Displaying items by tag: Robert Kauzlaric

ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL!

Or is it one for all and all for one? No matter: either way it’s a rallying cry during a time of severe political unrest in France, where persistent insurrections incited erratic leadership, oscillating between Royalists and Republicans. The Republicans were the liberals, the political ‘left’ [times change, yeah?], fighting to establish democracy under the motto “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” (not so different from Diversity, Equality, Inclusion). Royalists supported the monarchy wherein kings ruled by divine right and sent the peasant classes to die in wars over personal royal disputes. Playwright Robert Kauzlaric acknowledges the significant homogeneity with 2029. This production of The Three Musketeers is presented by Idle Muse Theatre Company.

Musketeer-wannabe D’Artagnan (Troy Schaeflein), joins the ‘three inseparables’, Athos (Jack Sharkey), Porthos (Boomer Lusink), and Aramis (Xavier Lagunas). Together they challenge the treacherous Cardinal (Eric Duhon) and his retinue of religious rogues: Richelieu (Joel Thompson), Treville (Erik Schnitger), Bonacieux/Jane Felton (Vanessa Copeland), Laporte (Brendan Hutt), Sam Neel (Combat Ensemble), and Buckingham/ Louis XIII, the latter of whom Benjamin Jouras portrayed as deliciously campy!

Director Evan Jackson was assisted by Libby Beyreis, whose experience in Babes with Blades gave her plenty of brio to double as Violence Designer – and isn’t that a terrific title? Most productions I’ve seen have a violence director, but Beyreis designs the violence. Also in the Creative team were Dramaturg Emma S. Rund and Stage Manager Lindsey Chidester.

Jennifer Mohr (another Babe!) was outstanding as Milady de Winter, intertwining lasciviousness with malevolence. Jamie Redwood made an endearing Constance, and Caty Gordon was Queen Anne. I wish the Queen had a bit more insolence toward the King; risky business! Too bad there weren’t any NO KINGS encourager her.

BTW, at the NO KINGS rally Monday I loved the poster Kings NO / Queens YES!   

Laura J. Wiley (lighting designer) and L.J. Luthringer (sound designer and composer) lived up to their reputation(s) for begetting the appropriate spiritus mundi, while Vicki Jablonski (costume designer), Breezy Snyder (scenic painter), and props directors Becky Warner and Tristan Brandon meshed beautifully.

This was a large production, with a cast of 14 (not counting understudies), and at least 22 on the Creative Team. I really do appreciate the creative work backstage, truly I do!

I was truly impressed by the fight scenes; at times a dozen or so scrappers were creating, in that teensy-weensy space, a massive kerfuffle: one false move could cause real trauma. What fabulous choreography! Massive kudos to Violence Designers Libby Beyreis and Brendan Hutt, fight coach Elizabeth Macdougald, and the entire cast… There were but one or two who never took up a weapon.

All four Musketeers valiantly swashed every buckle in sight. All four were also exceedingly fanciable: if you like hunky guys, it’s worth the price of admission just to see them. Which is not to say the rest of the cast was unsightly! Particularly beguiling (to me, anyway) were Joel Thompson (Rochefort) and Benjamin Jouras (as Buckingham; as the King not so much). And Jamie Redwood (Constance), Caty Gordon (Queen Anne) and Jennifer Mohr (Milady) were fully as fetching as they were formidable.

In every review I’ve written I go on and on about Chicago’s wealth of thespian talent so I’m not going to reboot the spiel here; you can check out any of my previous reviews if you’d like to see it. What I will reiterate again [sic] is a fervent plea to seek out these little black box theaters. I won’t go out on a limb and say the acting is finer than in the biggies downtown, but the smaller theaters’ signature appeal of is this: in the enclosed space, cheek-by-jowl with the action onstage, one becomes absorbed in the mise-en-scene, almost participating in the performance. How thrilling!

THE THREE MUSKETEERS plays at The Edge-Off Broadway through April 25.

VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com. 

In Irish Theatre of Chicago’s newest production “The White Road”, performed at The Den Theatre in Wicker Park, we get exactly what we are hoping for – an intense adventure that pits man against nature at its most vicious form. Based on the true heroics of Irish-born polar explorer Ernest Shackleton, “The White Road” tells the story of yet another incredible undertaking where all hope lies solely in one’s will to survive.

Setting sail from South Georgia on December 5^th, 1914, Shackleton’s Trans-Antarctica expedition triumphantly leaves shore aboard The Endurance with a crew of twenty-eight with the intent on crossing the Antarctica continent from one coast to the other by way of the South Pole. Hopes are high and excitement is in the air as the crew embarks on a journey never before accomplished.  

Said Shackleton beforehand, "After the conquest of the South Pole by [Roald] Amundsen who, by a narrow margin of days only, was in advance of the British Expedition under [Robert Falcon] Scott, there remained but one great main object of Antarctic journeying - the crossing of the South Polar continent from sea to sea". 

As history tells, it was a plight that was never meant to be.

Upon approaching Antarctica they are met with pack ice that surrounds their sea vessel threatening to sink it. Completely alone and hundreds of miles away from any form of civilization, this is where one of the greatest tales of survival begins.  

In the two-hour-plus play, we meet a variety of characters that make up this memorable crew – and we like them all. From a nature photographer who keeps the camera rolling at all costs to life and limb, to an enthusiastic stowaway boy starved for adventure, to a whaler/banjo-plucker who lifts the men's spirits with song, we don’t just see a nameless crew, instead we really get to know a unique and diverse lot of individuals. Piven ensemble member Paul Dunckel’s performance of the fearless expedition leader makes Shackleton highly likeable, as the wise and self-sacrificing explorer. Dunckel leads this talented cast with the constitution and perseverance one would associate with an expedition leader, whereas he can convincingly make the tough decisions whilst his loyal troops still rally behind him.

Along with Dunckel, Irish Theatre Company ensemble members Kevin Theis and Matthew Isler are accompanied by Nicholas Bailey, Steve Herson, Neal Starbird, Michael McKeogh, Joseph Stearns, Stephen Walker and Gage Wallace, comprising this fine cast that generates a whirlwind of strong performances.   

Making this play even more entertaining is the way the set is used to put us aboard The Endurance smack dab in the middle of the frozen, glacier-filled waters. Sound effects are strategically used in tandem with projections to successfully create storm effects while creative choreography takes us on a deadly hike through icy mountains.

This is one of those true incredible adventure stories that are long forgotten by most that, thanks to storytellers like The Irish Theatre of Chicago, we now get to experience and share in the surprisingly unbelievable depth of human spirit brought on by fantastic circumstances.

I should note that though this is a wonderful story taken from the pages of early 20th century history, if you are thinking of bring a young adult, be aware that there is a scene containing as a crew member streaks across the deck of the ship. 

Fittingly directed by ensemble member Robert Kauzlaric and written by Karen Tarjan, the world premiere run of “The White Road” is being performed at The Den Theatre through June 13^th. For tickets and/or more information visit www.irishtheatreofchicago.org.