Displaying items by tag: Ian Maryfield

I first read JRR Tolkien’s trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, when I was eleven; since then I have reread the entire story almost every year. My birthday is September 22, same as Bilbo and Frodo. The quote [NOT that of the One Ring!] tattooed on my arm is in Sindarin, the Elvish language. I travelled to New Zealand on an LotR tour and later lived in NZ for 2 years. So, understand that I’m not just a fan of, but fanatical about The Lord of the Rings. Believe me when I say I most definitely know Tolkien’s type.  

In 1999 when the first of the three movies came out, I was terrified, as I’ve never seen a movie based on a book I loved that was not totally calamitous. But Peter Jackson is a god, and he did as wonderful an adaptation as humanly possible (though I’ll never forgive him for Faramir).

So, when I first learned that the Chicago Shakespeare Theater was producing Lord of the Rings onstage, I immediately put in a request to review it for Buzz Center Stage. As the event drew closer, however, I started getting anxious: LotR a musical?! But my misgivings lightened as, about ten minutes before the production began, costumed characters started larking about together onstage and off-. And the opening song, ‘The Road Goes On’, melted my doubts (as well as my heart) altogether: it was beautiful, and so right!

From the start it was clear there were two distinct groups in the sold-out house: those who were LotR fans (though I daresay few as monomaniacal as myself), and those who were meeting hobbits, elves, and wizards for the first time. My companion was of the latter group – he knew the basics of the story but had no true familiarity with it – so exploring his views made an interesting counterpoint with my own.

The cast and company were enormous; forgive me if I don’t praise everyone individually but only comment on the standouts.

Only the expertise and artistry of Directors Edward Hall and Kimberly Motes could produce such a monumental show. I’ll always see Aragon as quintessentially Viggo Mortensen, but Bob Mason’s casting was spot on: Will James Jr. fully engaged me in the role. Sir Ian McKellan is a tough act to follow, but Tom Amandes’ Gandalf was magnificent. The Hobbits – Eileen Doan as Merry, Ben Mathew as Pippin, Michael Kurowski as heroic Sam Gamgee, and Rick Hall as Bilbo – were all sensational – though I wish we’d heard more from them and gotten to know them better. Frodo’s is a very complex character, from the lighthearted Frodo of Bag End to the tormented Frodo on Mount Doom; a challenge for any actor. Elijah Wood nailed it of course, and so amazingly did Spencer Davis Milford. [It’s true Spencer isn’t (quite) as cute as Elijah, but then few folks are.]

The highest kudos I must reserve for Tony Bozzuto, whose portrayal of Gollum was phenomenal. Bozzuto accomplished the physical gymnastics of that kinetic creature and faultlessly enacted the contradictory mindset of that haunted, driven … what? not a person, more a wraith or an apparition, and a groveling vassal of the unholy trinity: the Ring, the Dark Lord, and Frodo Baggins, simultaneously and irreconcilably. Poor Gollum! Bozzuto managed to incite in me both Sam’s cynical aversion and Frodo’s compassionate empathy. He owned the stage whenever he appeared.

Justin Albinder (Legolas), Ian Maryfield (Gimli), and Matthew C Yee (Boromir) completed the Fellowship of the Ring, appointed by Jeff Parker as Elrond (and later pursued by Parker as Saruman). Unfortunately, we never got a chance to know any of them, aside from a few quips (“Never trust an Elf!”)

LotR is no chick flick; it’s totally a bloke’s story, but the sensual Arwen (Alina Taber) injected a bit of estrogen. I was disappointed at Galadriel: Lauren Zakrin played the terrifyingly beautiful elven queen, but the sound / mic system (Chicago Sound Designer Nicholas Pope) failed to capture the full range of Zakrin ‘s lovely soprano voice.  

Spencer Davis Milford as Frodo and Lauren Zakrin as Galadriel in Chicago Shakespeare’s US premiere of The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale, based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved trilogy of books.

The most awesome scene in the movie Fellowship of the Ring is when Gandalf defies the Balrog, and by far the most wrenching scene is the desolation of the Fellowship, most especially Frodo, when Gandalf falls. This production gave us none of that. We barely hear Gandalf’s final gasp of “Fly, you fools!”. Then, when the Fellowship reconvenes afterwards, there is no reaction from the characters. Aragorn rather reminded me of the monitor on a primary school trip: “Everyone get to the bathroom? All here? Ok, let’s go”.

