Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Theater: Hamlet
2007-05-02

This article shared 3844 times since Wed May 2, 2007
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Playwright: William Shakespeare

At: Signal Ensemble at the Chopin, 1543 W. Division

Phone: 773-347-1350; $15-$20

Runs through: May 26

Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead

Playwright: Tom Stoppard

At: Piccolo Theatre at the Evanston Art Depot, 600 Main Street in Evanston

Phone: 847-424-0089; $20

Runs through: May 26

BY MARY SHEN BARNIDGE

After four years of putting big shows into the small space downstairs, the move to the Chopin's first-floor mainstage offers an opportunity to put a big show into a big room, and the Signal Ensemble's enthusiasm is manifest from the first scene of the familiar Shakespeare classic, when Horatio pursues the royal ghost halfway up the castle parapet in an attempt to stay the latter's flight. Later, we see Ophelia seated in a cozy downstage nook, quietly reading, while Hamlet, so distant as to seem miles away, looks upon her and contemplates suicide. And for the climactic duel, fight choreographer Kevin Asselin revels in the acrobatic leaps and windmill slashes only executable in unobstructed arenas.

The physicality required in moving bodies over so huge an area makes for heightened urgency in the dramatic action as well, but director Ronan Marra and his cast are not content to coast on sheer spectacle. Every word of Shakespeare's text has been carefully analyzed for what it reveals about the characters' emotional dynamic with subsequent weight meted appropriately. We never doubt Polonius' fatherly affection for his children. King Claudius is allowed a moment of genuine remorse over his fraudulent ascent to the throne. And when Hamlet rejects Ophelia ( after having overheard the conspirators' plot to eavesdrop on their conversation ) , his visible pain at having to carry out his cruel charade is enough to break our hearts.

The actors' voices fill the cavernous auditorium, exhibiting a precise enunciation to overcome their environment's notoriously poor acoustics, and lending energy, immediacy and even humor to every moment of a narrative that gallops in a headlong rush, sweeping us along in its fury. The running time is three hours with two intermissions, but so efficiently is each second utilized, we hardly notice it.

If you didn't know that Piccolo Theatre's play was Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead, you might wonder at first if you'd inadvertently stumbled on a production of Waiting For Godot. The stage is bare, save for a lone shriveled tree and two shabby comrades passing the time in word games, logic puzzles and sleight-of-hand tricks. But then a commedia troupe enters ( bound for the Danish court ) ; our two humble heroes don coats cut in exaggerated proportions; and our floor proceeds to both swivel and seesaw.

Whoever would have imagined that re-conceiving Stoppard's oblique look at Shakespeare's tragedy as a clown show would impose upon it a tempo rendering its existential arguments more clear and comprehensible than the pseudo-classical delivery beloved of classroom productions since its premiere in 1966? To be sure, the extensive lazzi that comprises Piccolo's stock-in-trade ( c'mon, haven't YOU ever wanted to see Ophelia cry like a squalling baby? ) diminishes the lightning repartee expected of British drama but, by checking the pace, the stage business permits us time to consider the meaning of what is being said. And while the perils of the two hapless chums whose names no one remembers correctly—bullied by their betters only to be sent to their death wholly unaware of wrongdoing deserving of such punishment—may be slow to win our sympathies, ultimately we are moved almost to tears at their vulnerability in an indifferent universe.


This article shared 3844 times since Wed May 2, 2007
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

City Lit Executive Artistic Director Brian Pastor talks theater, comics, queerness 2024-03-26
- City Lit Theater has announced its programming for the 2024-25 season—which will be the company's 44th. It will also be the first season to be programmed under the leadership of Brian Pastor (they/them), who will assume ...


Gay News

The Jeff Awards announces the 50th anniversary awards for non-equity theater 2024-03-26
--From a press release - A complete list of recipients can also be found online in the Non-Equity and News and Events sections at www.jeffawards.org. (March 25, 2024 - Chicago) — Celebrating its 50th anniversary awarding recognition for Non-Equity theater, the ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Queer musicians, Marvel situation, Elliot Page, Nicole Kidman 2024-03-21
- Queer musician Joy Oladokun released the single "I Wished on the Moon," from Jack Antonoff's official soundtrack for the new Apple TV+ series The New Look, per a press release. The soundtrack, ...


