RECOMMENDED

House Theatre’s final show of the season is based on Greek mythology, source material that the company has yet to embrace with the same confidence it brings to pop iconography. The story pivots around a pair of mortals left to fend for themselves after Pandora unwittingly delivers evil onto the world. Written by Ben Lobpries and directed by Tommy Rapley, the play begins as if emerging from a muddle of ideas, none of which clearly set out the narrative landscape. Things sort themselves out eventually, with gods and mortals staking their individual claims on the world, but style is emphasized over substance. Only Stacy Stoltz, as Athena, and Joey Steakley, as Hermes, quickly and effectively delineate their roles—especially Steakley, as a supremely bratty god and the show’s one comic relief. (The punk-inspired costumes from Debbie Baer and Christina Boucher include a black kilt and matte silver jean jacket for Hermes, and a hairstyle for Athena that brings to mind a spiky version of Sanjaya’s ponytail Mohawk.) Lobpries and Rapley have collaborated before, and their interests are highly physical and dance-like performances. They are still working out the kinks, but I admire their efforts. I wonder, though, if Greek mythology lends itself to such an approach; too often the physicality feels melodramatic and earnest. Read the rest of this entry »

RECOMMENDED

With the complete original cast reprising their delicious turns, returning to “The Great and Terrible Wizard of Oz” was always likely to be a good thing.  And despite the change in scenery—Skokie’s Northlight Theatre is where Dorothy and her friends have landed since a tornado whisked them away from Chicago’s Viaduct Theatre sixteen months ago—the House Theatre’s hit revisionist take on the L. Frank Baum classic is in terrific shape, having lost little in transition to the suburbs.   Indeed, despite an opening night technical glitch (that those clever Housters nonetheless turned into a joke by evening’s end), some original staging that was less than effective as played in Northlight’s three-quarters in the round configuration and an audience participation that was a little quieter than what would normally befit the House, it’s remarkable how much this show accomplishes in its two short hours.  But all the visual and narrative inventiveness aside, I found that the show’s colossal heart remains in its ability to fully realize every quirky character it presents “for our consideration.” Read the rest of this entry »

RECOMMENDED

Unlike so many of its past efforts, The House Theatre’s newest show (conceived and directed by Nathan Allen, with a script by Chris Matthews and Jake Minton) never feels overwhelmed by its ambitions. And yet it still retains that House gestalt—a combination of youthful levity and wistfulness, layered over reconstituted pop iconography. The results go down nice and easy, in large part due to the play’s high-school setting and its cheery-dreary storyline about a brooding, reclusive teenage girl with telekinetic powers. At school, the head cheerleader takes this broken spirit under her wing, and the phrase “Elphaba redux” comes to mind. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Many, many people like “Wicked” (though I am not one of them), and will recognize the conflict that arises from the dark girl with scary powers versus the peppy blonde with sparkly powers. But recycling is part of House’s M.O. anyway, and the relationship is executed with a lot of heart and skill (Paige Hoffman’s cheerleader is the furthest thing from one-dimensional). And who doesn’t like a nuanced take on frenemies? Despite the bright colors and bright performances—and some very low-key but funny microphone work from the school principal, played by Stephen Taylor—there is a pervasive current of sadness that gives the show its heft. That, and witty writing. Read the rest of this entry »

Someday, one hopes, the House Theatre will embrace a less-is-more philosophy—and when that happens, watch out. Until then, audiences will have to accept this company for what it is: A creative, hugely ambitious ensemble that aggravates as often as it charms. That being said, “The Boy Detective Fails”—by Chicago novelist Joe Meno, adapting the story from his forthcoming novel of the same name—has a lot going for it. A great little filmed prologue (narrated by NPR’s Carl Kassell, the voice-of-God on “Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!”) is succinct and clever, telling the story of the boy detective, Billy Argo (think Encyclopedia Brown), his sister, Caroline (think Nancy Drew), and their pal Fenton, who together solve crimes big and small in their leafy suburb. Billy goes off to college. Left alone at home with a baffling case of depression, Caroline commits suicide. Traumatized by her death, Billy is institutionalized for an extended period. He is finally released—aged thirty, but still in spirit, name and argyle sweater, the boy detective—which is where the play picks up. Billy the man-child resolves to find out why his sister killed herself. If only the performances on stage had the snap and pacing of the film. Instead, the production, initially plaintive and funny and knowing, takes a long, circuitous, patience-testing route to its climax, and the mystery of Caroline’s death—a major point of the story—is never clearly explained. Read the rest of this entry »

In pop-cultural lore, the hero is always a loner and a depressive—not so far off in temperament, it often seems, from the villainy he thwarts. It is a theme the House Theatre has been chewing over—and chewing the scenery of—in a trilogy of plays that rather numbingly retell the same story over and over again, each time set against a different backdrop. The first (and most successful, in my opinion) was “San Valentino and the Melancholy Kid,” a Wild West rockabilly tale of crime, romance and campfire humor. “Curse of the Crying Heart,” was next, set in feudal Japan. The last installment, “Valentine Victorious,” (currently at the Viaduct through March) is planted in a 1930s comic-book universe of noir, organized crime and semi-snappy dialogue. But like its predecessors, the show is overstuffed with narrative—unwieldy and scattered—the antithesis of the self-contained panels and efficient storytelling of the comic-book milieu. It would have been nice to see this company and director Dennis Watkins finally reign in their creative instincts and tighten things up with few sharp, delineated corners. Read the rest of this entry »