It was necessary, of course, to cut a great deal of material to bring the production in at three hours. One thing they cut was Book Two, The Two Towers. There’s no mention of Rohan at all, only nominal lines from Treebeard (voice by John Lithgow). They don’t go to Minas Tirith, no acknowledgement of (let alone depiction of a battle) Helm’s Deep. I don’t mind skipping Tom Bombadil, I never much liked him any road, but why on earth does Gandalf mention him at the end? Those unfamiliar with the books were left thinking ‘Huh? Tom Bombadil? Who dat?’

Scenic and Props Designer Simon Kenny, working with David Castellanos’ Stage Management crew, had a monumental task enacting the myriad venues and tableaus the characters move through, from the buoyant gaiety of the Shire, through the mystical glory of Lothlorien, to the malevolent horror of Mordor, with all number of epic battles generously interspersed. These phantasmagorias were enhanced by Light Designer Rory Beaton (albeit with a couple of glitches). Many of Kenny’s costumes were superb – the Black Riders in particular were truly terrifying – but not so much with the monsters, Balrog et al. And I’m not sure about Galadriel’s outfit; I kept losing track of the action in speculating whether it was a dress or a catsuit.

Oh! The Music! … yeah, that’s right; this is a musical. Book and lyrics were written by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus, and the music composed by AR Rahman, Värttinä, and Christopher Nightingale. Each composer’s background and style was evident within the whole.

Christopher Nightingale is a prolific composer, orchestrator, director, and conductor, celebrated in the UK as well as the US. AR Rahman is said to have ‘redefined contemporary Indian music’. His music has been brought to national attention by multiple Academy Awards, Grammys, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA, and he brought his Eastern imprint to bear on the music of THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Värttinä is a contemporary Finnish group with a folk music/roots-based style, using multiple vocals and instrumentalists to combine traditional Finno-Ugric elements with traditional and original compositions.

I can’t pinpoint which portion of which songs derived from which composer, but it’s my private opinion that Värttinä’s folkloric imprint was what brought special charisma and bewitchment to my favorite compositions in THE LORD OF THE RINGS. For example, the introductory The Road Goes On and both enactments of Song of the Traveller were exquisite. And in Act 2, Now and for Always was resplendent, coupling Sam’s poignant lines with Gollum’s piteous voice.

Other numbers, unfortunately, did not rise to this level. Some I must describe as saccharine and others vapid: trite, repetitive, and/or simply too damn long. The production could benefit from using some of that unproductive time by deepening other portions of the show.

The Finale was, in a word, jarring. The message throughout Act II is that, after such frightful trials and momentous events, however triumphant, life simply cannot “go back to normal”. Yet Finale seems to be attempting to bring the story full circle, returning to the celebratory ambience of the Birthday Party in the Shire. A song that combined consolation with hope would, to my mind, be more harmonious with the canon.

[Sorry, can’t help it; I’m a hopeless LotR nerd! Geek]

Jeff Parker as Elrond and Spencer Davis Milford as Frodo, at center, with Will James Jr. as Aragorn, Ian Maryfield as Gimli, Eileen Doan as Merry, Michael Kurowski as Sam, Alina Jenine Taber as Arwen, Ben Mathew as Pippin, Tom Amandes as Gandalf, Justin Albinder as Legolas, and Matthew C. Yee as Boromir.

The acting was universally excellent, from the pivotal roles of Frodo, Gandalf and Gollum to those of Rosie Cotton (Suzanne Hannau) and the Ensemble: Joey Faggion, Mia Hilt, James Mueller, Jarais Musgrove, Hannah Novak, Adam Qutaishat, Laura Savage, Bernadette Santos Schwegel, and Arik Vega. Amandes was absolutely magnificent in Gandalf’s confrontation of the Balrog at the Bridge of Khazad-dúm. James’ Aragorn was regally magnetic; he brought Aragorn’s character deftly and smoothly from the rude Ranger of the North to the august High King of Gondor.

Frodo … Frodo Frodo Frodo. One of my favorite characteristics of Frodo is that of a reluctant hero – a small and insignificant person who finds himself a hero by simply doing what must be done. Milford’s acting was compelling and poignant, capturing this subtle but crucial quality. And I’ve already spoken of Bozzuto’s brilliance as Gollum.  These two actors delivered Tony-level performances.

