Displaying items by tag: Redtwist Theatre

Though Larry Kramer did not live to see the end of the 2020 COVID-19 lock downs, no doubt his contributions to the 1980s AIDS outbreak inspired a new generation to demand accountability for what is widely regarded as a botched response.

Larry Kramer was known as a firebrand who often verged on offensive. His 1978 debut novel titled “Faggots” was a blistering satire of pre-AIDS gay life in New York City. His depictions of fellow gays as shallow and promiscuous earned him a negative reputation in the late 1970s scene.

By the time the AIDS crisis overwhelmed New York in the early 80s, Kramer was seen by many as cantankerous, but nonetheless his brash public appearances and relentless demand for social justice made him an iconic figure in the fight against AIDS.

Redtwist Theatre opens their newly renovated space with a revival of Larry Kramer’s 1985 play ‘The Normal Heart’. Ted Hoerl directs a sizeable ensemble cast to recreate Kramer’s semi-autobiographical story of the inception of one of the country’s first AIDS activist groups—Gay Men’s Health Crisis.

‘The Normal Heart’ begins with a gut-wrenching diagnosis that quickly drops the audience into the moment when AIDS first hit New York in the summer of 1981. Kramer establishes Ned Weeks (Peter Ferneding) as the main character spurned into action by the sight of his friends rapidly dying of an unknown disease.

Ned is inspired to become a leader for AIDS research by Dr. Brookner (Tammy Rozofsky) who sees patient after patient with the same mysterious, but lethal pathology. With his heart in the right place, Ned bickers incessantly with his fellow activists showing how messy progress can be.

Through it all, Ned falls in love for the first time, mirroring Kramer’s own search for love in an era where gay love was still in the closet. The central romance between Ned and Felix (Zachary Linnert) provides Ned a reason to keep fighting for acknowledgement from federal and local health agencies in order to fund research and a cure.

Performances are somewhat inconsistent in Redtwist’s revival, but the play serves to remind its audience of the truly outrageous mishandling of the AIDS crisis by Reagan-era politicians unwilling to help, or even dare say the word AIDS. Kramer’s anger is both palpable and justifiable in nearly every line, even if at times delivered a little melodramatically.

‘The Normal Heart’ is a searing indictment of the dangers of apathy. And that seems even more prescient as we head into an election in which brazenly absurd policies like Project 2025 are on the ballot.  Kramer was deeply disturbed by the Western word’s inaction during the Holocaust and saw many parallels during the AIDS crisis. While not exactly a pleasant subject matter, the world needs people like Larry Kramer to sound the alarm bells.  His play may not be as artful as Tony Kushner’s ‘Angels in America’ but its message is even more dire. In the near three hour run time, in a small theater, Kramer’s gripping script is impossible to shy away from, which is exactly what he intended.

Through September 29 at Redtwist Theatre. 1044 W Bryn Mawr Ave. www.RedwistTheatre.org

Maybe it’s good for a theater reviewer sometimes to be … befuddled? Disquieted? Stupefied? Certainly my companion was. He’s not new to things theatrical, but has seen little of Chicago’s signature storefront ‘tiny black box’ theatres that I love so much. So Redtwist Theatre's "Wolves" was a pretty strenuous piece to cut his teeth on!

"Wolves" is presented as "a gay re-imagining of Little Red Riding Hood." This description is decidedly misleading; "How Her Hood Got So Red" might be closer. The script is by Steve Yockey, who served as co-executive producer for "Supernatural," a Netflix series. Yeah, "Wolves" fits right in with that. So do not attend "Wolves" thinking ‘fairy tale’ (and for god’s sake do NOT take the kids!). The only real tie to Little Red is the axe hanging prominently on the wall. If you faint at the sight of blood you’ll miss half the show. Just sayin’.

Let me introduce the guys: Ben (Joshua Servantez) has recently moved from a small town to the big city, a transition that has elevated his neurotic anxieties to a truly alarming level. It doesn’t help that his ex-lover Jack (Gardy Gilbert) has moved in as a roommate / friend … and you know how well that sort of arrangement tends to work, especially when they have disparate views on what ‘ex’ means. We get much of this backstory from the Narrator (Monique Marshaun) who, with a snap of her fingers, stops the action mid-syllable and saunters onstage for appraisal, elucidation, and explication, including her ever-more-probing exegesis of the guys themselves.