RECOMMENDED

Something memorable is transpiring at the Viaduct courtesy of those hipsters at the House Theatre, and it isn’t just limited to the onstage visual and theatrical ingenuity of “The Great and Terrible Wizard of Oz,” playwright Phillip C. Klapperich and director/choreographer Tommy Rapley’s inspired reworking of the L. Frank Baum classic novel. What’s truly magical is observing adults of all ages – with cold beers in hand, Cheshire-cat smiles plastered onto their faces and necks craning to catch every inch of action on the yellow-brick road of a stage – surrender with childlike awe to this sublime theatrical experience crafted from a century-old narrative ingrained in the American cultural fabric. Anthropomorphism, wildly imaginative costumes, topical songs, dance and good old fashioned theater tricks will undoubtedly draw comparisons to director Julie Taymor’s “The Lion King.” But whereas that show spirals into dramaturgical Mickey Mouse-banality, “Oz” features good writing that truly entertains and heartfelt performances that uncover the pathos in Baum’s archetypical characters. Ironic one-liners, a darker second act and a beautiful visual homage to the inescapable memory of the movie version give way to a surprisingly unsentimental yet moving finale. Were he alive today, I think Baum himself would be impressed. (Fabrizio O. Almeida)

This production is now closed.

RECOMMENDED

The House Theatre has swiftly built a reputation for its ability to create a spectacle, and the second installment in its Valentine Trilogy, “Curse of the Crying Heart,” provides some electrifying moments. The climactic battle, in which the wizened sages Tsuki and Mikako soar around their ancient foe the Black Ghost, is nothing short of breathtaking, while the acrobatic combat that punctuates this martial-arts pastiche consistently delivers the thrills of a Quentin Tarantino film. The performers tend to make up in gusto what they lack in technical skill, though Maria McCullough’s Princess Sakurako may have the least aristocratic accent since Tony Curtis declared, “Yonda is the castle of my fadda.” And Nathan Allen’s plot is skillfully constructed; if most of the twists are telegraphed an hour ahead, he saves a couple of disturbing surprises for the end. For all its brash excitement, though, “Curse of the Crying Heart” reminds me of the shot-by-shot remake of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” three California teenagers made a few years ago. Its ingenuity and heartfelt passion is undeniable, but it still seems like apprentice work, a station on the way to developing an authentic voice. (John Beer)

This production is now closed.

RECOMMENDED

Residents of Andersonville will be treated to the spectacle of single files of adults clutching enormous pencils being led by a bunny-eared guide for the next several weekends, as Noelle Krimm’s Neo-Futurist adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” transforms their neighborhood. As much a mini-festival as a single play, “Alice” enlists members of several of Chicago’s more adventurous theatre companies (House Theatre, Kapoot Clown Theater, David Kodeski) to each adapt an episode from Lewis Carroll. The results, as might be expected, are mixed. Kapoot Clown Theater offers a brilliant version of the Mad Tea Party as performed by demented futuristic mimes—a cross between Beckett and the Teletubbies. And Brian Torrey Scott, Nicholas Monsour, and Jeff Harms enact a lovely bit of Tarantinoesque nonsense in the confines of Simon’s Tavern. Episodes that stick more closely to the book sometimes threaten to fall into children’s-theatre clichés. Even these lapses, though, make sense given that the White Rabbit’s elementary-teacher tirades (leading us, for instance, in “buddy chants”) transport the audience to the vulnerability and mystery of the second grade. Throughout, the production displays impeccable logistic skill and a striking sense of space; in the best environmental theatre tradition, it renews the audience’s sense of wonder at their surroundings. (John Beer)

“Alice” runs at six Andersonville venues, with walking tours beginning and ending at The Neofuturarium, 5153 North Ashland, (773)275-5255, through October 24.

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We’ve always known we were a town for theater. But this year perhaps we needed outsiders to remind us of just how great Chicago’s theater community is compared not only with New York, but with the rest of the world. Venerable London theater critic Michael Billington went so far as to herald our city as the “current theatre capital of America” after a recent visit, citing not only the three big S’s (Chicago Shakespeare, Second City and Steppenwolf), but also Victory Gardens and the Goodman. Other critics from New York and Toronto sent similar, although not quite as superlative, love letters this year. So it seems fitting this year that  our Players issue, in the past reserved for members of the theater community who wield the most power, focus on the artists—those both on stage and behind-the-scenes who make out-of-towners go home and drool. Read the rest of this entry »

Prehistoric is the genre du jour for the House Theatre’s latest effort. It’s very “Clan of the Cave Bear” delivered with a cloying, Up with People vibe—a non-event posing as spectacle. Harsh words for an oft-praised company, but no amount of journalistic hype can disguise the creeping sense that the emperor has no clothes. Though the actors in the large ensemble are very good—particularly Carolyn Defrin, with her long, lean body, sleek aquiline nose and antler headpiece, looking like Cher in a Bob Mackie—there’s little in Stephen Taylor’s play or director Nathan Allen’s staging to hold your attention. For better or for ill, the House has been shoved into the stratosphere of high expectations where anything short of amazing is a disappointment. At best, the troupe’s current show is sweaty and occasionally funny. But twenty minutes in, it becomes tiresome. Even boring. (Nina Metz)

This production is now closed.