Displaying items by tag: Lookingglass Theatre

Lookingglass Theatre Company, in keeping with its celebrated tradition of bringing to life Ensemble-created new work, presents the world premiere of White Rooster, written and directed by Ensemble Member Matthew C. Yee (Lucy & Charlie's Honeymoon). Drawing from a personal family story rooted in early 1900s China, Yee's inventive and haunting play with music reimagines an American ghost town in a way only Lookingglass can, weaving together puppetry, movement, song, and folklore. Single tickets to the production, which runs March 5 – April 12, 2026, are available for purchase at www.lookingglasstheatre.org or by phone at 312.337.0665. $30 tickets are available for all performances. 

The cast includes ensemble members Louise Lamson (Judy), and Joey Slotnick (John), along with Karen Aldridge (Maria), Sunnie Eraso (Min), Elliot Esquivel (Fang/Wu through April 5), Nik Kmiecik (Fang/Wu April 8-12), Noelle Oh (June), Reilly Oh (Pong), and Daniel Lee Smith (Hao/Ba).

The creative team includes Natsu Onoda Power (Scenic Designer), Mara Blumenfeld (Costume Designer), Hannah Wien (Lighting Designer), Justin Cavazos (Sound Designer/Co-Composer), Amanda Herrmann (Props Supervisor), Caitlin McLeod (Puppet Designer), Heidi Stillman (New Works Consultant), Sheryl Williams (Intimacy Director), Tess Golden (Production Stage Manager), and Emma Lipson (Assistant Stage Manager).

White Rooster is a darkly funny tale of love, loss and the strange things we inherit. After a family tragedy, Min is pulled into a world of restless spirits, old curses and mysterious traditions. Her fiancé won't stay dead, her sister won't stay buried and a rooster won't be ignored. Blending spooky folklore with offbeat humor, White Rooster is a haunting tale of grief, family and the messiness of moving on.

About Matthew C. Yee
Matthew Yee (he/him) is a playwright, composer, actor, and musician living in Chicago, IL. Much of his work focuses on the Asian American experience, and features actor-musicianship, movement, and puppetry. His original musical Lucy And Charlie's Honeymoon premiered at Lookingglass Theatre in 2023, where he is an ensemble member. His new play White Rooster, which transposes Chinese folklore into an Americana setting, will have its world premiere this spring at Lookingglass. Lookingglass acting credits include: Treasure Island, Moby Dick, and Lucy and Charlie's Honeymoon. He has performed at Writers Theatre, Steppenwolf, Court Theatre, Paramount, Berkeley Rep, The Old Globe, Alliance Theatre, and on Broadway in Almost Famous: The Musical.

Membership and Groups Information
Lookingglass Theatre Company's popular Memberships are now on sale, offering guaranteed ticket prices plus a host of exclusive perks. Members receive tickets to every Lookingglass production this season, including White Rooster and Untitled Vampire Play, along with free drinks at each performance, 15% off additional tickets, bar purchases, and merchandise, unlimited ticket exchanges, priority booking, and automatic entry into the company's biannual raffle. Members also enjoy 15% off Lookingglass camps and classes, and bonus savings on group sales.

New this year, Memberships now include tickets to GglassFest '26, Lookingglass's inaugural New Works Festival, and flexible group membership options. Audiences can join solo or build their own ensemble group of up to 4 patrons with four package levels: Solo ($140), Duo ($280), Trio ($420), and Party Pack ($560). Every Membership package includes all ticketing benefits, bar bonuses, and exclusive perks for each member of the group—making it the most immersive, flexible, and rewarding way to experience Lookingglass all season long.

Lookingglass Theatre Company offers group ticket discounts for parties of 10 or more, providing savings of up to 25% off regular ticket prices. Group ticket packages include priority access to tickets before public on-sale, best-available seating, and flexible payment plans based on group needs. Additional benefits may include post-show discussions at select performances, educational resource guides, and pre-show restaurant and hotel recommendations, offering planning support and contextual resources for groups attending performances at Lookingglass Theatre Company.

Accessibility at Lookingglass Theatre Company

Lookingglass Theatre Company is committed to making its performances accessible to all audiences. Each mainstage production offers open captioning, audio-described performances with Touch Tours,, and mask-required performances. For White Rooster, open captioning will be April 3, 2026 at 7:30PM, the audio-described performance with Touch Tour will be April 9, 2026 at 7:30PM (Touch Tour at 6:30PM), and the mask-required performance will be March 25, 2026 at 7:30PM. Discounted $35 tickets are available for each performance using the codes CAPTION, AUDIO, and MASK, respectively.

An accessible entrance is located on Pearson Street, west of the main entrance at 163 E. Pearson Street. The Joan and Paul Theatre is fully accessible via elevator or ramp, with seating available on the ground floor and balcony for patrons using wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, or other mobility aids. Assistive Listening Devices, sensory bags, and large-print programs are available for all performances, and accessible group sales offer up to 25% off for parties of 10 or more.

For assistance with accessible seating, tickets, or accommodations, contact the Box Office at 312.337.0665 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

FACT SHEET / White Rooster  

Title:                                        White Rooster  

Written and Directed by:         Ensemble Member Matthew C. Yee

Dates:                                      Previews:  March 5 – 13, 2026

Press Performance: March 14, 2026 at 6:00pm

            Regular run: March 15 – April 12, 2026

            Community Nights: March 12, 22; April 9, 2026

Schedule:                                Wednesdays:               7:30 p.m.

Thursdays:                   2:00 p.m. (except March 5 & 12) and 7:30 p.m.

                                                  Fridays:                       7:30 p.m. 

Saturdays:                    2:00 p.m. (except March 7 & 14) and 7:30 p.m. (except March 14)

Sundays:                      2:00 p.m. 

Accessible Performances:      Open Caption – April 3, 2026 at 7:30pm

Audio Described/Touch Tour – April 19, 2026 at 7:30pm
            Touch tour starts at 6:30p.m.