Here’s how the story unfolds. Narrator has been trying to get Ben a little better acquainted with reality, but you know how it is with anxiety – logic truly doesn’t help. At length he just crawls into bed and pulls the covers over his head. Jack appears, resplendent in black lace bodystocking, black leather harness, and an adorable red velvet … what was that? Not a hoodie, not a cloak … let’s go with "abbreviated hooded frock." (I simply must interject an impassioned plea for Costume Designer Madeline Felauer to make one of those for me!)

Gardy Gilbert (Jack) and Joshua Servantez (Ben) in "Wolves" from Redtwist Theatre

So now here’s Jack, dressed to the nines and looking thoroughly delectable. He tries to sneak out of the apartment but Ben wakes and they embark on a deranged folie au deux: Jack wants to go to the bar but Ben insists it’s dangerous. There are people … no, wolves … out there in the dark, and they’re sure to rend Jack limb from limb. Ben offers orange chicken, Netflix, Yahtzee – anything! But these tempting alternatives work about as well as you’d expect with a guy who’s in the mood to get laid. [Ben offers that as well – remember those disparate views I mentioned? – but that’s a no-go too]. Our sympathies vacillate between Ben, who’s authentically (if psychoneurotically) terrified; and Jack, who’s now thoroughly frustrated on several fronts.

Jack finally makes it out the door, leaving Ben to obsess over wolves in the dark. The Narrator commiserates and eventually manages to get him back into bed and a fractious sleep.
He is (thank god!) still sleeping when Jack returns with his trick (Michael Dias), whom he insists on calling Wolf. A truly hilarious scene follows – Jack makes inept advances but is preposterously ambivalent about jumping Wolf’s bones, in yet another case of distinctly disparate views! Ben wakes up (naturally) and has the predictable reaction, particularly when Jack introduces his new inamorato as Wolf. At length Ben goes reluctantly back to bed.

If I go any farther I’ll start running into spoilers. Suffice it to say that, unlike Little Red Riding Hood, the carnage is not the final outcome but just another plot twist. [Note: The theatre considerately marks the seats where you might get splashed.]

The production was truly awesome. The set is the first thing you notice of course, and Scenic Designer Rose Johnson left plenty of room for the (considerable) action: one couch, one drinks cart, and one bed (in a weird little alcove festooned with red streamers), and that’s it. Oh, no, wait: there’s also an axe. With Costume Designer Madeline Felauer they’ve created a totally dichromatic production – everything, but everything, is red and black. And I’d be remiss not to repeat kudos to Felauer’s costumes. Ben and Wolf were dressed normally (in black and red), but Narrator Marshaun was gorgeous in a teensey weensey little black dress and stiletto heels. And as for Jack … Gardy Gilbert gave Felauer a stunning canvas to work with, and she made him stone scrumptious.

They all acted as good as they looked, truly! – but I have to give a hefty dose of the credit to Lighting Designer Piper Kirchhofer for helping to set the emotional tenor of each scene. It ain’t easy to light that tiny black box, but she managed famously! Same goes for Music Director Philip Matthews and Sound Director Angela Joy Baldesare; together they gave us just the right aural backdrop. Just out of curiosity, I wonder how often in their career Props Designer Evy Burch has had to provide an actual bucket of blood (for Mashaun to drizzle and dapple and dump).

I regret to say that the violence wasn’t always convincing. It may have been my perspective, off to extreme stage left, but I think Fight & Intimacy Director Courtney Abbott still has some work to do. Mind, my bar is set high – just last week I saw Duchess of Malfi, and the Babes with Blades rival Quentin Tarantino for gratuitous gore!

I’ve already said all four actors were superb, but I’m not going to just leave it at that. Servantes (Ben) was masterfully neurotic – he’ll probably have to get over a few tics behind this role! Narrator was a challenging part, but Marshaun was perfect, and super-funny! Gilbert (Jack) managed the ultra-rapid badinage masterfully, and Dias (Wolf) simply rocked my world.

