the technology allows the set to change scenes in the blink of an eye, giving the stage endless possibilities.

“There are a lot of pieces where they disappear, and it goes on the screen. ... I seriously want to do it on one of my shows,” Mr. Granat said.

Arthur Wilson is an art professor in Indiana. Upon seeing Shen Yun on May 4, he was struck by how the performance resembled living art.

“The way that all the performers wear their costumes and how they become moving sculptures and the choreography is really impressive. I also love the movement of going from the physical realm to the digital; they jump into the screen. It’s very interesting,” he said.

Mr. Wilson added that he appreciated the layout of the performance.

“It’s almost how a menu at a restaurant is ... each dish is introduced constantly by the chef, which is great. I like it,” he said.

Shen Yun puts on an all-new production each year, which includes fresh choreography, music, costumes, props, and backdrops.

“I really like the choice of color to it. ... I think there’s a lot of good prop work for the different props and set design and set pieces,” Mr. Wilson said.