The choreography and movement, directed by Anjali Mehra, with Fight Captains Ian Maryfield and dance captain Laura Savage, were less impressive. Again, the opening scene and song was very well done, but that good first impression was not sustained. In several scenes the ‘dancing’ consisted of merely keeping the bodies in motion with no rationale or allure, particularly with the orcs. Granted, orcs possess negligible symmetry, not to mention allure. However, the Nazgul’s maneuvers and actions in the early scenes [Flight to the Ford] were quite effective in communicating menace. [NOTE: A Maori haka* illustrates how eloquently movements can convey threat.] The center turntable was helpful in some scenes, but it doesn’t work to simply send the actors in circles as they make duplicative gestures.

The fight scenes were augmented by Beaton’s light shows, though they must be carefully coordinated to enhance without obscuring – a couple of poorly-timed light effects left the principals in the dark. And the special effects were not very special: once the Nazgul lost their horses we never saw them again (though the shriek was very well done). The Balrog … meh. And worst of all was at Mount Doom; we saw no trace of the Ring, and the explosion was decidedly anticlimactic.

The most important omission was the emotion. I mentioned the absence of grief at Gandalf’s fall, but the more important exclusions were in defining the characters and their interpersonal relationships. Sam’s love and devotion to Frodo was barely hinted at, though this relationship is of paramount importance from the beginning, in his insistence on accompanying his Master, to the end, where he is essential to Frodo’s ability to complete his Quest. Instead, it’s simply puzzling when Sam volunteers to carry the Ring. Nor do we see Frodo’s gradually falling under the Ring’s enchantment, so the climactic scene where he declares he will keep It became a ‘where’d that come from?’ moment. Similarly, we have no clue that Boromir is coming under the Ring’s spell until suddenly, at an inappropriately hectic moment, he makes a grab for it.

I could go on and on – but don’t panic, I won’t. Suffice to say that THE LORD OF THE RINGS - a Musical Tale has hobbits and elves, wizards and dwarves in the cast, but the story isn’t about them. The characters and their stories get lost, becoming merely a placeholder between songs, many of them with minimal relevance to the action (and variable quality).

In summary: I simply can’t evaluate THE LORD OF THE RINGS - a Musical Tale objectively. I’m not merely familiar with Tolkien’s work, I’ve spent countless hours immersed in it. I’m not simply knowledgeable about Middle Earth, I’ve lived there. And in this venue, I won’t elaborate on just how intimately acquainted I’ve been with the characters, as well as with the actors whom Peter Jackson selected to portray them. My companion, unfamiliar with the Trilogy, was enraptured by most of THE LORD OF THE RINGS - a Musical Tale.  For myself, I was too knowledgeable about (and I daresay too emotionally invested in) Tolkien’s stories to simply enjoy the show.

So, I’m telling you that, on the heavily-weighted scale of my judgment, THE LORD OF THE RINGS - a Musical Tale failed to tip the balance. However, I still RECOMMEND the program. So long as you’re not a total Tolkienophile, obsessed with the Canon and unable to tolerate even minor infringements, you will enjoy THE LORD OF THE RINGS - a Musical Tale. 

Recommended!

* The haka is a ritual dance that Maori warriors perform when commencing a fight. The New Zealand Rugby team, theAllBlacks, performs a haka on the field before each match.

I think my favorite thing – well, one of my favorite things – about Wyatt Kent’s take on HAMLET is imagining just how much fun everyone must have been having with it! everyone except Hamlet, of course, but the entire play is about Prince Hamlet (Ashley Fox) having a Very. Bad. Day.

HAMLET is one of Shakespeare’s tragedies, no argument about that, and certainly the corpses littering the stage in the final act [I don’t have to worry about spoilers here, right?] cannot be anything but tragic. But Director Kent broadened the scope, extended our range of understanding HAMLET, by making us laugh.

Yes, I know Shakespeare injects touches of humor into every play – even Macbeth has a few chuckles – but I’m talking about a far more inclusive and deliberate thing here. Last summer I saw Midsommer Flight’s production of Cymbeline, billed as tragedy but staged as comedy. Director Beth Wolf created a totally brilliant comedy while staying true to the Bard’s script word for word. Kent worked the same magic on HAMLET, a categorically tragic work, with sensational results.

In retrospect I realize there was some humor evident as early as Act 1 Scene 1, where Horatio (Reginald Hemphill) sees the Ghost, but I had arrived at the theatre expecting to see HAMLET, a tragedy, so it took a minute to wrap my mind around what was happening up there. And that’s OK! – it worked really well for me to pick up on it only gradually ….

