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Archive for the tag “next up”

07 Jun 2013

The Internationalist

WHAT: The Internationalist
WHEN: May 28 – June 16, 2013 (schedule)
WHERE: Steppenwolf Garage Theatre (1624 N. Halsted)
RUNTIME: 85 minutes, no intermission
WHO: Steppenwolf Theatre Company/Northwestern University
PRICE: $20

OUR RATING: Skip it!

The Internationalist, written by Anne Washburn, is one of the three productions that make up Steppenwolf’s Next Up Repertory presented in collaboration with Northwestern University’s MFA programs in Direction and Design. Featuring the work of graduates of those programs, the productions are coupled with casts of professional Chicago actors. Neil LaBute’s Fat Pig and Adam Bock’s The Drunken City complete the repertory, all set up in The Garage Theatre.

Set in an undisclosed Eastern European country, The Internationalist tells the story of American businessman Lowell on a business trip abroad, where he must cope with a foreign culture and language he can’t begin to understand, all the while caught up in an overwhelming office romance and an overall disconcerting office culture undergoing constant chaos.

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

Alicia: This show had a difficult start, and it was clear from the beginning that Northwestern MFA student and director Erin Murray couldn’t quite make sense of what is ultimately an intriguing, but very rough and flawed script. And neither could I for that matter, and while the center of the story had a few ups in its execution, the shaky beginning and end of the production found me confused and frustrated, and all I wanted to do after the show was over was forget I ever saw it. Which was not really a problem, as in the end there was nothing really memorable at all.

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

Perhaps the only consistently redeeming aspect of the production was Scenic Designer Stephanie Cluggish’s set, who pulled off some amazing effects and beautiful scenes and who really made this place (whatever it was) her own. And while most of Sound Designer Kevin O’Donnell’s soundscape was intriguing (with a consistent underscore of a manipulated “Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood), there were some really awful choices made in some scenes where the music would suddenly change to un-subtly reflect the change in topic and mood, which instead of enhancing the transition, called it out in an extremely uncomfortable manner.

And don’t get me started on the transitions in this show. Oh, so very painful.

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

Adam: There is something seriously unintelligible about The Internationalist, and its not just the gibberish language created to reflect some unknown Eastern European tongue (it doesn’t sound Eastern European at all). One has to imagine that we are being plunged into the depth of jet-lag while trying to make sense of our new surroundings, but who really wants to see a play where you feel the awful oppression of a nine hour difference in a mere 90 minutes. There is a sense of mystery here, but the subplots seem unfortunately under-realized, while placing this work in any particular genre seems almost impossible.

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

We have glimmers of an intriguing story: a businessman on the same plane as a suspected jewel thief,  the dizzying array of noir characters (some potential assassins, others criminals and some just completely narcissistic) lead one to believe we are about to see something unique and special. But the jewel heist is unexplored, the assassins brushed under the rug and the potential criminal activities never completely explained, meaning I felt extremely lost in translation in an unfulfilling, dragging way.

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

Perhaps the star of the show was John Gray (James, Waiter and (potentially) Partisan Bartender), whose ability to flawlessly move between a variety of characters (self-conscious, confident, brazed and psychopathic) makes him a pleasure to watch. So make sure you look out for him in upcoming productions around Chicago: he has star talent.

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

Final thoughts: Overall, The Internationalist is a murky play, with little content and more cryptology surrounding it than the old KGB building. But, just like you wouldn’t want to hang out in Lubyanka Square, so too is this production one to be avoided.

Posted in Performing Arts, See It! and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
16 Apr 2013

Head of Passes

(steppenwolf.org)

(steppenwolf.org)

WHAT: Head of Passes
WHEN: April 4 – June 9, 2013 (schedule)
WHERE: 1650 N. Halsted Ave.
RUN TIME: 2 hours with a ten-minute intermission
WHO: Steppenwolf Theatre Company
PRICE: $15-$78

OUR RATING: Do it!

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

As is traditional, Steppenwolf Theatre Company continues to churn out a plethora of plays that one can classify as “living room dramas;” in other words most, if not all the action takes place in the homes of the characters, and that home becomes a central character in itself. Indeed, the house is one of the main protagonists in ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney’s newest work, set in the Louisiana marshes and brimming with superb oceanic symbolism. The home has a sense of fallen grandeur about it, as its dilapidation turns to ruin, much in the same way we see the decline and fall of the matriarch residing within.

