PicksInSix Review: THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER Lookingglass Theatre Company
A TRIUMPH OF CREATIVITY AND IMAGINATION!
Hans Christen Anderson’s “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” has returned to the Lookingglass Theatre in the Water Tower on Michigan Avenue. After a superlative inaugural debut last season, Mary Zimmerman’s whimsical holiday pantomime—a one-legged tin soldier falls in love with a ballerina, separated by the fickle, over-sized, fingers of fate, and is then found in a bountiful feast of flounder--is a tall tale exquisitely told.
A word to the wise: arrive early; things begin to unfold long before the curtain comes up. If you are new to Zimmerman’s mix of puppetry, visual imagery and art, you will discover that the imaginatively assembled story, when combined with the beauty of Leandro López Várady’s score, renders words unnecessary.
It all makes “Tin Soldier” a pure theatrical experience unlike any you will ever see.
The art of wordless storytelling is universal, and the themes of commitment to a purpose, the unending pursuit of enlightenment, the continuation of hope and the belief in love are so profoundly embedded in Zimmerman’s telling that you marvel at its completeness. These lessons are for young and old alike, according to our 2018 conversation with Zimmerman, resulting from the director’s encouragement to her stalwart and exceptionally talented company of actors to color outside the margins of the heartwarming story.
To fully understand the story and how it evolved from Zimmerman’s non-traditional approach to an uplifting visual narrative that captures, qualifies and layers the skills of the cast into the piece, you need only spend the sum of an hour. The brilliant cast–Joe Dempsey (Nursemaid), Kasey Foster (Ballerina), Anthony Irons (Goblin), John Gregorio (Rat) and Alex Stein (The Steadfast Tin Soldier) in many instances perform multiple roles. The contributions of four musicians—Várady (Piano), Greg Hirte (Violin), Juan Horie (Cello), Emma Hospelhorn (Flutes) and Constance Volk (Flutes)—are weaved seamlessly into the fabric of the action with spirited musical embellishment that serves every nuance of the story. Add Todd Rosenthal’s inspired staging in the style of an 19th-century music hall with Ana Kusmanic’s stunningly elaborate costumes, as well as whimsical puppetry by the Chicago Puppet Studio, and the result is an atmosphere of fantasy, wonder and joy.
“The Steadfast Tin Soldier” is a triumph of imagination and creativity, truly one of the most engaging, thoughtful and touching experiences you will have in a theater this season.
PHOTOS|Liz Lauren
LOOKINGGLASS THEATRE COMPANY
Presents
THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER
through January 26, 2019
Water Tower Water Works
821 N Michigan Ave.
(312) 337-0665
WEBSITE
TICKETS
Listen to our 2018 CONVERSATIONS podcast with Mary Zimmerman
For more reviews, visit: Theatre In Chicago