Act 1, Scene 3: Ophelia (Julia Rowley) was saying farewell to her brother Laertes (Ian Maryfield) and, OK, she did go a tad OTT what with leaping into his arms and knocking him to the floor, but I was still considering the desultory laughter misplaced, not to mention rude. Then Polonius (Zach Bloomfield) begins to deliver his loving, solicitous, concerned, pompous, long-winded, verbose, garrulous, interminable paternal speech to his son and at that point it was a no-brainer – the production was categorically comedic. In any production Polonius will be a garrulous guy, that’s who Polonius is, and Bloomfield skillfully played this bombastic buffoon with maximum drollery, making us chuckle all through ‘neither a borrower nor a lender be.…’ Laertes rolling his eyes at Dad’s balderdash was another unmistakable clue as to where Kent was taking us.

I repeat - not one syllable was altered in the script of HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK; it was the artistry of Kent’s vision and the genius of the actors that transmogrified HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK from dramatic tragedy to black comedy. Brilliant!

More giggles in store in Act 2, when Harrison Lampert (Rosencrantz) bumbled, fumbled, and stumbled his way onstage, befriended and ballyhooed by Mary Townsend Cahoon as Guildenstern. Every scene with these two was L.O.L. funny! And again, it was the actors’ postures, expressions and intonation – in a word, their acting – that morphed Shakespeare’s lines into one-liners.

Polonius again exercises his loquacious and circumlocutory logorrhea to alert King Claudius (Robert Koon) and Queen Gertrude (Kelly Levander) that Prince Hamlet has gone mad. Furthermore, Polonius posits the pathogenesis of Hamlet’s madness is none other than that enigmatic enchantment that oft-times doth drive strong men nuts … love.

Right then, that covers the major players. Others included Josh Razavi (Gravedigger et al), Tatiana Pavela (Player etc.) and Tulsi McDaniels (Osric and others) and all did colossal justice to their multiple roles in many scenes.

I can’t leave the cast without some shout-outs to my favorites – you all know I unapologetically play favorites in my reviews! First is Ashley Fox as Hamlet; he is the sole character who doesn’t participate in the farcical variation, and I imagine it was a challenge for Fox to retain that bleak and gloomy aspect amidst the hilarity of her fellows. She truly did a stellar job! 

I already mentioned Lampert and Cahoon’s (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s) wonderful waggery – by their third or fourth appearance we were laughing in anticipation as soon as they took the stage! Likewise, Zack Bloomfield’s Polonius – even his mustache was weirdly chucklesome.

Alarum: I had a bag of Skittles and (probably channeling Rosencrantz) dropped it! Losing the Skittles was oh-so-what, but they rolled like BB’s into the aisles where actors were dashing about. Just my luck if an actor slipped on my sweets and the evening relapsed back into tragedy! From my seat I couldn’t reach to sweep ‘em away, but Ian Maryfield, lovely Laertes, stepped off the stage [and, more difficult, out of character!], to scrape the treacherous little treats out of harm’s way. Gratitude galore to the gallant Laertes! And, just BTW, his performance was every bit as striking as his chivalry. Ian, if you’re reading this: 

I’ll begin my production plaudits with Casting Director Becca Holloway for assembling this phenomenal team. I’ve seen lots of gender-bending casting, particularly in this PC (post-Covid) era, but it seemed that Holloway was simply gender- as well as color-blind, selecting the actor best suited for each role without regard to anything but their talent. I don’t know if that really was her strategy, but it certainly was the outcome.  

And naturally the finest cast won’t deliver the finest production without the finest Direction, which Wyatt Kent delivered, assisted by Sean William Kelly (Assistant Director) and Technical Director Andy Cahoon – who also collaborated on Props with Mary Townsend Cahoon – who also sparkled as Guildenstern. This production was all about multi-tasking, yeah? For Fight and Intimacy Design, I just last week saw Babes With Blades do The S Paradox, so my bar was set really high, but Jamie MacPherson and Fight Captain Ian Maryfield cleared that bar with room to spare!

Pictured left to right - Kelly Levander as Gertrude, Ian Maryfield as Laertes, Ashley Fox as Hamlet

Dr Lexi Signor’s Music was flawlessly selected, and Text Coach Meredith Ernst conveyed excellent translations of iambic pentameter. Sebby Woldt (Sound), Derryl (Lighting) and Rose Johnson (Scenic Design) generated an impeccable environment to sustain both the indigenous tragedy of HAMLET as well as Kent’s comic interpretation – no mean feat, that! In addition, have I mentioned that HAMLET was performed in the round?!  I felt smug at having got a seat in the perfect spot – until several people seated elsewhere said the same thing. How did dey do dat?