Masks Required – March 25, 2026 at 7:30pm   

Tickets:                                   Previews: Tickets begin at $30

                                                Regular Run: Tickets begin at $30

Box Office:                              Buy online at lookingglasstheatre.org 

or by phone at (312) 337-0665

The Lookingglass box office is located at Water Tower Water Works, 

821 N. Michigan Ave.

Notes of Interest:

• Playwright and Lookingglass Ensemble Member Matthew C. Yee's first play Lucy & Charlie's Honeymoon premiered at Lookingglass in 2023. As an actor, he has appeared at Writers Theatre, Steppenwolf, Court Theatre, Paramount, Berkeley Rep, The Old Globe, Alliance Theatre, and on Broadway in Almost Famous: The Musical. White Rooster marks his directorial premiere.
  
  
• Lookingglass continues its artistic mission of creating and producing new, ensemble-based works. White Rooster includes the work of several ensemble members making their mark on the American theater and the company's legacy. 

• Karen Aldridge comes to the Lookingglass stage after originating the role of Mrs. Phelps in the Broadway premiere of Matilda the Musical, and following acclaimed television work including in recent seasons of Fargo and Severance.

• Lookingglass, a destination arts hub for programming and community engagement on Michigan Ave., welcomes audience members through its new, community lobby space.

About Lookingglass Theatre Company

Founded in 1988 by graduates of Northwestern University, Lookingglass Theatre Company is a nationwide leader in the creation and presentation of new, cutting-edge theatrical works and in sharing its ensemble-based theatrical techniques with Chicago-area students and teachers through Education and Community Programs. Guided by an artistic vision centered on the core values of collaboration, transformation and invention, Lookingglass seeks to capture audiences' imaginations leaving them changed, charged and empowered. Recipient of the 2011 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, Lookingglass has built a national reputation for artistic excellence and ensemble-based theatrical innovation. Notable world premieres include Mary Zimmerman's Tony Award-winning Metamorphoses and The Odyssey, J. Nicole Brooks' Her Honor Jane Byrne, David Schwimmer's adaptation of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and Studs Terkel's Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel about the American Obsession, Matthew C. Yee's Lucy and Charlie's Honeymoon and David Catlin's circus tribute to Lewis Carroll, Lookingglass Alice, which was captured by HMS Media and reached 1.6 million PBS viewers. Looking Alice is now available to more than four million students worldwide through Digital Theatre+. Work created by Lookingglass artists has been produced in Australia, Europe and dozens of cities throughout the United States.

Lookingglass Theatre Company announces Come As You Aren't Ball, a premier costumed benefit celebrating and supporting the Ensemble's acclaimed tradition of creating bold new work. Co-chaired by Founding Ensemble Member David Schwimmer and board member Nancy Ali, the event invites guests to arrive in imaginative "character couture," drawing inspiration from the iconic costume designs that have defined Lookingglass productions across the years.

Guests and media are encouraged to explore the dedicated event website, a visually rich gallery of Lookingglass's most unforgettable costumes, created to spark inspiration and celebrate the artistry behind the work. For details and inspiration, visit www.comeasyouarent.com.

Come As You Aren't Ball takes place Saturday, May 2, 2026, at The Wellsley, 504 N. Wells Street in Chicago.

Rooted in the extraordinary world that Lookingglass creates every day, the event draws participants into a legacy that spans from the company's beginnings as a scrappy ensemble of artists to its recognition as a Tony Award–winning leader in American theatre. Throughout its history, Lookingglass has remained committed to the belief that art should ignite curiosity, expand empathy, and bring people together. Honoring decades of costume design, the event celebrates a shared spirit of imagination among the artists, educators, audiences, and supporters who make this creative world possible.

Special guest appearances include a performance by drag, cabaret, opera, theatre and live art star Le Gateau Chocolat, magician Benjamin Barnes and DJ Lady D. The evening's celebrity co-hosts and a judge for the costume contest will be announced at a later date.

The honorees are Wintrust (The Corporate Leadership Award), Steve and Lorrayne Weiss (The Arts Champion Award) and architect John Morris (The Service to the Arts Tribute).

In true Lookingglass fashion, the evening will be unlike all others. The imaginative costume ball unfolds over two acts, each offering its own world of wonder. The evening begins at 5:30pm with a pink carpet arrival to set the tone for the unique and vibrant event.

Act I, beginning at 5:30pm, welcomes an exclusive group of 170 guests into a vibrant, immersive costumed cocktail and dining experience filled with character, color, and surprise. It includes an elegant dinner, curated program, fabulous live auction, and special guest appearances. All Act I guests are invited to stay for Act II.

Act II, beginning at 8:30pm, transforms the night into a dazzling dance party and celebration for 400 guests, where creativity reigns and the unexpected becomes the star of the show. Guests will experience savory and sweet bites, open bar, rousing special guest performances, delightful silent auction, and the acclaimed DJ Lady D to carry the party through the night.

The Lead Supporting Sponsor is Wintrust. Raise the Curtain Sponsors are Cresset Capital, JSSI & Book Family Foundation and Rich Chapman. The Media Partner is Modern Luxury and the Producing Partner is COACT Agency.

Tickets, $1500 (Act I and II) and $500 (Act II), are available at www.comeasyouarent.com.

About Lookingglass Theatre Company

Founded in 1988 by graduates of Northwestern University, Lookingglass Theatre Company is a nationwide leader in the creation and presentation of new, cutting-edge theatrical works and in sharing its ensemble-based theatrical techniques with Chicago-area students and teachers through Education and Community Programs. Guided by an artistic vision centered on the core values of collaboration, transformation and invention, Lookingglass seeks to capture audiences' imaginations leaving them changed, charged and empowered. Recipient of the 2011 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, Lookingglass has built a national reputation for artistic excellence and ensemble-based theatrical innovation. Notable world premieres include Mary Zimmerman's Tony Award-winning Metamorphoses and The Odyssey, J. Nicole Brooks' Her Honor Jane Byrne, David Schwimmer's adaptation of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and Studs Terkel's Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel about the American Obsession, Matthew C. Yee's Lucy and Charlie's Honeymoon and David Catlin's circus tribute to Lewis Carroll, Lookingglass Alice, which was captured by HMS Media and reached 1.6 million PBS viewers. Lookingglass Alice is now available to more than four million students worldwide through Digital Theatre+. Work created by Lookingglass artists has been produced in Australia, Europe and dozens of cities throughout the United States.

