Home

Displaying items by tag: rod serling

Before he was Twilight Zone’s scriptwriter and frontman, Rod Serling broke through with the 1956 teleplay of Requiem for a Heavyweight, a powerful noire telling of a boxer on his way down. This work was originally broadcast live in black and white, and starred Jack Palance, Keenan Wynn, and Kim Hunter. In those days it was performed just once, and in this case the lone recording is of moderate quality. 

Putting such a teleplay onto the stage is transformative for the work. The audience is not limited to the camera’s viewpoint, but it tests the writing and of course, the performances. We can report that Artistic Theater’s production is absolutely first rate – first and foremost because it is very well cast, with a staggeringly good performance by Mark Pracht as Harlan “Mountain” McClintock. Pracht seems born for this role, as he is both a mountain of a man, and carefully expresses Serling's portrait of a Tennessee country boy who has taken way too many punches.

This is also a tragedy, in the Greek sense – Mountain had risen to become a contender for world heavyweight champion, but began to decline before he could get there. Like any tragic hero, he is thwarted by an antagonist: his manager, Maish Resnick (Patrick Thornton), who has skimmed profit from Mountain during his rise. Now as Mountain loses more than he wins, Maish plays a deceitful game – which creates the turning point in the play’s resolution.

Thornton is full throttle in this role, playing convincingly enough that you will come to loathe him. But even more forceful and compelling is the performance of Todd Wojcik as Army, as Mountain’s trainer and constant wingman. Wojcik’s performance is freighted with emotion and empathy, and will touch your heart.

There are a several other colorful characters in this cast, hustlers on the make that Serling drew from his own experience as a boxer. And we have a chorus of lower-level boxers and trainers, and thugs. These characters enact stylized boxer training interludes that are very powerful. And though each has a small part, it makes for a stunning effect overall. The set is a simple canvas platform – the ring – and the audience is seated around it, in a very intimate space.

There are just two female figures in Requiem, and both seem bound to be stereotypes of a 1950s male psyche: Golda (Laura Coleman), a “dame with a bad reputation” and Maish’s main squeeze. “What are you doing vertical; is there a recession on?” Maish asks her, in a reference it’s hard to imagine got through the censors.

The other female role is more substantial – Grace Carney (Annie Hogan), an employment agent who falls for Mountain as she tries to help him transition from boxing to something new. Hogan’s performance mines the role for all the meaning it can bear, and she is a strong heroine against the dastardly Maish. Her character in Requiem for a Heavyweight foreshadows another woman who supported Rocky years later.

The teleplay was influential enough to warrant a British TV version starring Sean Connery with a cameo by Michael Caine, and was turned into a 1962 film featuring Anthony Quinn in the lead. As a genre, teleplays are memories, but perhaps they foretold Netflix and Amazon movie productions. Teleplays have been tremendously influential – think of 12 Angry Men, Marty, The Days of Wine & Roses – all originated as live television productions.

Requiem for a Heavyweight is a great show, and a theatrical event. Running through March 31, there are just 50 seats per performance, so it is highly recommended you plan to attend at The Artistic Home on Grand Avenue in Chicago. 

Published in Theatre in Review

MJ THE MUSICAL is On Sale Wednesday May 28th!

27 May 2025 in Upcoming Theatre

Producers Lia Vollack, John Branca, and John McClain and Broadway In Chicago are thrilled to announce that individual tickets for the highly anticipated return engagement of…

Evanston Salt Costs Rising: Stormy souls on salted streets at First Floor Theater

26 May 2025 in Theatre in Review

Recent Chicago-area winters have been relatively easy ones. Lest we forget howling blizzards or subzero temperatures, Will Arbery’s Evanston Salt…

Corn Productions has a new original play premiering in June - Support Group For The End Of The World

26 May 2025 in Upcoming Theatre

Corn Productions announces the world premiere of “Support Group For The End Of The World” Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, June…

History. Passion. Power. A Love That Changed an Empire - Scandalous Boy at

25 May 2025 in Theatre in Review

I’m a geek, I admit it; I love seeing theatre that’s … well … real.  Like SCANDALOUS BOY – you’ve…

TimeLine Theatre Company announces milestone 2025-26 season, culminating with inaugural production at its new home in Uptown

22 May 2025 in Upcoming Theatre

TimeLine Theatre Company, celebrated for its powerful and provocative productions that connect past, present, and future, announces a landmark 29th…

RAVEN THEATRE ANNOUNCES 43rd SEASON - Dave Malloy's A Capella Musical OCTET and Terry Guest's OAK Get Chicago Premieres; TOP GIRLS Explores Feminism Through History

22 May 2025 in Upcoming Theatre

Chicago's Raven Theatre Company today announced its 43rd season, with productions appearing on its Edgewater stages at 6157 N. Clark St. in…

Marriott Theatre Continues 50th Anniversary Season with Vibrant New Jukebox Musical, Always Something There…

21 May 2025 in Upcoming Theatre

For a dose of summer fun, theatergoers are invited to grab their Walkman, cue up their favorite 80s mix tape,…

Lucid Theater to stage comedy BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY by WELLS AND WELLES playwright Amy Crider, August 1-17 at the Edge Theatre

21 May 2025 in Upcoming Theatre

Lucid Theater announced today it will present the world premiere of BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY by Chicago playwright Amy Crider, whose WELLS…

Review: HONEYPOT: BLACK SOUTHERN WOMEN WHO LOVE WOMEN at Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre in Evanston

20 May 2025 in Theatre in Review

HONEYPOT originated as a creative nonfiction book by E. Patrick Johnson, Dean of the School of Communication at Northwestern University.…