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

Head of Passes, said by McCraney to be loosely inspired by the Book of Job, charts the course of dying Shelah (Cheryl Lynn Bruce), as she is swept up in the surprise festivities for her birthday, thrown by her adult children. Her life seems to be defined by only pain and devotion to God, one begetting the other, although it seems clear that the question of which came first weighs heavy on Shelah’s mind. Bruce’s depiction is solid and captivating, even if some of the scripting is rather long.

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

Similarly captivating is actor Chris Boykin, playing the Angel in Act 1 and a construction worker in Act 2. His charisma floods the stage and the parallel between his two characters is riveting and forceful. Our only complaint is director Tina Landau’s ignorance towards the house right audience in regards to staging Boykin, who is turned away from this audience for most of Act 1, leaving them in the dark in regards to many important physical gestures he displays.

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

Perhaps most powerfully, Scenic Designer David Gallo and Scenic Design Consultant Collette Pollard conjure up Mother Nature in their fantastically magical set design. You can feel the creaks and dampness of the Head of Passes and the ongoing storm outside the house is brought inside with great ferocity. Beginning with a few drips of water on stage, the set is catapulted by winds and rain, ending with the house subsiding chaotically at the end of Act 1. A true feat of engineering, and a wonder to watch.

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

Scott Zielinski’s lighting design dances hand-in-hand with the scenic design, and one can feel the power of the storm and the magic of what happens on stage with his strings of lights, extreme side-lighting, and the beautiful shadows cast within the home as Mother Nature shifts and does her work. Unfortunately, one is slightly distracted by Michael Bodeen and Rob Milburn’s sound design through it all, as the sound doesn’t seem real but rather far-off and full of static. Perhaps this was an artistic choice, but it’s far too dissonant for our liking.

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

(Photo by Michael Brosilow)

Ultimately, this world premiere of Head of Passes takes its audience on one heck of a roller-coaster, and leaves us pondering our life choices and convictions and allows us to contemplate how we define our family and our idea of home. Tragedy is an unfortunate yet exceedingly human element to every life. How one deals with it defines their character, whether they be resilient, avoidant, vengeful or forgiving. McCraney’s exploration of these ideas enhances our appreciation for the high complexity of everyday life and how we too must all face tragedy.

Posted in Performing Arts, See It! and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
13 Mar 2013

BlackTop Sky

(steppenwolf.org)

(steppenwolf.org)

WHAT: BlackTop Sky
WHEN: February 15 – April 21, 2013 (schedule)
WHERE: Steppenwolf’s Garage Theatre (1624 N. Halsted St.)
RUNTIME: 1 Hour and 30 minutes, no intermission
WHO: Theatre Seven of Chicago
PRICE: $20

OUR RATING: Chance It!

You had to know it was coming: a review on the final show of Steppenwolf’s Garage Rep 2013, BlackTop Sky from Theatre Seven of Chicago.

(theatreseven.org)

(theatreseven.org)

Started in 2007, Theatre Seven of Chicago’s mission is to tell Chicago stories. After winning the League of Chicago Theatres’s Emerging Theater Award in 2012, Theatre Seven of Chicago has quickly jumped into the spotlight, along with emerging playwright Christina Anderson, whose Man in Love also played at Steppenwolf’s Next Up repertory back in 2012.

(Credit: Michael Brosilow)

(Credit: Michael Brosilow)

Interestingly, although Theatre Seven of Chicago focuses on Chicago stories, BlackTop Sky and its setting of the David L. Hynn Housing Projects is not based in Chicago. Yet, as managing director Brian Golden notes in his program letter for the show, it is still a story reminiscent of so many pasts and presents in this city, with issues of love, violence, relationships, neighborhood and community within the public housing project.

(Credit: Michael Brosilow)

(Credit: Michael Brosilow)

The play centres around a young woman who witnesses the mistreatment of a street vendor, and fellow resident of the Projects. This incident profoundly disturbs her, and leads to her befriending a young homeless man who lives in the courtyard of her building. But, her boyfriend doesn’t like this one bit, and thus the narrative unfolds around a tragic, torn centre, which leads us to question the assumptions we have about who we could have been had circumstances been different, as well as the relationship we have to the world as both a passive viewer and an active participant.

(Credit: Michael Brosilow)

(Credit: Michael Brosilow)

Ultimately, with such a touching and piercing topic, we really wanted to like BlackTop Sky. With only three actors, what this play really called for was some powerhouse acting, and while Julian Parker (Klass) adroitly balances between vulnerability and passion, Kristin E. Ellis (Ida) and Eric Lynch (Wynn) really seemed to struggle through and didn’t offer much depth. This being said, BlackTop Sky deals with some extremely moving topics and lends itself well to the mission of Theatre Seven of Chicago. In fact, it seemed that the police brutality depicted in passing did not really emphasise its true horror, perhaps making the scenario less believable.

