REVIEW: A Man of Good Hope at Chicago Shakespeare

South Africa's Isango Ensemble has brought a very entertaining and very deep production to Chicago Shakespeare that tells the odyssey of a young Somali refugee who battles poverty, crime, racism, and xenophobia in his journey across Africa.  The story is told through song and dance, and the 20 member company really works as an ensemble to tell this true story, based on a book by Jonny Steinberg.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents Isango Ensemble’s A Man of Good Hope, based on the book by Jonny Steinberg and adapted and directed by Mark Dornford-May, in the Courtyard Theater, October 4–13, 2019. Photo by Keith Pattinson.

The show features the story of Asad Abdullahi, an 8-year-old boy whose mother is murdered in front of him.  He realizes the need to leave his native Somalia, and follows a path throughout Africa, ending in a township in South Africa where he is bullied and attacked for being Somali.  Despite his travails, he manages to keep his dignity and to persevere.



The performance of the ensemble is stunning, with a number of characters taking on multiple roles, including Asad at various ages.  The direction is simple but effective, and music and dance are throughout the show.  One of my favorite aspects of the show happened as he journeyed through each country-- the country was displayed by the music and dance of that country.  Seeing that was a vivid and immediate reminder of how different each countries culture is.

One of the most moving and enlightening things about the show from a cultural perspective is seeing how South Africans feel about Somalian refugees.  There's a scene in this play that could have been in a play about 1930's Germany.   

Poor native South Africans blame the refugees for taking their jobs, and for the ills and problems that they face, even when they are simply outworking and outhustling them.  Asad and his cousin have their shop ransacked by their customers, who bandy about the word Friend as if it were a weapon.  It was pretty chilling.

Despite the tragedy, there's also a lot of comedy in the show.  The show has an operatic feel, with many of the words being sung.  This makes sense as it is a co-production of the Young Vic and Isango and the Royal Opera.  Almost all of it is in English. 

This is a show worth seeing, and one that will give you a really interesting insight into the life of refugees-- something that is sadly very relevant to our lives today.

A Man of Good Hope is presented at Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Courtyard Theater for a limited engagement, October 4–13, 2019. Single tickets ($60–$90) are on sale now. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit the Theater’s website at www.chicagoshakes.com.

For more information, visit chicagoshakes.com/goodhope.

Macbeth is Magic at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater!

I took my 9 and half-year-old son last weekend to see MacBeth at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.  The play is getting a lot of ballyhoo (and rightly so)  It is running at  Navy Pier through June 24.

Directed by Aaron Posner and Teller (of Penn and Teller) the show features a fair amount of spooky and macabre magic, as well as some beautifully staged Shakespeare.  READ AN INTERVIEW WITH THE DIRECTORS OF THE SHOW.


Here's the preview video of the show:

A troubled Lady Macbeth (Chaon Cross) is surrounded by the three Weird Sisters
 (Theo Germaine, McKinley Carter, and Emily Ann Nichelson). Photo by Liz Lauren.

My son was super excited about the show, primarily because it was being directed by Teller, and he loves magic.  I also mentioned there'd be swordfights.  I think I may have oversold it to him, however, and I think he expected to see a magic show that may have had some acting in it rather than a pretty brilliant play that happens to have some very good magic in it.  And there were swordfights, but it wasn't like the whole play was one giant swordfight.

I'd prepared him by telling him the story, which is relatively complicated (explaining the "no man born by woman" was also a little difficult)  but what was true was I hadn't prepared him for the macabre witches who dominate the show and seem to appear everywhere.  If it were a Greek play, they'd be the Chorus.  They are still a chorus because they do sing throughout the show, accenting some of the scarier parts.  (There's also an excellent percussionist, who plays a lot of sound effects in full view of the audience)  He thought the witches were "Creepy"  I will give it to him, they really are.

The Weird Sisters (McKinley Carter and Theo Germaine) confront Macbeth
 (Ian Merrill Peakes) with a prophecy of epic proportions. Photo by Liz Lauren.

I hadn't prepared him for some of the brutality in the show.  There's a fair amount of gore, and death, and just cruelty.  I wasn't quite prepared myself. I knew it was coming because I know the play pretty well, but I'd forgotten the extent of it.  When the murderers come and kill MacDuff's family, it happens right on stage, and as the child's neck gets cracked, it's a chilling moment- I held his hand and winced.