"Wolves" is perhaps one of those hybrid pieces: it’s comedic but not a comedy; it’s about love and sex but it’s not a romance; tragedy doesn’t really fit either, and calling it slasher would be oversimplifying. Yockey braids all these genre together into a droll, poignant, blood-curdling whole.

The "Wolves" script is all about timing: one must act at exactly the right split second to keep the duologues surging along at breakneck speed: Ben and Jack had a great many ultra-rapid exchanges with never a bobble. And the abrupt finger-snap stop-actions giving Narrator the floor were executed flawlessly. That kind of precision is only possible with exceptionally skillful direction. Luckily, WOLVES was directed by Dusty Brown, with Assistant Kezia Waters. Brown is awesome, and they did their usual splendid job with "Wolves."

FYI, Brown is also Redtwist’s artistic director, so look for lots of good stuff from Redtwist this season. Their next production, Larry Kramer’s iconic NORMAL HEART, is almost sold out already, despite its not even having definite dates yet! Redtwist has a grant from City of Chicago for renovation, and will put on a new face and extra amenities without sacrificing its signature little black box vibe.

My increasing cognizance of all that’s happening behind the scenes has given me special appreciation for the Stage Manager, and my hat’s off to Raine DeDominici. "Wolves" was a complicated show. What does a stage manager actually do? Everything.’"Wolves" could have been total bedlam; would have been, without DeDominici’s extraordinary guidance and governance. Kudos, kudos.

In summary: do not buy tickets to "Wolves" if you’re looking for a pleasant, relaxing evening. Expect to leave "Wolves" feeling bewildered, rattled, stunned, disquieted … and awestruck. One final caveat: when I left the theatre I was really glad it’d been a matinee and the sun was still shining. In fact, I’m going to try to limit myself to matinees for a while. There’s "Wolves" out there in the dark.
"Wolves" plays at Redtwist Theatre through November 5

What’s the line between faith and reason? That’s the question at the center of playwright John Pielmeier’s contemporary classic ‘Agnes of God’. The reliable ensemble at Redtwist Theatre creates an atmospheric production that leaves an indelible impression.

‘Agnes of God’ tells the story of a young, mentally impaired nun who is charged with infanticide after a strangled baby is found in her room. Inspired by a true story, Pielmeier digs deeper, past the tabloid shlock, and finds meaning in tragedy. Though nothing of divine intervention was determined in the real case, this play asks, what if there had been? Is the age of miracles definitively in the past?

In Pielmeier’s version, Agnes is written as a true innocent who the Mother Superior of the convent believes might really be talking to God. When atheist psychiatrist Dr. Livingstone is assigned by the court to evaluate Agnes’ mental health, her scientific certainties are put to the test.

The three-woman cast in director Clare Brennan’s production feature two Redtwist ensemble members: Jacqueline Grandt, Debra Rodkin, and regular player Soleil Perez in meaty roles. And the immersive black box performance space heightens the sense of intimacy to that of a confessional booth.

Jacqueline Grandt as Dr. Livingstone has several spans of direct conversation with the audience, as if she’s a lawyer giving her opening and closing statements. The uneasiness with which Dr. Livingstone’s conversations go with the Mother Superior (Debra Rodkin) are visually represented by one of the show’s minimal set pieces—a slanted desk. Through the frankincense fog, we see that Mother Superior might not be telling the entire truth. Soleil Perez plays a wild, and untamed Agnes whose stage presence makes you wonder if maybe she is a heretic after all.

Unique stage lighting and taught scenes give this production an edge. Jacqueline Grandt is captivating and her transformation from harsh chain-smoking criminal psychiatrist to vulnerable sceptic brings more nuance to the stage than perhaps what’s in the script. It’s on her performance this play really hinges. Grandt is an actress with confidence that she has the audience firmly in her grasp and this performance really showcases her range. She’s on stage for all two hours of the show’s running time and her intensity only builds from scene to scene.

