Playwright: Andrew Park and the ensemble
At: Quest Theatre Ensemble,
1609 W. Gregory
Phone: 312-458-0895; Free,
but reservations requested
Runs through: Aug. 24
BY SCOTT C. MORGAN
You can view Quest Theatre Ensemble's The People's History of the United State as a fun historical pageant filled with patriotic poetry, puppetry and song. Or you could just write it off as naive and left-wing American agitprop.
Either way, you have to admire the chutzpah of director Andrew Park and the Quest ensemble to condense more than 230 years of American history into a revue for kids and adults. The show has plenty of segments that successfully crystallize moments of American history in a song or iconic sound bite.
There are many moments that make you swell with pride at watching iconic American texts being enacted ( or at least remembering what was drilled into you in history class ) . Quest also deserves commendations for not shying away from some of the darker aspects of American history like the Trail of Tears and Jim Crow discrimination.
Then there are a few clunking misfires when complex issues get a simple glib treatment. Take, for instance, the wrong-headed ( if very entertaining and well-performed ) segment on the Great Depression.
After an actor wearing a President Franklin D. Roosevelt mask pops out of a big box marked 'New Deal,' a bevy of chorus girls wearing oversize dollars clamor on to sing and dance 'The Gold Digger's Song' ( a.k.a. 'We're in the Money' ) . That gross simplification of 1930s federal programs instantly bringing prosperity is appalling, as is the use of the song and its originally ironic context from the escapist film Gold Diggers of 1933.
A segment on Sept. 11, 2001, also fails. David Korzatkowski sings to his one-year-old son, Daniel, no doubt to symbolize the new era of fear and confusion many Americans feel nowadays. But Daniel ended up sabotaging the tone of the whole number by unintentionally waving and mugging to the audience.
If you can get over the CliffsNotes condensation of history, you can find plenty to admire. Better yet, it can serve as a great starting point for discussing aspects of American history with kids and teenagers.
As always, Quest's artistic creativity stands out with its distinctive lumpy masks and towering puppets. They're used to great stylistic effect with their towering Abraham Lincoln, along with the nimble trio of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.
The large cast is also a multitalented lot, singing, dancing and performing on musical instruments ( sometimes even while wearing those cumbersome masks ) . There isn't a dull moment because there is so much swirling around you.
So even if it isn't perfect, Quest's History of the United States undeniably entertains and reminds you of the significance of history on who we are as Americans today. And in an election season, it's a timely reminder.