Lookingglass Theatre Company, in keeping with its celebrated tradition of bringing to life Ensemble-created new work, presents the world premiere of White Rooster, written and directed by Ensemble Member Matthew C. Yee (Lucy & Charlie's Honeymoon). Drawing from a personal family story rooted in early 1900s China, Yee's inventive and haunting play with music reimagines an American ghost town in a way only Lookingglass can, weaving together puppetry, movement, song, and folklore. Single tickets to the production, which runs March 5 – April 12, 2026, start at $33 and are available for purchase at www.lookingglasstheatre.org or by phone at 312.337.0665. Formal invitations to follow.

White Rooster is a darkly funny tale of love, loss and the strange things we inherit. After a family tragedy, Min is pulled into a world of restless spirits, old curses and mysterious traditions. Her fiancé won't stay dead, her sister won't stay buried and a rooster won't be ignored. Blending spooky folklore with offbeat humor, White Rooster is a haunting tale of grief, family and the messiness of moving on.

"I started writing White Rooster after hearing an old family story that I had never known about my Great Grandfather, who was an orphan, being adopted as the "son" of two deceased children who were bonded together via a ghost marriage," comments Matthew C. Yee. "This discovery lead me down a rabbit hole filled with weird traditions, spooky folk tales, terrifying deities and unintentionally hilarious demons. I decided to set White Rooster in a fictional American ghost town, specifically one that was originally founded by long-gone Chinese gold miners. What if the people that were left behind were not only influence by the physical world created by those Chinese immigrants, but also the spiritual world?"

"Matt always finds fascinating roots upon which to build incredible stories. He writes deep and tragic narratives that radiate his unique sense of humor," comments Artistic Director Kasey Foster. "The theatrical elements of puppetry and movement, conventions as old as Lookingglass and beyond, are somehow terribly new under Matt's direction. I have swooned at every part of the White Rooster development process. This new and original work is inventive, collaborative, and transformative. Nothing has ever felt more Lookingglass."

About Matthew C. Yee
Matthew Yee (he/him) is a playwright, composer, actor, and musician living in Chicago, IL. Much of his work focuses on the Asian American experience, and features actor-musicianship, movement, and puppetry. His original musical Lucy And Charlie's Honeymoon premiered at Lookingglass Theatre in 2023, where he is an ensemble member. His new play White Rooster, which transposes Chinese folklore into an Americana setting, will have its world premiere this spring at Lookingglass. Lookingglass acting credits include: Treasure Island, Moby Dick, and Lucy and Charlie's Honeymoon. He has performed at Writers Theatre, Steppenwolf, Court Theatre, Paramount, Berkeley Rep, The Old Globe, Alliance Theatre, and on Broadway in Almost Famous: The Musical.

Membership and Groups Information
Lookingglass Theatre Company's popular Memberships are now on sale, offering the lowest guaranteed ticket prices plus a host of exclusive perks. Members receive tickets to every Lookingglass production this season, including White Rooster and Untitled Vampire Play, along with free drinks at each performance, 15% off additional tickets, bar purchases, and merchandise, unlimited ticket exchanges, priority booking, and automatic entry into the company's biannual raffle. Members also enjoy 15% off Lookingglass camps and classes, and bonus savings on group sales.

New this year, Memberships now include tickets to GglassFest '26, Lookingglass's inaugural New Works Festival, and flexible group membership options. Audiences can join solo or build their own ensemble group of up to 4 patrons with four package levels: Solo ($140), Duo ($280), Trio ($420), and Party Pack ($560). Every Membership package includes all ticketing benefits, bar bonuses, and exclusive perks for each member of the group—making it the most immersive, flexible, and rewarding way to experience Lookingglass all season long.

Lookingglass Theatre Company offers group ticket discounts for parties of 10 or more, providing savings of up to 25% off regular ticket prices. Group ticket packages include priority access to tickets before public on-sale, best-available seating, and flexible payment plans based on group needs. Additional benefits may include post-show discussions at select performances, educational resource guides, and pre-show restaurant and hotel recommendations, offering planning support and contextual resources for groups attending performances at Lookingglass Theatre Company.

Accessibility at Lookingglass Theatre Company

Lookingglass Theatre Company is committed to making its performances accessible to all audiences. Each mainstage production offers open captioning, audio-described performances with Touch Tours,, and mask-required performances. For White Rooster, open captioning will be April 3, 2026 at 7:30PM, the audio-described performance with Touch Tour will be April 9, 2026 at 7:30PM (Touch Tour at 6:30PM), and the mask-required performance will be March 25, 2026 at 7:30PM. Discounted $35 tickets are available for each performance using the codes CAPTION, AUDIO, and MASK, respectively.

An accessible entrance is located on Pearson Street, west of the main entrance at 163 E. Pearson Street. The Joan and Paul Theatre is fully accessible via elevator or ramp, with seating available on the ground floor and balcony for patrons using wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, or other mobility aids. Assistive Listening Devices, sensory bags, and large-print programs are available for all performances, and accessible group sales offer up to 25% off for parties of 10 or more.

For assistance with accessible seating, tickets, or accommodations, contact the Box Office at 312.337.0665 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

FACT SHEET / White Rooster  

Title:                                        White Rooster  

Written and Directed by:         Ensemble Member Matthew C. Yee

Dates:                                      

Previews:  March 5 – 13, 2026

Regular run: March 15 – April 12, 2026

Community Nights: March 12, 22; April 9, 2026

Schedule:                                

Wednesdays:               7:30 p.m.