Many contemporary writers in recent years have grappled with issues involving the Catholic church, John Patrick Shanley’s Broadway hit ‘Doubt’ comes to mind—but in that regard ‘Agnes of God’ was ahead of its time. Written in the late 70s, at a time where ‘The Exorcist’ had just electrified a mostly religious American audience a few years earlier, a film whose scares rely on an audience of believers. ‘Agnes of God’ tells a story of concealed abuse and religious conspiracy, in an era when people were less likely to question the church. Sadly, the more disturbing elements of the play remain as timely and relevant now as ever. However, scandals aside, what this play universally offers to both non-believers and believers alike is the opportunity to ask, can everything be answered by science and fact?

Through July 9 at Redtwist Theatre. 1044 Bryn Mawr Ave. http://www.redtwisttheatre.org

*Extended through July 16th

This is the fourth or fifth time I’ve seen Shakespeare’s MACBETH, though not since the 2009 Babes with Blades’ all-female-cast production. That was memorable, and continues to stand as my favorite rendition of The Scots Play. 

But Three Crows comes damn close!  Edited and most ably directed by Dusty Brown (th/th), MACBETH is Three Crows’ first production since lockdown. I’ve seen nearly a dozen shows since the lights came up in Chicago theatres. Companies are pouring the creative energy from all those dark seasons into their comeback(s), and the result is spectacular; nothing short of a Renaissance.

One issue often being addressed is gender identity. Programs include actors’ pronouns in their bios, and shows are cast without regard to gender.  And BTW, for anybody listening out there, I’m still waiting to see Macbeth produced with the Thane & his Lady cast as a male/male couple. Just sayin’!

This production puts superb actors in every role. The part of Macbeth is obviously key, and Steve Peebles (h/h) rises to the challenge magnificently, from his plaited red hair and beard to his compelling voice. His every line, every expression, eloquently express the tragedy of this brave general degenerating into madness. Though incited by witches and wife, it is Macbeth’s own long-suppressed lust for supremacy that ultimately compels him to slay his liege lord. 

Alex Amery (h/h) is a splendid Macduff, and when he proclaims “Macduff was from his mother’s womb / untimely ripp’d” I broke out in cold shivers. King Duncan is another crucial, if short-lived character, but Stephen Dunn (h/h) makes the role noteworthy, as do Brandon Beach (h/h, Malcolm), Eamon McInerny (h/h, Lennox), Richard Bronson (h/h, Ross), Nathaniel Negron (h/h, Banquo), and Kit Ratliff (th/th) as Fleance.

In addition to the eerie Weird Sisters, Hannah McAuley (sh/h), Judith Laughlin (sh/h), and Lindsey Becker (sh/h) also play Seyton, Porter, and Page, roles that exhibit Shakespeare’s customary snippets of humor. Though it’s hard to summon a snicker in the midst of treason and carnage, they truly are hilarious! But when these same players that lately provoked glee don their ghoulish tree-branch tiaras (or are those bones?), their very presence is fearsome. With their serpentine postures and ghoulish expressions, the witches hardly need invocations to send chills up one’s spine.

Catherine Councell (sh/h) is captivating as Lady Macduff. Her timid manner and extravagantly gravid belly make her violent death particularly moving.

And so I come finally to Lady Macbeth, played by Three Crows’ Artistic Director Selena Lopez (sh/h). Many actors play the Lady as contemptible, but Lopez brings a complexity to the role that gives us deeper understanding of her motives, and of the Macbeth marriage. The Queen is childless, but such is the covenant between them that Macbeth does not cast her aside. Somehow he knows he will never achieve greatness without her initiative, but they both fail to credit the decency in their souls that makes their ambitions ungovernable, so both become demented by self-reproach. And despite his fealty to his barren wife, it is Macbeth’s lack of an heir that motivates his decision to slay Banquo, whom the witches prophesied will father a line of kings. This lineage is horribly displayed to Macbeth in his remorseful specters.

Which touches on the amazing work of the Creative Team. Where to begin in such a brilliantly produced work? Set & Props Designer Kelliann Keeler (sh/h) uses the limited space ingeniously – the addition of a cistern at center stage is a clever solution to several scenes, from the Macbeth’s washing their hands to disposal of Banquo’s corpse and its reappearance as a ghost, along with the other apparitions conjured by King Macbeth’s insanity.

