Chicago Alive

by Kathleen Tobin

Goodman takes ‘Road’ to forefront

Goodman Theatre steps to the theatrical forefront once again with its mounting of a world-premiere production that brings a list of firsts and an international flair to the Chicago theater scene.

“The Long Red Road” is a gutsy new play by Brett C. Leonard in which the raw truth of human tragedy plays out against the reality of the scourge of alcoholism.

On the international scene, it brings London’s newest acting rage, Tom Hardy (who did some film writing collaboration with the playwright), to Chicago for another first—this heralded actor’s stage debut in the U.S. as well as here in the Windy City.

The production, extended by popular demand to March 21, also boasts a first Chicago directorial debut for Philip Seymour Hoffman, an internationally recognized director as well as an actor of stage and film who has worked closely with Goodman Artistic Director Robert Falls to bring this production alive.

The action jumpstarts on an Native-American reservation in South Dakota with a heated, true-to-life, love/hate sexual encounter between Sam, a hopeless alcoholic (an almost over-the-top reality performance by Hardy), and Annie (Greta Honold), an idealistic young woman devoted to teaching the Native Americans. She believes she can save Sam from the demons that drive his addiction.

Sam has run away to the reservation to drown himself in booze after a drunk-driving incident almost a decade ago in his Kansas hometown. He was the cause of the terrible accident in which one of his two young daughters was killed and his wife, Sandra, lost her legs.

After this initial explosive scene, the play settles down to the introspective crawl of a roving camera in a psychological film that moves slowly from scene to scene, carefully exposing the pent-up emotions of each character in two interacting stories. A second-act explosive confrontation brings the play to a startling finish.

We move back and forth from the Native-American reservation of Sam and Annie in South Dakota to the Kansas home from whence Sam fled. Here, Sam’s brother Bob (Chris McGarry) has moved into Sandra’s bed and the role of father to Sam’s surviving daughter, Tasha, now an unruly teen.

When Annie enlists Bob’s help to defuse Sam’s self-destructiveness, Bob agrees to bring Tasha to South Dakota to meet the father she never knew.

The interconnectedness of these stories is underscored by an ingenious, if at first a bit confusing, set design (Eugene Lee) in which rooms such as the bathroom and kitchen serve for both households in an overlapping pattern.

There is much truth in “The Long Red Road” and some fine acting, especially from Fiona Robert, the radiant newcomer playing Tasha, who brings a “he’s my father, right or wrong” sincerity to the role. Marcos Akiaten is the reformed alcoholic tribal chief who tries to help Sam.

For tickets, call (312) 443- 3800 or visit the web site at goodmantheatre.org.

The Ring Cycle

It’s an ambitious undertaking— and a most exciting and fulfilling one at that! There are only a few more days to experience this theatrical phenomenon before it closes March 14!

It’s a full six-hour staged production by the Building Stage of “The Ring Cycle,” a story most of us know as Wagner’s monumental opera, “Der Ring des Nibelungen,” a masterpiece it took Wagner 26 years to bring to fruition.

The production is stunning in its simplicity yet thoroughly enlightening as a timeless story of good and evil. Taken from German and Norse mythology, “The Ring Cycle” is as current as the epic “Star Wars” or “Lord of the Rings.”

The creation of co-directors Blake Montgomery, artistic director of the Building Stage, and Joanie Schultz, this theatrically staged version is mounted at 412 N. Carpenter St., a converted warehouse space just south of Grand Avenue and a few blocks west of Halsted Street. The theater has free parking.

Full performances of all four parts are on Saturdays, beginning at 3 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., with two intermissions and a 45-minute supper break. Tickets are $40, and patrons can pre-order a box lunch for $10 or bring their own. During the break, people are encouraged to sit on the stage and picnic on blankets or stage props as they wish!

In this closing week, however, there are optional choices besides the weekend runs. On Thursday March 11, at 7:30 p.m., parts I and II, “Das Rheingold” (The Rhine Gold) and “Die Walkure” (The Valkyrie), will be performed, continuing on Friday, March 12, at 7:30 p.m., with parts III and IV, “Siegfried” and “Die Gotterdammerung” (The Twilight of the Gods).

The $50 ticket price includes admission for both nights as well as the post-show receptions. For reservations call (312) 491-1369.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime event one won’t forget! The script is taken directly from Wagner’s libretti and a few other sources and is beautifully poetic. There is mood music—not Wagner, although his themes are supposedly included—that fits the drama being played out on stage.

The Rhine Maidens are lovely sea sprites who do bungee tricks on long silk scarves dangling from the ceiling or turn into warbling birds perched in nests who warn Siegfried of Mime’s bad intentions.

The underworld of the Nibelungs comes to life through trapdoors; the giants are gargantuan shadows; Siegfried rescues Brunnhilde from the ring of fire; and Valhalla is brought down by its own misuse of power!

This is wonderful stuff from a dedicated ensemble!

Special Note

Don’t miss Lyric Opera’s seamlessly lyrical production of Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro,” March 12 and 18 at 2 p.m., and March 15, 20, 24 and 27 at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, call (312) 332-2244 or visit the Web site at lyricopera.org.

Here is incomparable Mozart done up in the most exquisite incomparable harmony of vocal excellence that this opera devotee has been privileged to hear. Danielle de Niese is a complete charmer in voice and character as Susanna, the bride-to-be oogled by the couple’s master, Count Almaviva (Mariusz Kwiecien). Kyle Ketelsen is a most dashing Figaro in full command of voice and irresistible brash naiveté.

This is part of the March 10, 2010 online edition of The Beverly Review.

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