Thursdays:                   2:00 p.m. (except March 5 & 12) and 7:30 p.m.

 Fridays:                       7:30 p.m.

Saturdays:                    2:00 p.m. (except March 7 & 14) and 7:30 p.m. (except March 14)

Sundays:                      2:00 p.m. 

Accessible Performances:   Open Caption – April 3, 2026 at 7:30pm

Audio Described/Touch Tour – April 19, 2026 at 7:30pm Touch tour starts at 6:30p.m.

Masks Required – March 25, 2026 at 7:30pm    

Box Office:  Buy online at lookingglasstheatre.org or by phone at (312) 337-0665

The Lookingglass box office is located at Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave.

Notes of Interest:

• Playwright and Lookingglass Ensemble Member Matthew C. Yee's first play Lucy & Charlie's Honeymoon premiered at Lookingglass in 2023. As an actor, he has appeared at Writers Theatre, Steppenwolf, Court Theatre, Paramount, Berkeley Rep, The Old Globe, Alliance Theatre, and on Broadway in Almost Famous: The Musical. White Rooster marks his directorial premiere.
• Lookingglass continues its artistic mission of creating and producing new, ensemble-based works. White Rooster includes the work of several ensemble members making their mark on the American theater and the company's legacy.

• Lookingglass, a destination arts hub for programming and community engagement on Michigan Ave., welcomes audience members through its new, community lobby space.

About Lookingglass Theatre Company

Founded in 1988 by graduates of Northwestern University, Lookingglass Theatre Company is a nationwide leader in the creation and presentation of new, cutting-edge theatrical works and in sharing its ensemble-based theatrical techniques with Chicago-area students and teachers through Education and Community Programs. Guided by an artistic vision centered on the core values of collaboration, transformation and invention, Lookingglass seeks to capture audiences' imaginations leaving them changed, charged and empowered. Recipient of the 2011 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, Lookingglass has built a national reputation for artistic excellence and ensemble-based theatrical innovation. Notable world premieres include Mary Zimmerman's Tony Award-winning Metamorphoses and The Odyssey, J. Nicole Brooks' Her Honor Jane Byrne, David Schwimmer's adaptation of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and Studs Terkel's Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel about the American Obsession, Matthew C. Yee's Lucy and Charlie's Honeymoon and David Catlin's circus tribute to Lewis Carroll, Lookingglass Alice, which was captured by HMS Media and reached 1.6 million PBS viewers. Looking Alice is now available to more than four million students worldwide through Digital Theatre+. Work created by Lookingglass artists has been produced in Australia, Europe and dozens of cities throughout the United States.

“Ripe material for a comedy,” chuckles Atra Asdou, writer and star of ‘Iraq, but Funny” now playing at Lookingglass Theatre. Asdou’s new madcap play is part comedy, part history, part family drama. Directed by Dalia Ashurina, this hard-to-define play feels like the kind of thing we absolutely need more of.

If laughter is said to be the best medicine, then it’s surely a good thing for casual educational experiences too. In under three hours, Asdou (in character as a Bugs Bunny-ish British colonizer) provides the entire history of European imperialism in the Middle East–from the perspective of the victor, as most histories are told. The colonizer, or “Actor 5”, condenses decades of complex conflict into a darkly humorous sketch comedy. The play is balanced with vignettes from a multi-generational family riding the wave of current events that ultimately lead them to 1990s Chicago.

History is more likely to repeat itself if nobody knows the history in the first place. “Iraq, but Funny” seeks to inform a mostly Western audience about how Middle Eastern land and culture have been divided and conquered for centuries by exploitative forces. Asdou’s morally slippery character relays a shocking and brutal narrative with such wry humor that you nearly forget very little has changed in the way the West engages with the rest of the world. What’s even more seductive yet is how much fun her character is to watch. Asdou’s Second City background is on full display.

Susaan Jamshidi plays the matriarch character, “Actor 1” and in every era, life is constantly shifting under their feet. She impresses on her daughter, “Actor 2” (Gloria Imseih Petrelli) that their lives are for the next generation. The central relationship between mother and daughter illustrates the real-life effects of colonialism and the people’s lives it shapes. Both actresses deliver powerful performances as they bring to life a century of family members. 

Omid Akbari whisks the audience around the world with his minimal, but highly effective set in the historic Water Tower Water Works theater. Costumes by Mara Blumenfeld are also a huge asset for the comedic set-ups, particularly the Uncle Sam get-up Asdou sports at one point. 

Lookingglass Theatre’s production of “Iraq, but Funny” belongs among the likes of Cole Escola’s “Oh, Mary!”. The dense and intellectual script along with Asdou’s sidesplitting comedic performance are a special blend you don’t often see. The kind of play that makes you wonder, “how did they come up with this?” Though, there’s an immediacy to this play that can’t be ignored. While it’s written as satire, it’s the kind of thing that’s so tragic if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry. This is a play about empathy. What Asdou has effectively done is what SNL does every week, amuse and inform. In comedy, we find our humanity. And with ‘Iraq, but Funny”, Asdou succinctly relays an ugly past, with enough levity to challenge preconceived notions about world history.

Through July 20 at Lookingglass Theatre. 163 E Pearson St. 312-337-0665

*This review is also featured on https://www.theatreinchicago.com/! 

“Don Quixote of La Mancha” is considered the oldest European novel, but it gets a fresh and exciting new treatment in “Circus Quixote." This is Lookingglass Theatre’s inaugural reopening after a year off while it retooled its much loved Water Tower Pumping Station location at Michigan and Pearson in Chicago.

In “Circus Quixote,” Cervantes’ beloved novel and it’s timeless characters—the delusional knight errant Don Quixote; the farmer turned squire Sancho Panza; the target of Quixote's courtly services Dulcinea (Laura Murillo Hart); his niece Antonia (Andrea San Miguel) who burns the books on chivalry that led to his madness—all spring to life.

