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WINDY CITY TIMES Jan. 29, 2014
15
The
Tennessee
Williams
Project.
Photo by
Matthew Gregory
Hollis
SPOTLIGHT
THEATER REVIEW
The Tennessee
Williams Project
Playwright: Tennessee Williams
At: The Hypocrites at the
Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St.
Tickets: 773-525-5991;
the-hypocrites.com; $28-36
Runs through: March 2
BY STEVEN CHAITMAN
And “experience” most aptly describes what
Hawkins and The Hypocrites have done with
this project. Although the order of the plays
goes against typical three-act structure and
doesn’t satisfy in that sense, it does work logically
in terms of communicating themes and
ideas and linking the plays together. No matter:
The Tennessee Williams Project will appeal
to all types of theatergoers with its unique
three-stage setup and certainly spur a number
of conversations among Williams’ fans both casual
and well acquainted.
Out actor Alan Cumming rose to fame in the United States as the star of a 1998 Broadway
revival of the Kander and Ebb musical Cabaret. Cumming will soon reprise his role of the Emcee
opposite Michelle Williams in a Broadway revival of the revival, but before then you can catch
Cabaret closer to home in a fine Marriott Theatre production in Lincolnshire. The Marriott largely
uses the 1998 script, which is more explicit about the characters’ sexuality, along with some
welcome inclusions from the 1966 original version. Cabaret continues through March 16 at the
Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Dr., Lincolnshire. Performances are at 1 and 8 p.m. Wednesdays; 8
p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 4:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; and 1 and 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is
$40-$48 (excluding tax and handling fees) with discounts available for seniors and students at
select performances; call 847-634-0100 or visit www.marriotttheatre.com for more information.
Photo by Peter Coombs
The Hypocrites are offering three times the
Tennessee in a most intriguing combination of
one-act plays by the incomparable Tennessee
Williams. The artistic decision to pick these
three of the numerous one-acts that Williams
wrote between 1937 and 1982 is left almost
entirely to the intellect, but making the connections
is part of the fun.
Director Matt Hawkins (Jeff Award winner for
The Hypocrites’ production of Cabaret) has creatively
designed an entire full-length play experience,
which moves the audience through a
series of three consecutive stages, each space
carefully crafted and decorated. The one-acts
are all stitched together in a metaphoric sort
of way through one actor, Patrick Gannon, who
takes on three different lead roles (four if you
count a gender change) that have a kind of
spiritual connection to each other.
The Tennessee Williams Project plays its best
card first – the Queen. The New Orleans-set
And Tell Sad Stories of the Death of Queens
is both the longest and most engaging of the
three, and centers on the story of a blossoming
dysfunctional relationship that is no good
for either character yet tragically sweet. “Candy”
Delaney (Gannon) is a lonely transvestite
landlord and interior decorator who seduces a
sailor named Karl (Joseph Wiens) into being
her “platonic” companion. Karl’s apparent confusion
about his own sexual identity along with
his desperate financial situation makes this a
volatile yet captivating relationship. Gannon is
totally charming both in and out of drag, and
the intimate configuration of the stage amplifies
both the humor and the tension in his performance
and in the entire play.
Part two moves into the bizarre with The Remarkable
Rooming House of Mme. Le Monde.
Gannon swaps a wig for a series of fastening
devices to play Mint, a paraplegic living in the
attic of the titular London rooming house, who
gets around with only a series of rings and has
a reputation for sexual misconduct. “Rooming
House” could well be the most bizarre work of
Williams’ career. In fact, it wasn’t produced until
after his death. This play utilizes physicality,
lighting and staging to its advantage, but
doesn’t last long enough for anything to settle
in amidst its Little Shop of Horrors vibe. The
similarly hopeless, lonely characters marred by
cruel circumstances, do, however, allow it to
effectively bridge the other plays.
The finale, The Big Game, is set in a hospital
room and uses injury and medical misfortune
as a way of exploring sad but profound ideas
about dreams and purpose. Although devoid
of dramatic conflict, it offers more of a range
of interesting characters, namely Nurse Fussy
(Mary Redmon), and provides a quiet change of
pace, a chance to meditate a bit more on the
entire experience.
DON’T MISS IT! THRU FEB 9
TICKETS 630.896.6666 or PARAMOUNTAURORA.COM
“42nd Street Soars
…Pure Escapist
Entertainment”
Highly Recommended
– HEDY WEISS / CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
“An evening you
will not forget!”
– ALAN BRESLOFF / AROUND TOWN CHICAGO
“Heart-pounding,
entertaining and
energetic stage
spectacular…”
– PHIL POTEMPA / NORTHWEST INDIANA TIMES
“A big, bold and
brassy musical”
Highly Recommended
– TOM WILLIAMS / CHICAGO CRITIC
“Wonderful show
to introduce
youngsters to the
joys of Broadway”
– TOM WILLIAMS / CHICAGO CRITIC