Interludes

Lookingglass Theatre Company
Adapted  and Directed by David Catlin
Based on Herman Melville’s novel

David Catlin’s majestic three-act adaptation of Melville’s “Moby Dick” is a triumph for the Lookingglass Theatre Company along the lines of Mary Zimmerman’s iconic “Metamorphoses”. Although they are very different shows, both transcend their respective theatrical gimmicks (in “Metamorphoses”, the pool, and in “Moby Dick”, the daring acrobatics) to give audiences a completely transporting experience that boldly stimulates the senses. The brilliance of Catlin’s muscular work (he both wrote the adaptation, as well as directed the production) lies in its stylish efficiency and physicality. I don’t think I’ve ever seen circus arts deployed so seamlessly and effectively in a play. It’s also an adaptation that embraces the darkness and ambiguity of humanity, as well as the hallucinatory nature of Melville’s tale.

The actors are superb all-around. These are actors who are equally comfortable emoting verbally, as well as through their spectacular, high-flying physicality. However, I must single out Christopher Donahue as Ahab. His is a passionate performance that imbues Ahab’s all-consuming obsession with a fervor and urgency that is thrilling to watch. The elusive titular “character” is ingeniously embodied by a trio of seductive nymph-like actresses (Emma Cadd, Kasey Foster, Monica West). It’s fascinating to watch their performances grow more grotesque and menacing with each passing act.

Kudos also to the stellar design team. The enveloping, deceptively simple skeletal set design by Courtney O’Neill gives the play an impressionistic, haunted look and is flexible enough to accommodate the various locales required by the story. The cast is beautifully outfitted (by Carolyn Sullivan) in period-perfect costumes that exude a touch of the gothic. The complex lighting work by William C. Kirkham gives the production a fluid, atmospheric glow, contributing to the intoxicating fever-dream quality of the production.

 

ALL OUR TRAGIC
The Hypocrites (at the Den Theatre)
Adapted and Directed by Sean Graney 
Based on the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides

The always-out-of-the-box Sean Graney has struck gold with his audaciously epic “All Our Tragic”, a 12-hour (the affair starts at 11am and ends twelve hours later at 11pm) marathon adaptation of all 32 existing Greek tragedies. This summer, the highly acclaimed production is being remounted by the Hypocrites at the Den Theatre in Wicker Park. Yes, some playlets are stronger than others, and not all the actors are completely convincing, but the cumulative impact of this titanic yet scrappy endeavor is utterly cathartic. By melding these 32 plays together, Graney, who is also responsible for the loose, rough-and-tumble direction (a compliment), has powerfully, and many times irreverently, depicts the inescapability of man’s ultimate tragedy. And yet Graney, in a stroke of brilliance, stubbornly and illogically suggests that there is beauty in this predicament and even hope in the face of “all our tragic”. History and myth are created before our very eyes over the course of the day.

As mentioned, the performances here are uneven. However, some of the acting is quite inspired, most memorably Walter Briggs for his endearingly brash portrayal of Herakles. Even with a large cast (there are approximately 20 actors in the company), these actors are asked, understandably, to perform four or five major roles throughout the day. Unfortunately, at the performance I attended, it was announced that Hypocrites veteran Geoff Button had been injured during the previous day’s show. Happily, his understudy performed valiantly.

As typical of the Hypocrites, the design work here reflects a patchwork of styles and references, particularly Alison Siple’s costume design. Indeed, this eclectic approach works particularly well for “All Our Tragic” given its universal themes. The action takes place on a flexible industrial set by Tom Burch. The appropriately saturated lighting design is by Jared Moore.

 

OUR NEW GIRL
Profiles Theatre
By Nancy Harris
Directed by Joe Jahraus

Although not nearly as ambitious as the two previously discussed shows, Nancy Harris’s tense and disturbing kitchen sink drama “Our New Girl” at the Profiles Theatre (where it is enjoying its Midwest Premiere), which is tautly and precisely directed by Joe Jahraus, is a near perfect example of Chicago’s fabled storefront theater at its very best.

 

The production features a quintet of fearless, carefully calibrated performances (Miriam Canfield, Sarah Chalcroft, Killian Hughes, and Lyne Manzer) that do well with Ms. Harris’s sharply-written dialogue. The performances increasingly get under your skin during and unsettling over the course of the show. Young Killian Hughes, in particular, does amazingly uncanny work by walking the fine line between being a kid and a psychopath. No spoilers here.

Given the shoestring budget of such productions, Profiles has done an amazing job of creating the physical world in which the play is set (a kitchen in a middle class house in present-day London). Tyler Reinert’s ultra-realistic set is ideal, as is the subtle work by costume designer Raquel Adorno and lighting designer Jessica Fialko.