None of these effects could be credible without the skillful work of Lighting Designer Piper Kirchhofer (sh/h). Flashes of lightning are augmented by rolling thunder (thank you, Sound Designer Samuel (h/h) Fitzwater-Buchart!), and the lights are key to setting the mood throughout. Speaking of sound, I can’t say if Director and Stage Manager Amy Rappa (sh/h) specifically instructed the soldiers to stomp heavily during entrances and exits, but it’s effective on several levels, not the least of which is the vibration shaking my chair. Technical Direction comes from Nathaniel Negron (h/h), in addition to his work as Banquo. House Manager Sam Karpowitz kept the venue safe for the sold-out event.

Stage fighting is a challenge in such close quarters, but Violence Designer Michael Bevis (h/h) manages by staging the battles in slowed motion – a realistic approach, as the characters are using the claidheamh-mòr, or Scottish broadsword. This two-handed sword used by 16th-century Highland Scots averaged five feet in length, and its weight made it a singularly unwieldy weapon.

Kudos to Costume Designer Selena Lopez (in addition to her other trivial [sic] duties as Artistic Director and Lady Macbeth!). I do so love men in skirts! (as I once told a kilted Scotsman in Glasgow; he was so tickled he gave me a bite of his fish-n-chips – both the chips and his legs were scrumptious). And does Lopez also manage the Makeup? It’s brilliant: Macbeth’s eyes are piercing – and I already mentioned the Weird Sisters.

It doesn’t matter how many times one sees MACBETH – new productions always evoke new details to exclaim over.

At the Redtwist Theatre in Edgewater. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

There’s nothing new about Antigone. Sophocles wrote it in 440BC, and we all read it (under duress) in high school, my most vivid memory of which is Mrs. Thatcher printing ‘ANTIGONE’ on the chalkboard, and Patrick Tyrrell sneaking up to print ‘P’ at the beginning. Recent adaptations have used Antigone to comment on The Patriot Act; have styled the dead Polynices as a terrorist threat and Antigone into a "dangerous subversive;" and as a commentary on the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

Today, Redtwist Theatre presents a new translation by Anne Carlson, whose “light-fingered, colloquial and cutting” language provides a fresh view of Greek tragedy in the twenty-first century. Her translation makes the entire production not only accessible but topical.

The story is simple. Antigone is sister to Eteocles and Polynices, who led opposing sides in Thebes' civil war and died fighting each other for the throne. Kreon, king of Thebes decrees that Eteocles will be honored while the rebel brother Polynices lies unsanctified on the battlefield. Antigone defies the edict,buries her brother, and argues the immorality of the edict and the morality of her own actions.

Kreon remains intransigent until blind Tiresias prophesies that all of Greece will despise him. Urged on by the terrified Chorus, Kreon finally relents. Too late, of course: Antigone has hanged herself and a grieving Haemon attacks Kreon, then slays himself. Kreon, beside himself with remorse, then learns his wife Eurydice has killed herself. Kreon, a broken man, stumbles away.

So many of the themes portrayed in Antigone speak directly to 2022. It exposes the dangers of the absolute ruler, a king to whom few will speak their true opinions freely and openly– does that ring any bells? Civil disobedience is a major theme: the individual’s right to reject society's infringement on her freedom to perform a personal obligation. Certainly SCOTUS would do well to reflect on this.  Citizenship is also at issue: Kreon holds that citizenship is a contract, and Polynices’ attack on the city revokes his citizenship. For Kreon, as absolute ruler of the state, loyalty to the state comes before family fealty. He is punished by Haemon killing himself when he finds Antigone dead.

Redtwist Theatre is a tiny storefront venue that takes advantage of its close quarters by inviting the audience into the action. Director Christine Freije extends this – at first I thought the various people sweeping the floor and wiping the walls were … I don’t know, maybe being extra-careful about covid cleanliness? until Antigone arrests them by slamming her shovel into the ground.

Antigone, played by Isabel Alamin, beautifully portrays the deeply-committed and doomed woman. When she’s onstage one sees nobody else. Natalie Welber, as her sister Ismene, demonstrates the ambivalence of a law-abiding citizen wrenched from her comfort zone by love of family. Brian Parry paints the spectrum from Kreon’s monarchical obstinacy to the anguish of a bereaved father and husband, and Nick Shank’s Haemon ably depicts filial love eroding under Kreon’s stubbornness. Peter Ferneding brings a welcome injection of humor as Guard. As so often in Greek theatre, Chorus has a big role, and Andrew Bosworth as its leader keeps the story woven together. The remainder of the Chorus played additional roles: Joan Nahid [Euridice], Peter Ferneding [Guard], Maddy Moderhack [Messenger] and Javier Carmona [Teiresias] slid effortlessly from one role to another.