Lady Macbeth (Chaon Cross) commands her husband (Ian Merrill Peakes) to return the daggers to the scene of their crime. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

This play has a lot of classic lines (Is This a Dagger I see before me?  Out OUt Damned Spot, A Tale told by a Madman, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.)  The language is wonderful, and although a little hard for a 9 year old to parse, he did a great job at sticking with it.

The other thing that I'd forgotten is how much humor there is in the show.  The directors do a great job of eking it out.  The scene with the drunken Porter was hilariously funny (played by Mathew Floyd Miller) as were a few of the asides by MacBeth.  These moments of comedy set in relief the doom and gloom that make up a good portion of the play and brighten it (at least for a brief moment.)

Macbeth (Ian Merrill Peakes) and Macduff (Timothy D. Stickney) fight to the death. Photo by Liz Lauren.

The performances by everyone were quite good, with a special shoutout to the witches McKinley Carter, Theo Germaine, and Emily Ann Nichelson.  Of course the two Scots Mr. Mac and his lady were quite good (Ian Merrill Peakes and Chaon Cross, respectively)  I also want to shout out the scene between Duncan's son Malcolm and MacDuff.  MacDuff comes to England, and there's a scene in which Malcolm plays it off as if he was a spoiled brat.  I don't remember this scene from previous shows I've witnessed, and the scene is palpable and full of delicious tension.  It is quite well done.  (Later in that scene, MacDuff gets the word that his family has been murdered, and it is again heart-wrenching.)

Macbeth (Ian Merrill Peakes) weighs the consequences of the path he has taken in MACBETH, adapted and directed by Aaron Posner and Teller, in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, playing now through June 24, 2018. Photo by Liz Lauren.

I highly recommend seeing the production, and yes, bringing your kid.  You will have plenty to talk about on the ride home!

To find out more and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.chicagoshakes.com/plays_and_events/macbeth

Tickets start at $40, although there are special prices for under age 35.

REVIEW: Romeo and Juliet at Chicago Shakespeare

Through March 25, there's a classic (and abridged) version of Romeo and Juliet appearing onstage at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre on Navy Pier, and its full of love, intrigue, feuds, forgotten letters, sword fights, and a real life bird.

"For never was a story of more woe
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo."

Well, I can't vouch for the bird at your performance, but at the performance I saw, a real life bird was flying around the theatre,  and seemed to be making its cues on time.  I'm not sure if the bird is an Equity member or not, but it deserves some kudos.  It made the following exchange between Romeo and Juliet particularly apt:

JULIET 

Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day. 

It was the nightingale, and not the lark, 

That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear. 

Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate tree. 

Believe me, love, it was the nightingale. 

ROMEO 

It was the lark, the herald of the morn, No nightingale. 

Look, love, what envious streaks 

Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east. 

Night’s candles are burnt out, and jocund day 

Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops. 

I must be gone and live, or stay and die.

Wildlife? Or perhaps a very clever animatronic?  It didn't really matter, because the important part of our delightful afternoon was what was on the stage, not flying over it.

The show is a wonderfully clear and insightful version of Romeo and Juliet.  It's been cut down to 90 minutes, and if you didn't already know the play, you probably won't miss it.  The show is designed for younger audiences (It's part of Chicago Shakes Short Shakespeare Series- they are doing school shows at the theatre during the week, have a public performance every Saturday for 4 weeks, and then embark on a 4 week bus and truck tour throughout the Midwest. )

The opening fight between Montagues and Capulets, with
Benvolio (Andrea San Miguel, center) intervening.
"Do you bite your thumb at me, sir?"
photo by Liz Lauren courtesy of Chicago Shakes

The show starts with a prologue, but not the prologue that Shakespeare wrote.  Rather it is an appeal from one of the actors to listen to the words of Shakespeare, and if you can't understand the words, listen to the tone.  You will figure out what is going on by what we are doing and how we sound, even if you can't get all the words.  It was a very nice opening for a young audience.

About 10 years ago, I toured in a school production of Much Ado About Nothing, also severely cut down (You can read my journal about that process in this open topic on the WELL:  Shakespeare In A Hurry ) We had a similar prologue, but it was not nearly as nicely said or as nicely couched.  We started doing it because we found the better prepared our students were to see the show, the better the show went.