No, I haven’t forgotten Costume Designer Madeline Felauer, I was just saving the best for last. Felauer chose to bedizen the characters with a surrealistic thread. Hamlet wore a shapeless moth-eaten sweater, while Queen Gertrude was in a dress Jackie Kennedy might have worn, a mink stole, and 3” pumps. For Ophelia, picture an exceptionally odd floor-length orange fishnet … um, thing … over a miniskirt. Other characters ran the gamut from ugly plaid business suit to crisp, scarlet-trimmed military-style jacket, and blue jeans abounded. Overall, the effect coordinated perfectly with the mind-f*ck tragedy cum farce aspect of the production.

And of course, nothing gets to the box office without the guidance and oversight of a good Stage Manager. I once asked a friend with lots of theatre experience, “Just what does a Stage Manager do, anyway?” to which they replied, “Everything.” So … Tessa Huber did Everything, with a lil’ help from Assistant Junipero “Juni” Cruz.

I hope you have gleaned from this that I really reeeeeeally liked Red Theater’s HAMLET. This gig as a reviewer has certainly broadened my artistic horizons, particularly of The Bard. Everyone knows Shakespeare was a magnificent playwright, but I suggest that one can’t truly appreciate his works until you’ve seen them produced on Chicago’s iconic storefront stages with cast from Chicago’s wicked assemblage of outstanding actors.

I leave you with two take-home messages: (1) keep your skittles in your pocket; and (2) SEE HAMLET!!!

Playing at The Edge Off Broadway Theater Mondays and Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30, and Sundays at 3

Running through Sunday May 19.

VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!  

And with more than a dozen performances coming up you have no excuse not to go!

It’s that magical time of the year when The House Theatre of Chicago brings the inhabitants of Clara’s toy box back to life in their annual all-original The Nutcracker. For the eight’s straight year this exciting Christmas tale brings the spirit of Christmas to the Chopin theatre in Ukrainian village. The production of The Nutcracker originally premiered at the Steppenwolf Theatre in 2007 under the Visiting Company Initiative and has been produced at The House every year since 2010. The House Theatre is well known for its playful approach to classic tales, and The Nutcracker is one of its best examples. Loosely based on the story by E.T.A Hoffmann, it has the traditional elements of the original story, only with a few major changes. In House’s ballet-free version Clara’s family learns that Fritz, their beloved son and brother who is a soldier, had been killed and won’t be coming home for Christmas. Darkness descends on the family and in their grief, they stop paying attention to each other not to mention forget all about Christmas. It’s when Clara’s favorite Uncle Drosselmeyer shows up the following Christmas with a new hand-made Nutcracker toy for Clara that looks exactly like Fritz, is when the family’s wound starts to heal. The cornucopia of fun characters includes a couple of Scary Rats with British accents, giant puppets and much more.

If seeing another Nutcracker seems like a tired proposition during the holiday season, wait till you experience this. Witty dialogue, skilled puppetry, live music, singing and dancing - creators Tommy Rapley, Jake Minton, Phillip Klapperich and Kevin O’Donnell really packed the show with action. There’s even a great mini orchestra consisting of piano, cello, French horn, violin and percussion (under music director Matthew Muniz) seated by the back wall and providing live score during the show. Superb original choreography by Tommy Rapley and Hillary Aarons makes all that seemingly chaotic running through the stage and numerous lightning fast scene changes completely effortless.

Talented cast includes a very young newcomer this year: Haley Seda is excellent as Clara, and her beautiful singing voice is undoubtedly a valuable contribution to the show. Returning cast members - Rachel Shapiri as Phoebe, Desmond Gray as Fritz, Torrey Hanson as Drosselmeyer, Amanda de la Guardia as Martha, Nicholas Bailey as David and Ian Maryfield as Monkey all make the show pure magic.
Whether or not a Christmas show is on your list this holiday season, The House’s The Nutcracker will not disappoint; it’s lively yet intimate, wise yet playful, and you might want to bring your out of town guests with you (both adults and children) to brag about Chicago’s lively theatre scene. Because the magic is real!

The Nutcracker is being performed at Chopin Theatre in Wicker Park through December 30th. For more information visit www.thehousetheatre.com.