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The Swan
By Elizabeth Egloff
Directed by Jen Ellison and John Kahara
At Trap Door Theatre
1655 W. Cortland
Chicago, IL
Call 773-384-0494, tickets $16
Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm
Running time is 85 minutes with no intermission
Through May 5, 2007
Adult fairy tale superbly acted
Trap Door Theatre likes to challenge audiences and their latest gem, The Swan, sure does that. The Swan by Elizabeth Egloff is a moving allegorical story where a girl falls in love with a swan that morphs from a swan into a man. John Kahara was magnificent and bravely appears nude for the first few minutes as he brilliantly ‘becomes’ a man after convincingly plays a swan.
Dora (Kim McKean in a richly textured performance) is a Nebraska woman, married three times who has a rocky relationship with a married milkman, Kevin (Dana Wall). When she decides to raise the swan, whom she calls Bill, he becomes a talking man-like being who obeys and even loves Dora unlike anyone she has ever been with. This modern fairytale has loads of symbolic texture while it gives us unique insights into the mystical whimsy of being alive and emerging into a loving being. I like this challenging and provocative love story. It is a dream? Possibly. Is it a cautionary tale? Maybe. It is a clever play full of wrenching emotion and zest. John Kahara and Kim McKean are marvelous. This little gem enchants.
Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: March 23, 2007
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