Arts in Chicago - "Silk" at the Goodman Theatre

The Chinese believe that when two people are fated to love one another, there is a red string that pulls them together in life; in this story it is a silk thread that brings two people together across vast distances and foreign cultures. The Goodman Theater stages "Silk" adapted and directed by the award-winning Mary Zimmerman from the novel by Allesandro Baricco. Here we follow the story of Hervé Joncour, played by Ryan Artzberger, a silkworm egg merchant in the late 19th century who -due to a disease affecting the silkworm eggs- is forced to travel all the way to Japan to purchase silkworm eggs free of the disease. While there he meets an exotic woman, though no words would ever pass directly between the two, they share an intimacy that is beyond words. What they do not know frees them from the constraints of preconception to experience a love as pure as the silk that brought them together. We watch the performers almost like a man looking in from outside a window, as voyeurs in the life of Hervé. The Narrator, played by Christopher Donahue, is fantastic at weaving the threads of this story together, acting both as omniscient observer and occasional participant. Zimmerman creates a sense of epic scope through simple yet remarkably effective techniques such as rotation of a walking stick in a full circle whilst the Narrator walks alongside Hervé to represent the enormous distances being traveled. Set designer, Scott Bradley, deserves recognition for creating a dynamic set that represents the town of Lavilledieu in France and when lifted transforms into the mountaintop village of Shirakawa in Japan. The tragedy in this story lies in the notion that only in that which we cannot understand can we ever really experience what truly is. Seeking to unlearn and free ourselves from our selves we can truly live yet our self inevitably traps us in ourselves. Runs beginning 23-Apr, 2005. Highly recommended. 4.5 Stars ****1/2.

Quote of the moment - Nature vs. Nurture

"Historically, nature/nurture divided what was fixed from what could be changed. But what our biology really gives us is our plasticity, our ability to respond to our experiences. That's what's innate."
Evelyn Fox Keller
Science Historian and Physicist
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Thought of the Moment - "The Divine Spark"

"Though we might provide kindling for the fire, it is God who provides the Divine Spark."
Cuauhtemoc Chamorro

Poem of the Moment - "Secret of Life"

Take time to Think. It is the source of Power.
Take time to Play. It is the secret of perpetual Youth.
Take time to be friendly. It is the road to Happiness.
Take time to Work. It is the price of Success.
Take time to Pray. It is the greatest power on Earth.
Take time to Love and be Loved.
It is the way of God.

Author Unknown.

Arts in Chicago - "The Story" at the Goodman Theatre

The Goodman Theater stages Tracey Scott Wilson's "The Story" directed Chuck Smith, a play about getting ahead above all else. Yvonne, played by Lizzy Cooper Davis, is a journalist who must decide if her career is more important than someone's life. Davis convincing portrays a journalist who longs for upward mobility regardless of the cost or consequences. The staging is interesting in its usage of multiple dialogs transpiring simultaneously, a metaphor that every story has two sides. Is there truth or only perspective? Runs 5-Mar, 2005 through 10-Apr, 2005. Recommended. 3 Stars ***.

Arts in Chicago - "Floyd and Clea Under the Western Sky" at the Goodman Theatre

The Goodman Theater stages the musical-drama "Floyd and Clea Under the Western Sky" directed Michael Wilson, a story of a man who feels he is at the end of his road and a woman at the beginning of hers. Floyd, played by David Cale who also authored the story, is a down and out musician who has lost hope. Having given up on life he lives in his car drinking and occasionally writing melancholy songs. Enter Clea, played by Faryl Millet, a vivacious young woman who intuits that she will one day be a successful musician. Their open and honest friendship serves as a source of strength to each other; Clea gives Floyd renewed hope and Floyd gives Clea compassion. Both Cale and Millet are excellent in their roles, they inhabit their characters. The story is interwoven with songs suited to the context, making this drama particularly entertaining. I found one of the songs lyrics especially poignant, a song about seeking "an uncluttered mind". I relate to this seemingly simple notion; the need to clear one's mind, experiencing each bright shining moment as it truly is: the miracle of existence itself. Runs 9-Apr, 2005 through 8-May, 2005. Highly recommended. 4 Stars ****.

Arts in Chicago - "Romeo and Juliet" at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Chicago Shakespeare Theater stages Shakespeare's timeless classic "Romeo and Juliet" directed by Mark Lamos. The story about star crossed lovers destined to want what their families would never allow. The Montague and Capulet families are locked in a feud that stems from some unmentioned past event; no backstory is provided regarding the nature of this rivalry, likening it to the senseless hostility that plagues mankind to this very day. Of course we all know of the story of the great love that Romeo and Juliet have, a love that they hope can bring about peace between both sides. The lead roles, played by Carman Lactiva as Romeo and Julia Coffey as Juliet, are exceptional; each play their roles with an honest intensity as if their innermost feelings were opened up for us to see. We also witness a fantastic transformation in both, Carman from a boy pining for an unrequited love into a man willing to cross any obstacle to be with his love and Coffer from a young girl reminiscing of her childhood into a woman who would do anything in the name of love. Though some might say the love of Romeo and Juliet is born of naiveté one can't help but admire such a leap of faith in the infinite possibility of love, the hope that what the heart holds dear can overcome any adversity. Runs 2-Apr, 2005 through 19-Jun, 2005. Highly recommended. 4.5 Stars ****1/2.

Arts in Chicago - "Lost Land" at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Steppenwolf Theatre Company stages the World premiere of "Lost Land" by Stephen Jeffreys and directed by Terry Johnson. The story is set near the end of World War I in a remote region of what was the Austro-Hungarian Empire in a vinery that would act as a microcosm for what was to become of the nation. Kristof, played by the famous John Malkovich, having retired from life as a public figure oversees his estate where he has a vision to transform the former ways of the aristocracy through a redistribution of land back to the peasants. A message arrives calling him to Budapest to take a role in the government allowing him to extend his vision to the entire nation. The messenger, Miklos, played by Yasen Peyankov, is given the opportunity to oversee his estate while he is away. What transpires parallels the great loss faced by Austro-Hungaria as the rapid transition from a once mighty nation to the landlocked marginalized country of Hungary. Malkovich performs his role with understated power, adding emphasis through subtlety and nuance. Set designer, James Schuette, deserves special recognition for creating the sense of a vast countryside estate replete with courtyard and a beautiful entryway to a castle. I left this play deep in thought regarding the nature of nationalism and patriotism along with a sense of loss for the a man's failed dream to transform a nation. Runs 31-Mar, 2005 - 5-Jun, 2005. Highly recommended. 4 Stars ****.