The script by David Catlin and Kerry Catlin, who share director credits, brings in Spanish and latin-inflected English, but holds to the core of the tale—updated with added visions of quests that are now ever more familiar in our age of the revitalized renderings of Lord of the Rings.

Unlike Broadway’s 1965 musical “Man of La Mancha,” this version incorporates acrobatics, courtesy Evanton’s Actors Gymnasium—circus and movement choreography by Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi— along with stunning puppetry (remarkable creatures large and small designed by Grace Neediman) and dashes of slapstick. The show includes sword fights aloft on ropes (kudos to Micah Figueroa as 
Quixote's frequent adversary Sansón Carrasco), members of the troupe "jousting" with windmills by climbing the blades in arial feats, and riding Don Quixote's famed Rocinante, an engineered baroque steam punk rocking chair which at one point holds seven of the troupe in motion.  

Eddie Martinez as Sancho Panza

The newly coined English word “quixotic” (for impractical or foolish causes) was drawn from the novel soon after its publication in 1605. And the cogent notes of this tale of the hopeless aspirations maintains the poignancy as eventually even taking those he loves on a fool's errand, jousting at windmills and battling an imaginary giant.
Eddie Martinez as the faithful but questioning Sancho Panza (and a stand-in for Cervantes) is remarkable.

But the highest accolades must be given to Laura Murillo Hart, an absolutely stunning performer on multiple levels. As Dulcinea, in whose service Quixote launches his quest, Hart casts a spell on the theater whenever she appears, vocalizing in haunting melodic strains (composer Kevin O’Donnell’s music is arresting), sometimes accompanying herself on guitar.

In Act II Hart is transformed into a mustachioed, hoop-skirted clergyman, her clerical garb becomes an elaborate puppet showcase, a half-dozen or more characters appearing variously in a mini stage at the skirt front, and from her billowing sleeves. It’s an endlessly entrancing performance, and Hart demonstrates an incredible range in her many roles. At Lookingglass, a star is born with Hart’s performance.

Laura Murillo Hart

The relaunch of Lookinglass Theatre has provided "Circus Quixote" a generous run through March 30, 2025 at 163 E. Pearson at Michigan Avenue. 

Founded in 1988, Lookingglass has been on hiatus for a year while it reset its business model. Founding member David Schimmer of “Friends” fame has joined the board, and appeared last month along with Governor JB Pritzger to dedicate the rejuvenated space, with a redesigned lobby, bar and cafe open for business at 163 N. Pearson. Funding by the Illinois Arts Council and Joan and Paul Rubschlager made possible the return of Chicago’s dreamiest theater that has years of memorable shows under its belt, including (to site just one) director Mary Zimmerman’s 1988 “Metamorphoses” which went on to win her a Tony in its 2002 Broadway transfer, and returned to Lookingglass multiple times.

Lookingglass has over the years offered a balance between inventively staged serious drama such as the 2009 Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town,” the Jackie Robinson story “Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting” (2012) or “Death Tax” (2014); and more energized spectacles like “The Little Prince” (2013)  and “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” (2018)  Lookingglass also develops an in-between type of show embodied in 2016’s “Thaddeus and Slocum” (2016), and like all its work, presented with verve, powerful dramatics, and incisive illumination of our condition as humans.

(Updated Feb. 17, 2025.)

Described as a play-pageant-ritual-celebration, WHAT TO SEND UP WHEN IT GOES DOWN is both scripted and improvised, participatory and performed – for the purpose of empowering Black People’s response to WHAT GOES DOWN: past, present, and future violence against Black People.

“IT? You know what IT is. IT is that terrible thing that happened, and that is going to keep happening.  IT always happened just yesterday and IT just keeps happening again tomorrow”

This review is really hard to write, mainly because I don’t feel qualified to judge the work. WHAT TO SEND UP WHEN IT GOES DOWN is a participatory event, its purpose to generate a place for catharsis, cleansing, and healing … for Black People. The audience is informed, gently but unapologetically, that WHAT TO SEND UP WHEN IT GOES DOWN is by Black People, about Black People, and for Black People – although all who approach with respect are welcome.

And amazingly that’s absolutely true!  There were lines / jokes / vignettes that I couldn’t appreciate, that I simply didn’t get, but at no point did I feel excluded. The moments of disconnection were my problem:  I, as a white person, couldn’t understand the significance of those lines / jokes / vignettes. The moments of exclusion were deficits in my comprehension; they were in no way generated by the Black People.

BTW, I capitalize Black People because those two words are spoken – shouted, proclaimed, cried, announced, groaned, exclaimed – frequently throughout, and the spoken words are always unmistakably capitalized.

WHAT TO SEND UP WHEN IT GOES DOWN is written by Aleshea Harris, produced by Congo Square Theatre in partnership with LookingGlass Theatre, and directed by Daniel Bryant (Congo Square) and Erika Ratcliff (LookingGlass).

The ensemble includes Jos N. Banks, Chanell Bell, McKenzie Chinn, Alexandria Moorman, Willie “Prince Roc” Round, Joey Stone, and Penelope Walker. Each and every one of this cast are extraordinarily talented at acting, singing, and dancing. Though many of the vignettes are scripted, every word is unmistakably authentic. I can’t begin to imagine how emotionally exhausting each performance must be. I feel honored by their willingness to share it with us.

On the Creative Team are Sarah Grace Goldman (Dramaturg), Sydney Lynne Thomas (Set & Props Designer), Alexis Chaney (Costume/Wig/Makeup Designer), Levi Wilkins (Lighting Designer), and Charlique C. Rolle (Movement Coordinator). Victor Hugo Jaimes is Stage Manager, Estrellita Beatriz Production Manager, and Alexis Carrie designed the costumes. 

