Well suited to the season, Rough House Theater brings its third annual edition of a macabre puppet show, “The House of the Exquisite Corpse III,” to the Merle Reskin Garage Space at the Steppenwolf Theatre campus on Halsted Street in Chicago.
The one-hour immersive experience gathers audiences in groups of 13, who are ushered in at 15 minute intervals to view a half-dozen 10-minute puppet performances. An emcee warns ticket-holders of foggy settings, and gore ahead—but presumably the squeamish would not choose to attend in the first place.
Each clatch of audience members are guided to the individual viewings, set behind canvas partitions or plasterless lath walls, into which peep holes have been riven or torn at a variety of heights and of differing shapes. Puppets are designed by manipulated by black-clad marionettes perform in the various settings.
At each of the six locations you don headphones to listen in to the puppets’ voices, and the background music and sound-effects, carefully matching to the live action of the puppet. The whole series was inspired by the book “Our Homes and How to Keep Them Healthy,” published in 1883 by Robert Brudenell Carter.
The first, to give newcomers a feel for it, is entitled “The Difficulty of Proof in Arsenic Poisoning Cases.” In a memorable performance, it features a young woman, bed-ridden with a hacking cough, being encouraged to sip tea by an arm intervening from the background.
After several healthy draughts of the steaming liquid, which only seem to worsen her condition, she fumbles with a 1930s radio console, stopping to hear various news reports of murders by poisoning, or antique recordings of classical music. You will have to attend to see her outcome, but know that the other settings shift in time and and setting, but maintain the disquieting tone, some with added gore and unpleasantness—a perfect prelude to Halloween!
Performers include Pablo Monterrubio-Benet and Grace Needlman, Lee and Sam Lewis, Corey Smith, Claire Bauman, Chio Cabrera and Jacky Kelsey, Justin D’Acci and Sion Silva, Ken Buckingham, and Felix Mayes and Kevin Michael Wesson. Process directors are Claire Saxe and Mike Oleon.
“House of the Exquisite Corpse III” runs through October 29 at Steppenwolf’s Merle Reskin Garage Space, 1624 N. Halsted in Chicago. It’s highly recommended, though not for the faint of heart certainly not those under 14.
*Extended through November 4th