The Title Says it All in Conspirators Remarkable ‘Chicago Cop Macbeth’

20 May 2025 in Theatre in Review

It was a dark and stormy night as I motored to The Conspirators “Chicago Cop Macbeth,” with a fog of…

HAMILTON returns to Chicago in 2026

19 May 2025 in Upcoming Theatre

Broadway In Chicago announced today that HAMILTON will return to Chicago for a multi-week engagement beginning March 4, 2026 through April 26,…

Hiplet Ballerinas: A Daring Dance Revolution at Auditorium Theatre

18 May 2025 in Dance in Review

An electrifying evening of artistic fusion unfolded at the Auditorium Theatre as Hiplet Ballerinas, the professional company of the Chicago…

Blank Theatre’s SWEET CHARITY Charms with Talented Cast and Standout Choreography

17 May 2025 in Theatre in Review

We are inside the Pompeii Club. From everything Charity has told us, the club is the place to be, and…

The Antiquities: A Thought-provoking Look at Today from the Future

13 May 2025 in Theatre in Review

With AI and other technological advancements continuing to change the landscape of how we work and interact with one another,…

Riots of Laughter Greet World Premiere of 'R.U.R. [Rossum’s Universal Robots]'

13 May 2025 in Theatre in Review

Riots of laughter greeted the City Lit Theater world premiere of “R.U.R. [Rossum’s Universal Robots]” Wait. Could this be the…

Paramount Theatre extends Million Dollar Quartet until January 4, 2026

12 May 2025 in Upcoming Theatre

Paramount Theatre’s smash hit Million Dollar Quartet, a “roof-rattling…rapturous celebration of early rock ‘n’ roll” (Daily Herald), won’t stop rockin’ anytime…

See Chicago Dance Announces 2025 Chicago Dance Month Performers and FREE Events

12 May 2025 in Upcoming Dance

See Chicago Dance, the dance industry's nonprofit service organization celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025, is proud to announce organizations…

Tickets for Disney's The Lion King On Sale Now

12 May 2025 in Upcoming Theatre

Broadway In Chicago announced today that individual tickets for Disney’s The Lion King, are now on sale to the public. Tickets ranging…

Cats pounces onto the Paramount stage taking the legendary musical to soaring new heights

11 May 2025 in Theatre in Review

I’ll just say it - Cats is going to blow your mind. Now running at the Paramount Theatre, this spectacular…

Trap Door's 'Galileo,' Beautifully Produced, Is a Knowing Parable for Our Times

11 May 2025 in Theatre in Review

“Galileo” written in 1938 by German playwright Bertolt Brecht, tells the straightforward story of the 17th century physicist and astronomer’s…

Humble and Radiant: Charlotte's Web at Greenhouse Theatre

11 May 2025 in Theatre Reviews

The adage goes that you can’t choose your family but you can choose your friends. Throughout our lives, we meet…

Hell in a Handbag Productions Presents World Premiere of QUEEN FOR A DAY

09 May 2025 in Upcoming Theatre

Hell in a Handbag Productions is pleased to conclude its 2024/25 Season with the world premiere of QUEEN FOR A DAY written by…

A Chicago May Must See: Time Is A Color And The Color Is Blue at Bramble Arts Loft

06 May 2025 in Theatre Reviews

If our day-to-day lives were a collective color, it would probably be the color blue. Whether you are feeling blue,…

Steppenwolf Theatre Presents YOU WILL GET SICK - June 5 – July 13, 2025 - Chicago Premiere!

06 May 2025 in Upcoming Theatre

Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the nation's premier ensemble theater company, is pleased to present Noah Diaz's whimsical, wild, unpredictable and deeply moving Chicago…

Review: Remy Bumppo's 'Art' at Theatre Wit

06 May 2025 in Theatre in Review

A fool and their money are soon parted as the old expression goes, but what do you do when that…

BACK IN CHICAGO BY POPULAR DEMAND! TONY AND GRAMMY-WINNING BEST MUSICAL, HADESTOWN IS NOW PLAYING

06 May 2025 in Upcoming Theatre

Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to announce that HADESTOWN, the winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards® including Best New Musical and the…

Definition Theatre Presents World Premiere of Black Bone by Tina Fakhrid-Deen

05 May 2025 in Upcoming Theatre

Definition Theatre is proud to present the world premiere of Black Bone, a bold new satire by Chicago playwright Tina Fakhrid-Deen…

Hymn at Chicago Shakespeare Theater – A Soulful Exploration of Brotherhood

04 May 2025 in Theatre in Review

Stories that explore the emotional lives of men—especially Black men—are still far too rare on the American stage. Outside the…

Chicago Opera Theater presents world premiere of She Who Dared by Jasmine Arielle Barnes & Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton

02 May 2025 in Upcoming Theatre

Chicago Opera Theater (COT), Chicago’s foremost producer of new and rarely staged  operas, proudly presents the world premiere of She Who Dared by…

Outrage Made Manifest in “Bust: An Afrocurrentist Play”

30 April 2025 in Theatre in Review

Something extraordinary happens on a street in Huntsville, Alabama. Mr. Woods (Keith Randolph Smith), a hard-working Black man in the…

 

 

         19 Years and counting!

Register

     

Latest Articles

Guests Online

We have 394 guests and no members online

Buzz Chicago on Facebook Buzz Chicago on Twitter 

Does your theatre company want to connect with Buzz Center Stage or would you like to reach out and say "hello"? Message us through facebook or shoot us an email at info@buzzcenterstage.com

*This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to Buzz Center Stage. Buzz Center Stage is a non-profit, volunteer-based platform that enables, and encourages, staff members to post their own honest thoughts on a particular production.