(theatreseven.org)

Scenic Designer Lizzie Bracken and Lighting Designer Lee Keenan once again strengthen the productions they work on, and with the direction of Cassy Sanders, these two designers help the audience transition through time, allowing us to spend day after day after day with Klass and his decaying, yet always-present, park bench home. We aren’t quite comfortable with these transitions though, for while they are powerful storytellers, scene changes and light effects probably took up at least 45 minutes of the production, making it move a little too slow. Or perhaps that was the somewhat awkward choreography of the run crew. We’re unsure.

BlackTop Sky provides mixed results, and will probably tighten as the run proceeds. But, for the sake of good storytelling it is certainly worth a ticket, even if you shouldn’t clamber to get one.

P.S. We’ve suggested it twice already, but check out the Garage Rep 2013 trailer!

Posted in Performing Arts, See It! and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
18 Feb 2013

The Birthday Party

WHAT: The Birthday Party
WHEN: January 24 – April 28, 2013
WHERE: 1650 N. Halsted Ave.
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 30 minutes with two 10-minute intermissions
HOST: Steppenwolf Theatre Company
PRICE: $15-$78

OUR RATING: Chance It!

(Credit: Sandro)

(Credit: Sandro)

Ambiguity takes and reigns the stage in Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s production of Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party, now playing until March 3rd in Steppenwolf’s newly configured Upstairs Theatre in Lincoln Park. Directed by ensemble member Austin Pendleton and starring an epic cast of Steppenwolf ensemble members Ian Barford, Francis Guinan, Moira Harris and John Mahoney (along with Marc Grapey and Sophie Sinise), Steppenwolf’s take on Pinter’s nightmarish dark-comic classic is lukewarm at best.

(Credit: Michael Brosilow)

Moira Harris, Ian Barford, Sophia Sinise, Francis Guinan and Marc Grapey (Credit: Michael Brosilow)

Set in a seaside English boarding house, this comedy of menace is absurd to say the least, with a fluid and questionable sense of time, place, identity and context. To put it simply, the lives of owners Meg (Moira Harris) and Petey (John Mahoney) and their guest Stanley (Ian Barford) are turned upside down with the arrival of two mysterious strangers (Francis Guinan and Marc Grapey). Other aspects of the plot are given step by step and questioned along the way, leaving the audience to piece together the rest of the story.

Steppenwolf’s new configuration of their Upstairs Theatre definitely adds some excitement to the piece, now bringing their audience closer in a new alley (traverse) staging that provides a unique and slightly uncomfortable intimacy with both the stage and the audience on the other side.

(Credit: Michael Brosilow)

Barford and Harris (Credit: Michael Brosilow)

However, the most essential pieces of a Pinter play are unfortunately found missing in this production. The classic suspense and menace that pervade each of his works, including The Birthday Party, are only subtle here, leaving the audience without the unique creepiness and spine-tingling feeling of risk that one usually associates with the Nobel laureate’s work. After reading the play, one feels a certain amount of discomfort and tension that is refreshing and exciting and scary all at the same time. But Pendleton’s direction seems more stagnant and lacks this sense of the dramatic, with a few hapless cameos of the over-dramatic.

(Credit: Michael Brosilow)

Guinan and Grapey (Credit: Michael Brosilow)

In addition to this, the setting, which is clearly stated by Pinter to be a southern English town (as mentioned on several occasions in the media), does not seem to have mattered to whoever provided guidance for accents on this production. Dialects seem to range from northern working class (Mahoney), Thespian London (Guinan), and indiscernible (Welsh?) (Harris). This added to the confused feeling of the production and was perhaps intentional. However, it still doesn’t forgive some of the poorer accent approximations given by certain members of the cast, which are simply unnecessary with the proper training. We, however, blame this more so on a failing of the voice coach than any of the actors themselves.

John Mahoney and Francis Guinan (Credit: Michael Brosilow)

Mahoney and Guinan (Credit: Michael Brosilow)

This doesn’t negate the fact that the acting as a whole is superb, with stellar performances from Francis Guinan and John Mahoney, although Mahoney’s part is much smaller than we would have liked. Each of these theatrical veterans bring a whole lot of punch to this play, with Mahoney’s strange vulnerability and the lovable, yet terrifying, character of Guinan’s.

While the average ticket price may be a bit too steep for this production, Steppenwolf offers some pretty awesome ticket discounts, including $15 student tickets and twenty $20 tickets to every single show. Twenty bucks to see some top Steppenwolf acting of Pinter’s ominous absurd-ism may just be worth it.

Posted in Performing Arts, See It! and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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