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PicksInSix Review: The Gospel at Colonus - Court Theatre

 
 

Infectious… spectacular and from the heart.
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor Ronald Keaton

There is so much to share about “The Gospel at Colonus,” the absolutely marvelous production now playing at Court Theatre through June 11, that one hardly knows where to start – or whether all the praise can fit in here.  Based on the Oedipus trilogy by Sophocles, it views the Greek tragedy – and in this case a specific tale that shows subsequent comparisons to Christian fact and legend – through the energetic prism of the Black Pentecostal Church.  It’s a fascinating adaptation that seems naturally to play into such customs and stories.

Some background: “Oedipus at Colonus” is the middle play in the trilogy.  Oedipus has already experienced what the gods say he will endure.  His father the king is killed in battle by his son’s hand.  In mourning, the son attends his mother Jocasta and, in time, they have three children together.  When that shame is discovered by the world, Oedipus then blinds himself as punishment for his sins and wanders the world for twenty years. Yes, that’s quite thumbnail in description, but it sets up the second play, where Oedipus is now cared for, by first one and then both daughters, as he is guided back to Thebes, desiring now to go home and die quietly.  And of course, nothing is quiet in Greek storytelling.

The versatile Kelvin Roston Jr. gives an Oedipus of great emotion and strength that translates into non-stop passion throughout the play.  As the two sisters, Aeriel Williams (Antigone) and Ariana Burks (Ismene) are both zealous, vulnerable guards of their father’s welfare.  Mark Spates Smith (Theseus, King of Athens) is a calming presence as his character converts to a narrator/minister of the church here. And it’s lovely to watch the wisdom in his work.  Timothy Edward Kane is a smooth, slick Creon, who is Jocasta’s brother, tempting Oedipus to return to his birthplace, so that the fortunes the gods have predicted will not come true and Creon can retain power in Thebes… And on the story goes.

There are so many high points from a talented ensemble, a most entertaining entity this writer enjoyed thoroughly.  Juwon Tyrel Perry portrays The Friend, who first tells Oedipus he cannot enter a holy place, in a stunning vocal turn. Kai A. Ealy as the evil son Polyneices offers wonderful character work, full of depth and deception.  As dual Choragos whose advice Oedipus accepts, Eric A. Lewis and Shari Addison deftly lead the citizenry in alternating moments of huge passion and quiet choral harmonies, all rooted in the Pentacostal tradition of call-and-response that is nothing if not exciting to watch here.  Everyone deserves mention – Jessica Brooke Seals as a knowing preacher of sorts, augmented by a Greek chorus (Jerica Exum, Cherise Thomas, Isaac Ray, Shantina Lynet, Eva Ruwe) who takes the captivating music to emotional heights in a totally unique take of the Court’s classic theatre mode.

“The Gospel at Colonus” is co-directed with an elegant combination of big choral strokes and intimate individual moments by Mark J.P. Hood and Charles Newell with associate director Taron Patton. A sparse scenic design by John Culbert; the colorful Raquel Adomo costuming; the wonderful, attentive shafts of sharp light in one moment and warm, enveloping light in another by Keith Parham; the complimentary sound layers designed by Sarah Ramos – all eloquent pieces to a puzzle of thick design and story.  All of these elements, expert as they are, grabbed onto the coattails of the exciting, heartfelt gospel blues from the five-piece unit led by Mahmoud Khan. Along with the audience, one could even see Production Stage Manager Kate Ocker clapping along from the stage manager’s booth. That’s how infectious it is – spectacular and from the heart.

Created by Lee Breuer and Bob Telson, the show had its original 1983 production at the famed Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York – after workshops at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and in London – with Morgan Freeman as the preacher and the great Blind Boys of Alabama as Oedipus, in what Mr. Breuer and Mr. Telson called a “eureka moment” in their casting. It is a fascinating adaptation of an exceedingly challenging story to tell that naturally plays into the customs and traditions of Black churches.  I would venture to say that if they saw this production in all its fullness and nuance, they would be quite happy with the result.