Romeo (Nate Santana) beseeches Juliet (Emma Ladji)
in the famous balcony scene.
photo by Liz Lauren courtesy of Chicago Shakes

But back to R& J.  The acting is all well done.  They've done some gender neutral casting (the Prince is a woman, as is Benvolio. (The woman playing Benvolio is also the fight captain for the whole show!)  And Romeo and Juliet, although not 14 years old as is theorized by Shakespearean scholars, do a great job of showing their instant attraction for one another, and speaking the entirely too florid love poems to each other.  Tybolt and Mercutio are beautifully hotheaded, and the tension between Montagues and Capulets is seen from the beginning.  There's actually quite a lot of stage combat in this show, and that kept my 8 year old son and his 8 year old friend from flagging when the language got a little too much for them.  Chicago Shakes recommends 10+.

The show is of course a tragedy, but there's a lot of comedy in the play as well.  The nurse has some wonderfully comic lines and delivery, as does Mercutio.  The comedy lessens the tension, but also makes the tragedy sadder.  By the end, when [SPOILER ALERT]Romeo poisons himself because he thinks Juliet is dead (he didn't get the Friar's letter), and then Juliet wakes up, and stabs herself because Romeo is dead, I found myself crying.  And I already knew what was going to happen!

Mercutio (Brian Grey, right) has Tybalt (Sam Pearson) at point.
But that's not the way it ends.
photo by Liz Lauren courtesy of Chicago Shakes

I want to make a particular shout out the sound designer, Mikhail Fiksel, who did an amazing job of scoring the show with non-traditional music.  The fight between Mercutio and Tybalt, which has some twists and turns, is made particularly beautiful due to the music, which underscores the menace perfectly.  I really felt that the sound design was an extra and necessary character in the play, and I don't often say that.

At the end of each production, there will be a Q& A afterwards, followed by a "meet the cast" session in the lobby.

In short, I urge you to see it, even if you've had bad Shakespearean experiences previously.  This is a great production to cut your teeth (or bite your thumb) on.

MORE INFO & PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE:   https://www.chicagoshakes.com/plays_and_events/ssromeojuliet

Tickets: Adults $34, Student (18 & under) $22
Run Time: 75 minutes

Public Performances are Saturdays at 11 am through March 25, 2017 at Chicago Shakespeare at Navy Pier.

REVIEW: Spymonkey's The Complete Deaths

I had the chance to see a great production recently at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.  It's only there through December 11, so if you want to see it, you need to hustle!

Photo by Ludovic des Cognets
provided by Spymonkey

The show is by Spymonkey, a British troupe of clowns/physical comedians.  If you've been to Las Vegas, you may have seen their work, as they created all of the comedy numbers in the Cirque du Soleil show Zumanity.  They are known for their wacky physical theatre, their crazy costumes, and their off-kilter situations and characters.

 The show is directed by Tim Crouch, who performed earlier in the year the remarkable show I, Malvolio. I reviewed that show a couple of years ago when I saw it in NY for my other blog Clownlink.  In that review  I suggested that Crouch was great, but he could take the show from an 8 to a 10 by taking a clown workshop.  Apparently, he took my advice, as he is now working with Spymonkey.  I would very much like to know if it affected his own show.

This show has as its concept the idea that the company Spymonkey (composed of four members Toby, Aitor, Petra, and Stephan) will move away from comedy to create a Great Piece of Theatre by taking all  75 of Shakespeare's onstage deaths and putting them into one show.

Photo by Ludovic des Cognets
provided by Spymonkey

It's a fantastic concept, even though one of the other performers wanted to do a bubble show instead. Toby, the rather bossy auteur, sets the tone, telling people that if they were there to see some slapstick buffoonery, they were going to be disappointed.  (Shortly after that he thanks a latecomer for bringing some new energy into the room)

As part of the set, there's a giant count-down timer, counting down each death, and every time somebody dies a buzzer goes off.  They actually have a judge/clock keeper on stage that does the honors, and as far as I know she never watches the show.  (This is part of Tim Crouch's influence-- in some of his other plays, there are random people cast in the show each night.)  There's also a number of set pieces, including a fantastic sausage making/machine that would look right at home at a production of Ubu Roi.






The death's continue apace, and luckily for us there is a fair amount of buffoonery in accomplishing them.  I don't want to spoil the show, but by the end of the first act over 50 people are dead, and there's a hilarious and quite bloody version of the classic clown gag The WasherWoman.