I can’t wait another minute to praise Costume Designer Anna Bodell! I do some sewing myself, and I have to admit I was occasionally diverted from the play’s action by trying to figure out: what is he wearing? and how did she do that?!  Ordinary clothes are pieced together in extraordinary ways, with stunning results.

The stark simplicity of the set and economy of props keeps our focus on the performances, while light and sound preclude a curtain. Director Christine Freije knits it all together seamlessly – and all is made possible by Anne Carlson’s fresh translation.

I loved Antigone – I may go see it again!

Let me apologize for gushing (and being late with this review), but Brian Parry’s performance as King Lear at Redtwist Theater is nothing short of astounding. One of the finest Shakespeare performances I have ever seen, Parry brings goosebumps and rushes from his first few lines. He acts the role deeply and well. He is King Lear.

But Parry is also a consummate thespian, there is no other way to describe it – a master of delivery of the Elizabethan English, with cadence and emphasis so deft that the language is clear as a bell. While English is filled with ancient words whose meaning changes over centuries, the new meanings are accretions on top of the old ones. When uttered with skill, we hear with both our modern minds and our primitive souls. With Parry we hear it all.

My intuition tells me every actor on that stage knows what Parry is up to. I have to imagine they were all drawn to this demanding work because of their passion for it, and perhaps because they would have a chance to be immersed in such a wonderful enterprise with Parry as Lear. 

The story of King Lear is a mythical tragedy, a storyline set up by Shakespeare to allow for drama. The aging king decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters. Determining which portion to give to each, he asks them how much they love him.

The oldest, Goneril (Jacqueline Grant) and middle daughter, Regan (KC Karen Hill) both married, are effusive in their expressions, and they warm the cockles of Lear’s soul. Hill and Grant open what will be noteworthy performances, on par with Parry.

But his youngest daughter, Cordelia, is less effusive, and more rational – pointing out to Lear she must love him more since she has no husband splitting her away from him. Angry, Lear disinherits and banishes Cordelia and the Earl of Kent (Cameron Feagin) who has defended her. Cordelia’s suitor abandons her after this loss of wealth – though the King of France steps in to marry and rescue her.

Enter tragedy, as we learn the people who really love Lear have been cast off, and the two oldest daughters and their husbands begin to diminish Lear’s standing – refusing his 150 person retinue, and tossing him between castles like an unwanted in-law.

The whole company is so remarkably good there is not a performance that falters – an electricity of excellence coursing through the stage. Particularly impressive were Kayla Raelle Holder as Lear’s youngest daughter Cordelia and Mark West as Edmund, illegitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester. Cordelia challenges Lear, and Holder has the chops to do it. Edmund is conniving and duplicitous, a bastard figuratively and literally – and West’s eyes glisten with his evil cunning.

Complicated roles and performances were those of King Lear’s Fool (Liz Cunningham) and the Earl of Gloucester’s legitimate son, Edgar (Robert Hunter Bry). Both play their character, as well as an alternate characters. Cunningham’s Fool took awhile to grow on me, for Shakespeare makes fools speak in puzzling ways – but I caught on.

And Bry’s Edgar is unprepossessing at first, outshown by his half evil half brother Edmund. When he adopts alternate characters - one a rustic bumpkin who guides his blinded father to safety - Bry shines. It occurred to me after this show that I had never really seen King Lear live before – though I have seen scenes from it. The role calls to actors – Glenda Jackson notably took it on in New York recently – and this production at Redtwist Theatre gives us a glimpse of the best that actors can be when inspired. Don’t miss it (it runs through August 2 at Red Twist Theatre at 1104 W Bryn Mawr. 

