Displaying items by tag: Jonathan Berry

"If you're not going to grow then don’t live," says Hazel in Lucy Kirkwood's play 'The Children' now running at Steppenwolf. Directed by Jonathan Berry, 'The Children' makes its area debut after extended runs on Broadway and West End. A well-cast trio of Chicago favorites will surely entice audiences.

In 'The Children', Hazel (Janet Ulrich Brooks) and Robin (Yasen Peyankov) are living in a seaside cottage on the English countryside. The location and set seem idyllic until a surprise visitor Rose (Ora Jones) comes to ask a favor. Soon we found out that they have been forced to relocate after an accident at the power plant they used to work for. In witty dialogue, Hazel and Rose discuss their current lives after having not seen each other in years. Both are older and are easing into lives of comfort in their late middle age. Hazel is impossibly optimistic and in a constant state of self-improvement, while Rose has grown cynical about the end years of her life. Robin is somewhere in the middle, literally as it's quickly revealed there's old passion between he and Rose.

It's hard to think of a play that addresses climate change and nuclear disaster quite like 'The Children'. In fact, the playwright said she struggled to think of a compelling way to relay the horrors of climate change while the whole world does nothing. Theatre is a difficult medium in which to teach scientific facts. Instead, Kirkwood focuses on character. This is a story about three characters each unique in their outlook of death.

Since this play is so reliant on character, Berry is wise to bring in heavy hitters Janet Ulrich Brooks and Ora Jones. Both have such commanding stage presence and likability that audiences are drawn in from the very first word. There's a comforting quality to Brooks' Hazel that soothes the harsh realities of rising sea levels. Jones walks a difficult line with Rose, she's able to make extremely unpleasant subject matters humorous.

'The Children' is an intimate play the confronts the issues facing humanity head on. Kirkwood isn’t afraid to touch on subject matters that make you squirm in your seat. She's taken an event like the Fukushima disaster in Japan and put it right in the western world's lap. Without being preachy, she spins a story that ordinary Chicagoans can see themselves in. While it may not be a direct call to action, it's strongly encouraged here. Despite the darkness, she gives her play an optimistic ending. As long as there are good people, there is hope.

Through June 9th at Steppenwolf Theatre. 1650 N Halsted St. 312-335-1650.

It’s the season of Arthur Miller in Chicago. It appears Miller is enjoying a renaissance right now with three of our major companies reviving his work this season. The Steppenwolf takes on "The Crucible" as their Young Adult show. Calling upon Jonathan Berry (one of the city's foremost storefront theatre directors), Steppenwolf bids for a younger audience's attention.

Berry doesn't disappoint. His vision for this show is more like MTV than stuffier productions of yore. The first act begins with hip-hop flavored choreography combined with Izumi Inaba's stylish costumes that create a sort of "sexy Halloween costume" version of "The Crucible". The alternative staging helps guide a younger, perhaps less engaged audience through the multi-cast roles and quick on-stage character changes. Berry also makes a distinct stylistic choice to gender and colorblind cast all of the roles. Performances are convincing enough that it never feels like a gimmick. Instead, it underscores Miller's theme that these characters are all of us.

The only misstep is Naimi Hebrail Kidjo's tepid Abigail. Arthur Miller's scenes between Proctor and Abigail are some of the most electrifying in modern American drama, but somehow, they rarely reach a boil here. Perhaps an underplayed Abigail helps bring the relationship between Proctor and his wife Elizabeth into sharper focus. The scenes between John (Travis A. Knight) and Elizabeth Proctor (Kirstina Valada-Viars) are gripping. Valada-Viars gives a feisty performance, making Elizabeth a stronger heroine than typically played. Knight's John Proctor is youthful and naive, but not without a quick temper and imposing figure.

The ensemble wears many hats, quite literally in some cases. Stephanie Shum swiftly moves through characters without faltering. It's hard to figure why some actors played more roles than others, but the moral backbone of the play is sufficiently taken up by Taylor Blim's Mary Warren.

For many of us, "The Crucible" occupies a greyish area of high school that we'd like to forget. The old timey language and belabored scenes are hard to get into. Even still, this is a show the Steppenwolf is aiming at school groups. Berry's version is cool. It may take some effort to get generation Snapchat into it, but for those who invest, this is a worthwhile production. "The Crucible" and "Death of a Salesman" are essential theater experiences. So much more is defined in a live performance versus a moldy permabound high school book.

Miller is hot right now because his themes are forever relevant. "The Crucible" tells us not to be sheep, but to look around and develop our own code of ethics. Jonathan Berry's modernish version of this classic work is sure to attract audiences without much theater-going experience, and what a cool introduction this would be. The key to instilling the values of Arthur Miller onto another generation is make it seem new, and this production feels fresh.

Through October 21 at Steppenwolf Theatre. 1650 N Halsted St. 312-335-1650