There's also some really powerful and moving moments, such as the death of Cinna the poet, who is murdered by a blood-thirsty mob for having the same name as one of the conspirators against Caesar.

The fly, as drawn by Chris Riddell for a very funny card game
that they sell as merchandise at the show.

Another great stage device was using a video camera to film a puppet show and they show the burning of the puppet.

In case you were wondering, those deaths include (according to the program) 23 stabbings, 12 sword fights, 5 poisonings, 2 throats cut, 1 smothering, 3 by natural causes, 4 by wounds, 2 explosions, 2 heartbreaks, 3 mob killings, 2 beatings, and 3 others through miscellaneous causes.

And one of them (and as it turns out a central one) is the death of a black, ill-humoured fly.  I was particularly amused by the Fly-Cam that appears throughout the show.

All in all the show is very funny, and I don't think you need to be so familiar with Shakespeare to enjoy it. There are moments of great absurdity, and there are moments of great importance, and sometimes they are at the same time!  I guarantee it is nothing that you have seen before.  I think it would make a great date night show.

Photo by Ludovic des Cognets
provided by Spymonkey

On a completely side note, the views from the theatre of the city and of the water and of Navy Pier are astonishing.  Don't miss going to the restroom, which has a beautiful view of the Chicago skyline.

Tickets are available online at https://www.chicagoshakes.com/plays_and_events/deaths  or by calling the theatre box office at 312.595.5600 Tickets start at $42.


If you miss the show, Spymonkey's shows are available to stream at Vimeo On Demand, along with their other productions, including Stiff, Cooped, Moby Dick, and Oedipussy.

Audience Notice: Recommended for audience members ages 16 and up. Death is messy. This show features adult content, including brief nudity, profanity and (of course!) depictions of violence, from decapitation to death by lack of sleep.

Review: Othello:The Remix

I saw the Q Brothers production of Othello The Remix and it was absolutely fabulous!

The Q Brothers are actual brothers from Chicago who re-create masterworks (primarily of Shakespeare, but they recently did A Christmas Carol!) They call these productions add-raptations, because they primarily add rap music into the story, and along the way combine it with dance, comedy, soul, music, and just about everything else they can pull out of their hats.  They've got four or five of them under their belt including The Bombity of Errors,  Funk It Up About Nothin', and I <3 Juliet, Christmas Carol, and Othello.

Othello was originally commissioned by the Globe Theatre of London, and has played Chicago Shakespeare once before to sold out shows.  This limited run (show ends May 8) is probably going to do the same so you should get your tickets early.  The word of mouth on these shows is phenomenal!

For this show, they've moved the action to an Empire-style locale (but remember, they wrote this before Empire even started!)

Othello is a hot rap artist with all kinds of juice. (Think Kanye)  He's on tour with his crew when he falls in love with a soul singer named Desdemona (Think Adele).  He's got a couple of his boys who also write/rap/ and hope to make it big in their own right (Iago, a rap purist with a punk/metal edge and Cascio, who would be right at home in a boy band.)  The show then follows Shakespeare's trajectory pretty well, right up until the tragic tragic end.

The acting is phenomenal.  The first song set the scene, and I was worried, because while the raps were clever and set up the situation, I was afraid that's all it was going to be.  My fears were allayed however.  All of the actors (there are 4 performers) play a multiple of roles, including wives and girlfriends, the Oil sheik mafiosi record producer, the dweeby lighting designer, and much more.  All of the guys surprise and amaze with their characterizations and ability to act and portray their distinct characters while rapping, dancing, and doing everything else.

An interesting choice was Desdemona, who never appears on stage, we just hear her sultry voice.  This choice creates a few donut holes in the middle of her scenes, but the performers make it work.  And the symbolism when Othello, moved my Iago's manipulations, kills her out of rage, is simply powerful.

Above it all there is a fifth character, the DJ, who mixes the music and sound for the show live on stage and does a great job of keeping us all in it.

Overall, I can't recommend this show highly enough.  Go see it if you can!

Here's a video montage of the show.

Tickets are available at Chicago Shakespeare  The show runs through May 8.

Find the Q Brothers online at http://qbrothersofficial.com/ 
(Interesting side note:  their family also owns Merz Apothecary in Lincoln Square and does fine men's grooming products as The Q Brothers.  Who knew?)


EDITOR'S NOTE:  AS PREDICTED, THE SHOW HAS SOLD OUT. BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME.