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The Sparrow
Created and performed by The House Theatre of Chicago
Conceived and Directed by Nathan Allen
Words by Chris Mathews and Jake Minton
Produced by Libby Adler Mages, Tony D’Angelo,
The House Theatre of Chicago & Broadway In Chicago
At the Apollo theater
2540 N. Lincoln Ave,
Chicago, IL
Call 773-935-6100, tickets $34.50 - $49.50
Wednesdays & Thursdays at 7:30 pm
Fridays at 8 pm
Saturdays at 5:30 & 8:30 pm
Sundays at 3:30 & 6:30 pm
Running time is 1 hour, 50 minutes with intermission
Through December 31, 2007
It just keeps on flying....
Editor’s Note: The opening night production of The Sparrow at the Apollo Theater was a true milestone for the non-profit, non-Equity store front theatre troupe, The House Theatre of Chicago. This 2007 hit show won 7 Jeff Citation Awards ran for a 7 week sold-out run at the Viaduct Theatre, was remounted at Steppenwolf’s Upstairs Theatre again to a sold out run. And now, this small delightfully quirky show got the attention of veteran producers Libby Adler Mages and Tony D’ Angelo and the folks at Broadway In Chicago. This is huge for a store front show. With their money and Broadway In Chicago’s deep subscriber base and marketing savvy, The Sparrow has flown into a nest of gold. This is a ground breaking venture that should inspire Chicago’s ambitious young store front theatre troupes to produce terrific art that it’ll be seen by the “heavies.” A successful run at the Apollo Theater will stimulate investors to look at other small store front shows.
To his credit, Nathan Allen has stayed with his outstanding, non-Equity cast for this run—however, he is now able paying the performers a living wage so that everyone involved in the production will reap the benefits from the show.
The production values of The Sparrow are tighter, more professional and the show has more heart and truthfulness. The energy and quaintness is still there. The reaction of the older, more sophisticated audience members spells good things for this show. They embraced the charm of this most endearing show.
The Sparrow offers lessons for theatre companies: stay with the show you originally wrote; be loyal to your actors who made your show a hit and don’t be afraid to think and do big things. Who knows, maybe a Tony Award winning producer like Libby Adler Mages may offer to back your show? Everyone in Chicago theatre should be cheering and hoping The Sparrow continues its success. It is paving the way for future original Chicago productions.
October 3, 2007
Highly Recommended
Tom Williams
Below is my original review of The Sparrow:
Tight, sophisticated fable demonstrates The House’s growth
In a show that reminds me of the kind of polished, sophisticated work that one finds at Lookingglass Theatre, Nathan Allen and the gang at The House Theatre of Chicago has advanced their theatre craft with a most engaging and intelligent new fable, The Sparrow. This smart, well crafted show may be the finest work The House has mounted to date.
A new twist on the everyman superhero, the tragic one is Emily Book, a young orphan girl from Spring Farm, Illinois. The dark tale features the nerdy Emily and her mysterious telekinetic powers in a fable of tolerance, forgiveness and compassion. This is a pure ensemble based work that continues The House’s tradition of excellent production values that features stellar lighting (by Ben Wilhelm), sound design (by Michael Griggs), film design (by Lucas Merino) with an amazing score (by Kevin O’Donnell) together with terrific movement and choreography (by Tommy Rapley) and innovative staging (by director Nathan Allen). Nice usage of props like miniature house and bedroom and a telling assortment of framed photos depicting the Illinois farm community.
The story is a profound tragic fable of a teen girl, Emily Book (Carolyn Defrin in a nuanced, understated performance) who returns to Spring Farm, Illinois years after she survived a tragic school bus accident. She is a recluse intellectual who dresses more like Emily Dickinson than a modern teen. Emily’s struggle to fit into a grieving farm community fighting to break free of its past.
The show centers around Emily and her class mates with the guidance of popular teacher Dan Christopher (the charismatic Cliff Chamberlain) as the complete their high school year. We see Emily’s attempt to fit in and as her mates move to welcome her into their world. The show is filled with rich, heart-warming humor and sweet moments that are dramatically fulfilling with many unpredictable plot twists. The show has excellent use of videos and background music to underscore and move the story along giving depth to its mood and atmosphere. There are several thrilling dances and energetic depictions such as a high school basketball game and a biology class as well as stellar illusions to Emily’s telekinetic powers. This slick spectacle has magic elements that feed the mystery of Emily’s past. This flawed superhero teen girl unfolds as a memorable and fully developed character. Carolyn Defrin delivers a muted, subdued superhero, giving Emily empathy and a genuine niceness that wins us. Terrific work from Defrin.
The entire ensemble complimented the story deftly. Cliff Chamberlain and Paige Hoffman (Jenny) were especially effective. Chamberlain was outstanding as he danced and mimicked a Frank Sinatra love song to his students.
The Sparrow is a refreshingly strong story told with terrific production values that blends humor, music, drama and telekinetic powers into a thrillingly clever theatre piece. Kudos to The House Theatre of Chicago as they continue to expand their theatrical craftsmanship. Their ensemble gives new meaning to daring collaborative efforts. The Sparrow soars!
Highly Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: January 13, 2007 & October 3, 2007
Recipient of 7 Jeff Citation Awards for 2007
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