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL. www.solochicagotheatre.com  Coming soon, his new solo play “Echo Holler.” www.echoholler.com

PHOTO|Michael Brosilow

COURT THEATRE
presents
THE GOSPEL AT COLONUS
5535 S Ellis Ave.
EXTENDED through June 18, 2023

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PicksInSix Review: The Cherry Orchard - Goodman Theatre

 
 

“All Things Come To An End.”
PicksInSix® Gold Review |Ed Tracy

On my first visit to Chicago, I took a brisk late morning walk from Streeterville down Michigan Avenue across the DuSable Bridge to Wacker then North Dearborn and into the lobby of the Goodman Theatre. I was on a quest, of sorts. I browsed the impressive donor wall and peered in on the staff bustling around next door at Petterino’s.

It was mid-March 2002 and I had visited a hundred theaters or more before but could immediately feel the unique energy emitting from this slumbering giant of a venue. The feeling was palpable and inspiring.

I ventured upstairs and—remarkably by today’s security standards—into the Albert Theatre balcony, settling quietly into the last seat on the aisle, watching stagehands prepare for the next performance of the Robert Falls-directed masterpiece, “Long Day’s Journey into Night.”

It was not apparent to me at the time just how much influence one person could have on an institution, particularly when it is in the business of the performing arts and operates at such an extraordinary professional level as the Goodman Theatre. Falls’ work had been recognized with numerous awards, most notably a Special Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre and for directing “Death of a Salesman.”      

An amazing career for someone who had served as Artistic Director at Goodman since 1986. But Falls was just getting started. Twenty years passed before a new generation of artistic leadership would begin writing the next chapter. The foundational work by Falls and longtime Executive Director/CEO Roche Schulfer is an epic story of partnership and passion for the arts.  One need only look at the last six pages of the program to witness the investment by individuals, corporations and foundations whose support has enabled groundbreaking new work and educational opportunities to flourish on multiple stages.

Countless years of opening nights at Goodman were top of mind as I entered the Albert on Monday for the opening of Falls’ brilliant production of Anton Chekov’s “The Cherry Orchard,” a play choice that speaks to his long range vision and embraces a legacy that will be lasting and permanent. Falls is an artist extraordinaire and an innovator who has operated at the pinnacle of his craft through a defining and challenging era for contemporary theater.

This is a production to see and to savor.

Change is inevitable and “all things come to an end” a resoundingly appropriate quote from the play that sums up our human urge to reconcile with the past even as we keep a hopeful eye to the future. Adapted by Falls from a translation by George Calderon, “The Cherry Orchard” bursts with life, love, anguish and longing, showcasing an aristocracy trapped in its social mores, vulnerable yet oblivious to the generational change that is consuming them. It is theater of the highest caliber, a classic running spritely on all cylinders with production values that are rich, textured and sublime.

It is also a play for our time, when our own creative culture is at a tipping point and theater itself in the middle of a seismic shift. Falls has molded Chekov’s vision of the collapse of mid-19th century servitude society into an assessable production that looks and feels very much like it might have at the Moscow Art Theater during its debut at turn of the 20th century. Now enhanced for a modern audience, it emerges with all the joy and sadness that Chekov might have imagined—delightfully entertaining, absorbing and captivating—elevated to new heights by an extraordinary ensemble led by the blistering performance of Kate Fry (Lubov Ranyevskaya) and inimitable Chicago stage veterans including: Kareem Bandealy (Lopakhin),  Christopher Donahue (Leonid Gayev), Matt DeCaro (Boris Semyonov-Pishchik), Alexandra Escalante (Varya), and Amanda Drinkall (Dunyasha) with two of the most endearing and heartfelt stage turns of this or any season by Francis Guinan (Firs) and Janet Ulrich Brooks (Carlotta). 

Todd Rosenthal’s artful scenic design of the estate of Lyubov Ranevskaya, the stunning costumes by Ana Kuzmanic and evocative lighting by Keith Parham, all coalesce to provide the perfect visual tapestry.

The page has now been turned. We can only dream that the next glorious chapter of Goodman Theatre history will be as exciting, and satisfying, as this one. “The Cherry Orchard” plays through May 7.  

PHOTO|Liz Lauren

GOODMAN THEATRE
presents
THE CHERRY ORCHARD
EXTENDED through May 7
Albert Theatre
170 N. Dearborn St.


(312) 443-3800

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GOODMAN THEATRE HISTORY

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