"Attention must be paid," Arthur Miller pleads in his Pulitzer Prize winning play "Death of a Salesman." What is now required reading, "Death of a Salesman" asks its audience to consider the worth of one pathetic old man. The play debuted in 1949, at a time when America was coming out of a war and questioning the value of personal fulfillment. For that theme alone this play will always be relevant. 

The intimate space at Redtwist Theatre makes for an overwhelming experience. In many of the scenes there's an almost voyeuristic feel. As if you're in someone's living room listening to something you shouldn't. Director Steve Scott uses this atmospheric effect to create a palpable intensity. After the lights go out on the final scene, an audience gasped in unison. 

Brian Parry delivers a powerhouse performance as Willy Loman. Both tough and weak at the same time. His Loman is still feisty, making the ending all the more tragic. Jan Ellen Graves' Linda Loman is played calm and collected and rarely sentimental, but lively when the moment is right. Matt Edmonds gives a standout performance as Biff. There are such revelations in Edmonds' interpretation. 

Like Tennessee Williams and Eugene O'Neill, Arthur Miller knew America. He knew the sad and melancholic ways average people live. "Death of a Salesman" should make us uncomfortable. We should bristle at the idea of one average man getting used up and thrown away. It's a warning that if you don't take control of your own destiny, society will toss you aside. Willy Loman skirts through life on quick fixes and delusions. In a way, all of us are Willy Loman and Miller asks us to look beyond the superficial. As "On the Road" had also inspired a younger generation to live life differently than their parents, so does "Death of a Salesman." The moral here is that nobody wants to end up as Willy Loman. 

Through March 5 at Redtwist Theatre. 1044 W BrynMawr 773-728-7529

www.Redtwist.org 

It is with a heavy heart I confess that I cannot recommend the play Eroica.  David Alex’s melodrama is not without merit or redeeming character – but for most people it will probably not be worth spending 70 minutes to extract them.  

The story is compelling and worth telling: during the height of the Vietnam War, college was a refuge for young men wanting to avoid being drafted. A nascent war resistance movement was not widely embraced, and the “average American” at the time viewed “draft dodgers” with suspicion. 

This was especially so in small towns in the Great Plains states, where Eroica is set. Playwright Alex is dead-on in rendering the details of the story of that time. America has not yet relinquished its perception of itself as an ever-righteous world savior, honed in World War II. But the war in Vietnam is not going well. Better-off young men go to college, or join the Army Reserve – as did President George W. Bush – to avoid the military. Its ranks swelled with the less affluent. Some young men fled to Canada, others ended up conscripted.

Alex’s story turns on a champion high school basketball coach, Victor (Felipe Carrasco) young enough to be in the Army, but who has somehow earned a medical deferment from the draft. The action, and plot, turns on one of his former charges, Charles (Garrett Young), a top basketball player, who was kicked off the team by the coach after he tore up a house in a rowdy party. This ended Charles's chance at college, and he has received his draft notice. He stalks the coach and his family as he exacts his revenge.

I’ll avoid revealing the spoiler, in case you want to see it. It is moderately entertaining. But the language of the characters is just a tad too formal. And there are some elements that are unexplained: why does the coach’s sister, Grace (Sarah Koerner), a major character, walk with a cane (or for that matter, why she is even in the play). Other elements get too much explanation: the play’s title, Eroica, is from Beethoven’s symphonic work (and the play is set during his 300th anniversary of his birth), which was first dedicated to Napoleon, then the dedication was scratched off when he named himself emperor. We hear even more about Beethoven, far more than we need to.

Here’s when we must ask whether director Maggie Speer might not have pushed back a bit on the author, to make the work more playable by the actors – who all did really good work, but needed to have better orchestration. One example: during the dramatic crescendo, in a battle between Victor and his wife Sally (Sara Pavlak Macquire) the stalking basketball player Charles who has sown these seeds of discord sits in the audience's focal point, center stage, munching pretzels and drinking beer. Charles also spends an inordinate amount of time rustling through documents while other characters aren't around. And the banter about basketball while technically precise is inaccessible and excessive for most ticket buyers.

While commending the effort here by the cast, this is a case where the playwright probably gains more from the production than the rest of the parties involved, including the audience. 

Eroica is being performed at Redtwist Theatre thru August 7th.