Together, this team – production and cast – create an awesome and enduring experience.  Six days later, I’m still having regular moments of recollection and new insight; I predict these perceptions and inspirations will continue for some time.

WHAT TO SEND UP WHEN IT GOES DOWN is Highly Recommended for all audiences; for people who identify as BIPOC, it’s downright ESSENTIAL.

Let’s begin with a children’s story. A children’s story about children’s stories, really.

Long, long ago, there lived a boy who could not decide what he would be when he grew up. He might have grown up to sing songs or tally bills, to right wrongs or treat ills, but he just could not decide. Then one day, the boy met a wonderful enchantress — a creator and a raconteur who herself had vowed never to grow up, and who lived her life telling stories for children. She told the boy that he, too, needn’t ever grow up, for he had been placed in this world for the same purpose as her — to tell tales that enchant children, young and old. And so, the boy did just that for many years until one day, as boys sometimes do, he grew up and went on to smaller, lesser things. And while that ageless enchantress still tells stories to children while the tired, graying boy does not, somewhere deep inside him lurks a longing for that storybook world he left behind, a longing let out now and again when he reads or hears or sees a story told truly and lovingly, told for and to those who have yet to grow up.

I begin with that story because Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” was always the gold standard when that boy considered what a true and lovely children’s story is. Lookingglass Theatre’s The Steadfast Tin Soldier, written and directed by Mary Zimmerman, is the rare adaptation of a true classic that’s not only worthy and respectful of its source material, but takes it to new and wondrous places.

Show, don’t tell. That’s perhaps the first rule of good storytelling, and Zimmerman’s production adheres to that maxim. From the curious pre-show goings-on that evoke an advent countdown to both Christmastime and the curtain’s rise, to the inspired puppets and streamers and set pieces that create worlds within worlds on the Lookingglass stage, to the powdered wigs (“That’s Mozart!” my six-year-old cried when she spotted music director and arranger Leandro Lopez Varady take his seat at the piano) and classical instruments that arm the four-piece orchestra tasked with playing Andre Pluess and Amanda Dehnert’s exceptional score, a time and a place and a mood have been created before the story even begins.

Show, don’t tell. For the length of the play, not a word is spoken. I imagine that Ms. Zimmerman drew inspiration from silent movies, as her cast tells the story with what they show the audience — with their actions, with their bodies, with their faces, with their eyes.

John Gregorio and Joe Dempsey are the play’s active, madcap jacks of all trades, filling pointed elven shoes as puppeteers, scene-makers and set-movers, and various roles throughout. Dempsey’s Nursemaid is positively Pythonian in her prissy, proper pomp and posture. And Gregorio’s Rat, one of many parts he plays, adds a sense of gnawing doom and gloom.

As the ballerina, tucked away inside a doll’s house into which the audience is soon invited, Kasey Foster enchants both said audience and the titular tin soldier with her grace and her beauty. But she’s equally charming later on as a rambunctious rapscallion wreaking havoc in the Danish streets.

Anthony Irons’ costumes and props — as a wine-buzzed master of the house, as a masked fairyland creature of questionable species, and as a jack-in-the-box goblin who sets the story’s plot in motion — often capture the eye, but it’s his facial gestures I noticed most. From grins to glares to grimaces, Irons harkens character actors like Don Knotts with his oversized expressions that translate from the stage every bit as clearly as his castmates’ bodily movements.

But it’s Alex Stein’s Steadfast Tin Soldier who’s, quite literally by the end of it, the play’s heart. While the others frolic about, Stein’s one-legged plaything is destined to remain static, so it’s his eyes that show us all we need to know. Above, I wondered if Mary Zimmerman was inspired by the silent movies of yesteryear, and I think it’s Stein’s Buster Keaton-esque ability to tell it all with just one look that got me thinking that way, every bit as much as the entire wordless production did. When Stein’s eyes gleamed, brimming with tears, so did mine.

Perhaps he’s as old fashioned as those silent films of yore, but that boy who’s all grown up now is not a crier. Then this holiday play for kids of any age went and brought him to tears, the same as Hans Christian Andersen’s original children’s story always did. And maybe, just maybe, this children’s story told truly and lovingly will also remind that boy that he hasn’t yet grown up all the way and that there are still children’s stories of his own to tell — stories that delight and inspire, that entertain and touch — just like Lookingglass Theatre’s The Steadfast Tin Soldier is doing from now through January 26.

Really? Another ‘Frankenstein’? The 2018/19 season was the year of ‘Frankenstein’. To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s classic gothic thriller, four theatre companies produced wildly different adaptations of the novel. If you find yourself wondering whether these companies knew of each other’s productions, they surely did. The beauty of the Chicago theatre landscape is that there’s a lot of room for good storytelling. Lookingglass Theatre wraps up their season with a bold adaptation from the same team who brought us ‘Moby Dick’ and ‘Lookingglass Alice’.

Conceived and directed by David Catlin, this take on ‘Frankenstein’ is as visually stunning as it is insightful. The in-the-round staging makes this telling feel more active, as the entire performance space is used throughout. Shifting around in your seat feels like a more engaging way to view the show. Not knowing where the monster or the next loud sound will come from, heightens the sense of terror. Catlin’s production is scary. Many of the other productions discounted that this is a horror story originally intended by Mary Shelley to scare guests at a party.

While nearly all the productions tried to weave Mary Shelley’s personal life into the retelling, Catlin’s version cuts right to the heart. In fluid transitions between Shelley’s life and ‘Frankenstein’, we get to see the range of Cordelia Dewdney’s talents as an actress. The show may be titled after the scientist, but this is a play about Mary Shelley. Dewdney’s dialogue as Mary Shelley is heartbreaking when considering her real life. Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel also turns in a strong performance in a variety of characters, all of which she plays comically large with a faux pregnancy belly.