Gay News

THEATER Chicago's City Lit has anxiety on tap with 'Two Hours in a Bar' 2024-03-21
- Two Hours in a Bar Waiting for Tina Meyer by Kristine Thatcher with material by Larry Shue Text Me by Kingsley Day (Book, Music and Lyrics). At: City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.. Tickets: ...


Gay News

Jamie Barton brings nuances of identity to her Lyric Opera 'Aida' performance 2024-03-18
- Chicago's Lyric Opera is currently featuring a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida starring Michelle Bradley as Aida, Jamie Barton as Amneris and Russell Thomas as Radamès. The opera runs through April 7, 2024, with Francesca Zambello ...


Gay News

Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez is set to slay at The Big Gay Cabaret 2024-03-05
- Out and proud performer Jai Rodriguez is set to play at The Big Gay Cabaret this March for three days. Presented by RuPaul Drag Racer Ginger Minj, this monthly series highlights the wide world of cabaret ...


Gay News

THEATER 'R & J' puts a female, queer spin on Shakespeare 2024-03-05
- Romeo and Juliet is the theatrical gift that keeps on giving. It's been reworked for the masses numerous times, whether in direct adaptations or musicals such as West Side Story. Shakespeare's plotline points have even inspired ...


Gay News

Center on Halsted hosts 6th Annual Intergenerational Talent Show 2024-03-03
- On the evening of Feb. 29, Center on Halsted held its 6th Annual Intergenerational Talent Show in front of a packed audience at the Hoover-Leppen Theater. The event brought together participants of the Center's youth and senior ...


Gay News

THEATER When growth is paramount: Jim Corti helps fuel Aurora theater expansion 2024-03-01
- Out actor/director/choreographer Jim Corti made his Broadway debut in 1974, in the ensemble of Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide. Director Harold Prince's acclaimed Tony Award-winning revival is often cited as a ...


Gay News

Theater Review: Billy Elliot, The Musical 2024-02-19
- Book and Lyrics: Lee Hall; Music: Elton John. At: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora Tickets: 630-896-6666 or Paramountaurora.com; $28-$79. Runs through March 24 Billy Elliot: The Musical may nearly be two decades old, but ...


Gay News

'West Side Story' gets a sex-positive spin with new burlesque show 2024-02-19
- In partial observance of National Condom Day, which was Feb. 14, Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) presented A West Side Story Burlesque at the Harris Theater for two hour-long performances on Feb. 17. The show, ...


Gay News

Second Glance Productions hosts LGBTQupid Soiree 2024-02-16
- In celebration of Valentine's Day, Chicago based film and media production company Second Glance hosted The LBGTQupid Soiree. The event, which was focused on spinning attitudes on this particular day, was presented at The iO ...


Gay News

Carisa Hendrix mesmerizes as Lucy Darling in Teatro ZinZanni 2024-02-12
- Since 2019, Teatro ZinZanni has gathered together amazing performers from all over the world to create an experience in Chicago under the Spiegeltent in the Cambria Hotel building, 32 W. Randolph St. Over the years, ticket ...


Gay News

THEATER Dot-Marie Jones talks Goodman production, 'Glee,' 'Bros' 2024-02-12
- Running through Feb. 18 at the the Goodman Theatre, the production Highway Patrol works with a script conceived entirely from Emmy-winning actor Dana Delany's (TV's China Beach) digital archive of hundreds of tweets and direct messages ...


Gay News

Dr. Lady J explains how opera can be a drag 2024-02-10
- On Feb. 8, Center on Halsted, in partnership with Lyric Opera of Chicago, presented a lecture by historian, drag activist, podcaster and curator Dr. Lady J. The event, titled "Castrated Superstars, Cross Dressed Divas, and Queer ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.