While I support theatre troupes who take chances and try to stretch things theatrically, they must keep in mind that there must be at least a thread of coherence in their production. These show tried to do too much. If you can get the audience to relate and/or like the characters, they’ll follow you wherever you want – but-both shows failed to to reach the audience.
… We Live Here’s “quintessential Chicago moments” range from poignant, to sad, to hauntingly moving, to hilariously human, to emotionally desperate. Each playwright’s semi-autobiographical story is handled exquisitely by a cast that fully humanizes the honesty of each tale.
Side Man is a hauntingly raw yet beautiful memory play that colorfully offers a glimpse into the world of the fanatic artist. It also dramatize the effects of shattered dreams and lack of ambition on a family. Dan Meismer and Jeremy Clark anchor the stellar cast of misfits and fanatics. The jazz riffs add authenticity to the production. This marvelous play is one of the best works mounted in Chicago this year!
…the assertion that women during the High-Renaissance in the Italian town of San Gimignano were schooled in sword fighting was given as fact. Did women actually sword fight? I doubt that. This two hour + play is billed as a comedy but with few laughs and too much hokey attempts at commedia dell’arte by David Servillo’s Jacopo and Amy Dellagiarino’s Lucrezia.
Kevin V. Smith directs this deftly, unapologetically and in search of a new paradigm for what is considered acceptable theatre in America. This is theatre that asks of the audience, that wills participation and thought. It will turn some people off because it is not easy, it is not straightforward, it is not simply entertainment. But for those who crave more from their theatrical experiences than two hours of escapism, this is utterly refreshing.
While I found the work of the entire cast as energetic, innovative, and stylish, I found the storytelling confusing, muddled, and incomplete. Too much movement, too many scene changes, and many story overlaps marred the production. Both playwright Jason Grote and director Seth Bockley tried to do too much both visually, stylistically, and verbally. Too much of any ingredient can spoil the stew
Henry V is such a magnificent play. My god, it’s epic, isn’t it? Some of Shakespeare’s best-penned lines are contained within. Half the play is deathless speeches. Speeches that, when all is ruin and ash and the world of men has forever sunk into the deep annals of time, shall yet be recited and remembered as the glory of man and some of his finest jewels.
Stephen’s drama weaves the story of six Londoners each with strong feelings of being objectified and dissociated from society. With an amazing lack of empathy and compassion, these folks demonstrate their disconnect from current events.
Naomi Wallace’s The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek is a passionate look at repressed anger, frustration, and sexual appetites that come from boredom and lack of hope that permeates the poor in rural Depression Era America. Wallace’s play has a unique flourish and a lyrical sophistication that dramatizes the struggles by folks to change lives that bear down upon them. This is a hauntingly powerful look at repressed emotions and spoiled hopes
The adults are pleased and the children are enchanted with twists and turns for every age – from bouncing balls into the audience (to the delight of the little ones) to the more sober moral lessons of love, care, and (above all) honesty as the puppet strives to become a real, human boy.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s productions never disappoint. Here, the staging is creative and delightful, with innovative sets, fully fleshed characters, smooth interweaving of puppets and actors, and colorful costuming.