The balance of good casting, inventive storytelling and arresting staging distinguish this production. Catlin has chosen to frame his version almost as children playing dress up while exchanging ghost stories. And since the characters are adults, there’s a simmering sexiness to this production. Sexy and ‘Frankenstein’ are two words rarely seen in the same sentence, but somehow Lookingglass achieves just that, making this a delicious evening at the theatre. Thrills, chills and titillation, the pillars of entertainment.

Even though we are now 201 years out from the original publication of ‘Frankenstein’, don’t sleep on this striking production at Lookingglass. For those with a grey memory of the novel from high school, or only familiar with the Universal-Boris-Karloff film version, Lookingglass serves up an unforgettable night of scary fun.

*Extended through September 1st

Lookingglass Theatre, known for its excellent production values and its incomparable space at the Water Tower pumping station, brings us an intriguing new work, Act(s) of God. 

Billed as an existential dark comedy, but really much more of a farce, it is a “guess who’s coming to dinner” tale of cosmic proportions. Written by troupe member and actor Kareem Bandealy and directed by Heidi Stillman, the show spares nothing in quality of effort and has an intriguing storyline, but runs off the rails by the third act. 

It opens on a middle-class family home where Father (Rom Barkhordar) and Mother (Shannon Cochran in an outstanding performance) await the homecoming of their boy Middle (Anthony Irons) and his girl Fiancée (Emjoy Gavino). Their two other children will also be arriving soon, a daughter Eldest (Kristina Valada-Viars) and another son, Youngest (Walter Briggs).

Sorting the mail, Mother listens to a radio report on the imminent passage near earth of the asteroid, Apophis, while she and Father reveal in passing that it is April 2029 – a date that gains in significance. Other rather witty exposition tells us how much (and how little) the world has advanced from the present. “Everyone’s driving solar cars, but why do we still have junk mail?” Mother asks.

In the mail pile Mother finds an unusual letter, but she can’t tear the envelope, nor can Father, nor the other children as they each arrive. No one can, that is, until Eldest arrives, disturbing the others who are deep in a stylized, futuristic New Age prayer ritual. (In a  droll touch, Bandealy has them ask God not for forgiveness, but to “Help us forgive ourselves.”) As it turns out Eldest is not only an atheist but also a lesbian, things which estrange her from the family. And perhaps to the detriment of this script, Eldest is a writer. But she is able to open the letter, revealing that it contains a message from God: he’s coming for dinner tomorrow night.

The plot thickens promisingly, and great deal of angst and stress accompanies preparations for their guests’ arrival, with Mother begging the rest, “Please don’t embarrass me in front of God.”

But the play takes a turn for the worse, as family tensions and dynamics fill the remainder of a way too-long show (three acts, two intermissions). These scenes are full of drama, but they do not a play make.  And while Bandealy’s characters are clearly defined personalities, jousting continuously, they seem only vaguely related to each other. Was it a matter of casting or direction?

Perhaps it’s the script – which is not fully jelled. Much of the dialog is actors reciting lengthy written texts, well stated, but mostly unconvincing as spoken language. This is slightly less of an issue with Mother, Youngest, and Fiancee, but is especially a problem with Eldest, who talks over the other characters in sometimes interminable diatribes and expository essays. Such character types have been known to represent the author.

There are also unconvincing dramatic moments, as when Father falls asleep sitting up in a chair for almost an entire Act, while a wild family wrestling and shouting match surrounds him. Or the siblings and Mother sitting unnaturally rigid and immobile throughout a scene as Father comes and goes from the kitchen, talking a mile a minute. 

Bandealy does give each character a moment of glory, with a signal monologue: in the son Middle’s take-down of his sister, Anthony Irons is moving and convincing. In Father’s recitation of an invented religious parable, Rom Barkhordar is flawless. Likewise, Shannon Cochran, who in what might be a ranting soliloquy decrying the raw deal given her by motherhood, instead sings her lines to the accompaniment of a baroque sinfonietta. It’s surpassingly than charming.

Oh yes, and God comes and goes, unseen by us. But we do hear him like a “passing wind” (a nice inside joke for religious folks, he is flatulent on a cosmic scale as well, it turns out). The date of God’s arrival, April 14, 2029, is repeated so frequently in the dialog I looked it up in Wikipedia. It is the day a large asteroid will come within 19,000 miles of the Earth – which clarifies the radio report in the opening minutes of Act(s) of God. 

The set by Brian Sidney Bembridge – the living and dining room of a middle-class family home – is wonderfully appointed, and conveys that indeterminate futuristic point in time with a mix of furnishings dating from 1920 deco and ersatz 1950s French provincial, to mid-century modern and contemporary retro, along with futuristic sconces and wall paper. 

The set matters, as it must also provide a climactic end to the play. But it was not a particularly satisfying one. The coincidence of a visit from God and an asteroid flyby gives a reasonable platform for an existential dark comedy, but hours of family squabbling didn't seem very existential or funny. There’s some good in Act(s) of God, and some great bits, so it's somewhat recommended if you have the patience for it. It will be at Lookingglass Theatre through April 7, 2019.

Jules Verne wrote one of the first science fiction novels in 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas, the story of three travelers who find themselves imprisoned on the Nautilus, a submarine captained by the megalomaniacal Captain Nemo. The novel was light on political detail, though Captain Nemo occasionally claimed to use his supremacy in the seas to right wrongs committed on land, especially those perpetrated by colonial powers. Nemo’s reasons were more fully articulated in Verne’s follow-up, The Mysterious Island, elements of which become the framing device for this Lookingglass Production, adapted by David Kersnar, who also directs, and Althos Low (aka Steve Pickering). Ensemble member Kersnar shows a deft hand and strong familiarity with the resources he can muster to bring the undersea world of the novels spectacularly to life, though the attempt to explain Nemo’s vengeful politics weighs the production down.