In a cramped police station in Southern France, a handful of men argue about why they were picked up for questioning. During the Nazi occupation of France in WWII, Germany left Vichy to be governed by France. This didn't exempt the zone from mass deportation of Jews living on false papers. Arthur Miller's "Incident at Vichy" explores the dark themes of a region living in fear, holding a mirror up to our own time.

With direction by Ian Frank, Redtwist gives a faithful production of Miller's under-produced 1964 one-act. Redtwist's best asset from show to show is the intimacy of their performance space. For a claustrophobic play like this, a better space couldn't be found. There are almost as many cast members as audience members and when the room is full, there's an inherent sense of panic.

White men arguing is pretty often seen in mid-century theatre. Usually it's a vehicle for expressing the playwright's world views. "Incident at Vichy" is a play of its time period. That's not to say Arthur Miller's words aren't chillingly relevant. As each character in question slowly divulges the reasons they may be sent away, they prioritize their own right to life over their neighbor's. In those passionate monologues, Miller cuts right to the heart of human nature, which is sometimes primal.

With a large cast and a short play, it's unusual to have so much character development. The ensemble distinguishes themselves well. The play hangs on a stand-out performance by Jeremy Trager as Von Berg (an Austrian nobleman). His character is the only one who seems to express empathy and guilt about what's happening to the people around him. David Giannini and Tim Parker balance out the cast as Bayard and Leduc and turn in strong performances as well.

"Incident at Vichy" is a story of people living in fear. It's a cautionary tale of what can happen when people are apathetic. With all this history, it's shocking in America that some would-be politicians are touting mass deportations of minority groups. To that end, Miller's play has never been more essential.

Through January 10th at Redtwist Theatre. 1044 W Bryn Mawr. 773-728-75329

What can be said about a play as often produced as 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' With every company that takes on this landmark play, a new audience is given the opportunity to spend an electrifying evening with George and Martha. As legend has it, Mr. Albee is quite stringent about his work and demands absolute faithfulness to his scripts for fear of being shut down.

It would be impossible not to consider the Steppenwolf's 2010 Tony Award winning revival of 'Virginia Woolf' when discussing Chicago's relationship with this play. Any theatre company producing this play will rightfully have some serious competition. Though, under Jason Gerace's direction at Redtwist Theatre, you wouldn’t know it.

What Gerace and Redtwist have in their favor is an intimate performance space. For nearly three hours the audience sits among the living room furniture at George and Martha's. When the drinks slosh and the one-liners fly, it’s the audience who must shift to avoid getting hit. To that end, this highly atmospheric production feels more alive and certainly more first-hand. This is not an easy script to decipher, each line is almost a world onto itself, and it can be easy to zone out in the recesses of a large theatre. Here, the dialog seems very navigable, so as the intensity heats up it seems to unfold naturally.

Given the challenge of such intricate language, there's an inherent sense of staginess. Its sense of reality is thereby heightened by exceedingly articulate dialog. Jacqueline Grandt's Martha is just plain mean and the way she slithers through her cutting monologues is almost scary. Though her glimmers of fragility in such subtle gestures as watering eyes and quivering lip are hauntingly tragic. It underscores the character's emotional instability. Brian Parry plays George as the co-dependent husband who has reached his breaking point. The calm timbre of his voice never loses it's comforting sound even as he's putting the finishing touches on Martha and their guests. He's able to play it in the way that these characters get exactly what's coming to them. His triumph is very satisfying.

The parts of Nick and Honey can honestly be what makes or breaks this play. Their characters are largely only there to fuel the fire. Elizabeth Argus is pretty spot-on as Honey. Her look brings to mind Elaine from "The Graduate" and when she's called upon in a moment of dark revelation, she delivers. It's not easy to play fake drunk without coming off as a cartoon character. Argus is very believable as she stumbles through glass after glass of brandy.

Redtwist Theatre has a very competent production on their hands. Grandt and Parry really understand their lines and because of that, both turn in rich performances that quickly cut through the melodrama. The artistic staff at Redtwist has also made this production pleasing to the eye in costume and set design. If you need another night with George and Martha, this is a storefront revival not to be missed.

Through October 11th at Redtwist Theatre. 1044 W Bryn Mawr. 773-728-7529