At its heart, 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas is an entertaining yarn, filled with hair-raising encounters with monsters, encounters made more terrifying by the fact that they take place in the unforgiving confines of the world’s oceans, with their more ordinary terrors. Kersnar and Low have done a remarkable job of bringing this world to the stage, staying true to Verne’s vision while making updates that make the story more accessible to contemporary audiences. One of these is changing the gender of the marine biologist who recounts Nemo’s travels and scientific discoveries. Pierre Aronnax and his aide-de-camp, Conseil, are recast as Morgan Aronnax and Brigette Conseil. This proves to be a strong choice in terms of storytelling, as it makes a little sense of Aronnax’s initial sympathy for Nemo, as both have felt the sting of being underestimated by those in power. The creators have assembled a team of artists and designers who are up to the task of bringing the tour of the seas to the stage. Todd Rosenthal’s set contains a toy-theater proscenium for the wide-angle shots of the ocean, from the sinking of ships to the horrors of the drowning sailors to the view from the windows of the Nautilus. The Nautilus itself is realized as an exterior platform that rises and tilts precipitously as the story demands, and hints at the confinement of the underwater craft that can be accessed only through a small hatch. Costume designer Sully Ratke combines story-telling and function, creating designs that capture the altered states of the characters as their journeys unwind, as well as their backgrounds and social stations. Props by Amanda Hermann avoid getting too steampunk, but capture the Victorian aesthetic of the novel, reminiscent of the original illustrations. However, it is the more ephemeral design elements that really transport the audience to the depths: sound designer Ric Sims and lighting designer Christine Binder immerse the audience in locations from New York City, the decks of various water crafts, to the depths of the seven seas. Floating in this aural and visual landscape are the puppets designed by Blair Thomas, Tom Lee, and Chris Wooten and athletic actors performing Sylvia Hernandez Di-Stasi’s brilliant aerial choreography, which allows the characters to float and dive beneath the waves. The puppets themselves are worth the price of admission: lifelike and magical at once, they float behind and off the stage to invite audience and characters fully into the terrors and wonders of the oceans.

The play begins with a group of refugees from the American Civil War meeting the man who enabled them to survive their escape, Captain Nemo, now older, alone and questioning his prior life as a terror of the seas. It then flashes back to where the book begins, introducing French professor of natural history Morgan Aronnax, who receives a last-minute invitation to join the crew of the USS Bainbridge, under Captain Farragut, who is commissioned to seek and destroy whatever is terrorizing the seas—be it craft or creature. Aronnax postulates a giant narwhal in a scene that brilliantly establishes her character and her position vis-à-vis her male colleagues. Kasey Foster does an admirable job of injecting charm into the generally no-nonsense and humorless professor, who is almost as single-minded in her pursuit of knowledge as Nemo in his pursuit of vengeance and domination. Kareem Bandealy is hampered by a script that does not allow him to fully realize the zealous evil of Nemo—despite his powerful presence and overbearing bluster, he gets bogged down in the scenes that switch to introspection and long-winded revelation. Scenes that allow him to do this while perpetrating acts of terror (the sinking of a naval vessel, for example) serve the plot much better than dinner time polemics and elegiac remembrances of his role in the Great Mutiny of 1847, which led to the losses that spurred his vengeance against imperialism. Rounding out the quartet that forms the center of the narrative are Walter Briggs as the cheeky Ned Land, a harpooner brought on board the Bainbridge to help destroy the monster responsible for the deaths of so many sailors, and Lanise Antoine Shelley as Conseil. Briggs brings the right balance of swagger and empathy to his role, and Shelley makes a good audience foil for the occasionally delusional professor, pointedly and humorously reminding her of the realities of their positions as women in a male world, and then as prisoners (not guests) of the mad Captain Nemo. Nemo’s “guests” also prove themselves to be up to the physical challenges of taking on human and cephalopod foes (Shelley has a brilliant and harrowing encounter with the latter). The rest of the cast—Thomas J. Cox, Joe Dempsey, Micah Figueroa, Edwin Lee Gibson and Glenn-Dale Obrero--provide some of the most striking moments of the evening and fill the stage with a multitude of supporting characters. Cox anchors the crew of Civil War wanderers and helps flesh out the alternate narrative. Joe Dempsey makes an impression as Pencroff, whose gratitude towards Nemo fuels his understanding and as the surprisingly open-minded and humorous Captain Farragut. Edwin Lee Gibson brings stalwart nobility to Cyrus Smith, one of the men who encounters Nemo in the first scene, and a roguish pragmatism to the self-serving constable who allows Ned Land to board the U.S.S. Bainbridge with a little persuasion from the Captain. Micah Figueroa and Glenn-Dale Obrero also fill the ranks of the Civil War escapees (with a humorous turn from Figueroa as the naïve Harbert), as well as handling the bulk of the fighting and diving, including an amazing sequence of pearl diving that captures the best of Lookingglass’s take on Verne’s novel—providing spectacle and social commentary in a seamless melding of physical theater, puppetry and characterization.

It’s not perfect, but 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas has enough to satisfy young (tweens and up) and old. Though it tries valiantly and not always successfully to engage with the political themes of human rights and colonization, ultimately it is buoyed by a strong sense of good old-fashioned story-telling. The breathtaking special effects, aerial dance, puppet magic, and a committed and capable cast who can match the acting and physical demands of the spectacle more than make up for some ponderous philosophical ballast. There is enough food for thought to inspire conversation, but the focus, as it should, remains mostly on the undersea journeys of the Nautilus and its willing and unwilling crew members’ battles with Kareem Bandealy’s power-hungry Nemo and the natural perils of the seas. It is well worth hopping on board to witness the sea battles, sea spiders, fish, squid and other undersea wonders dreamed up by Lookingglass’s team, under the assured direction of David Kersnar.

20,000 Leagues Under the Seas runs through August 19, 2018, at Lookingglass Theater, 821 N. Michigan. Performances are Wednesdays-Sundays at 7:30 pm, and Sundays at 2:00 pm. For tickets and more information, visit www.lookingglasstheatre.org or call 312-337-0665.

*Extended through August 26th