Displaying items by tag: Christiana Clark

Eboni Booth’s 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Primary Trust is a deeply introspective and bittersweet exploration of abandonment, routine, and the disorienting reality of sudden change. Directed with sensitivity by Malkia Stampley in her Goodman debut, the production skillfully tells the story of Kenneth, a quiet, unassuming man in his late 30s who has spent his entire life working at a single bookstore. When the shop closes, Kenneth is forced to confront not only the uncertainty of unemployment but also the emotional abandonment that surfaces as his stable, predictable world unravels. The closure of the bookstore, along with his long-standing isolation, pushes Kenneth to face a future where the comforting routines and relationships he once relied on are gone, underscoring the profound effects of abandonment in his life.

Namir Smallwood’s portrayal of Kenneth is truly extraordinary. He captures the character’s quiet vulnerability, depicting a man whose life revolves around the safety of a small, predictable world. Smallwood infuses Kenneth with a subtle yet profound emotional depth, inviting the audience to experience both his fear of change and his intense longing for connection. His interactions, especially with his imaginary friend Bert, reveal Kenneth’s deep-seated need for stability and companionship. Bravo!

Charles Andrew Gardner plays Bert, Kenneth’s imaginary friend and a manifestation of his internal struggles. Gardner’s portrayal is warm and engaging, bringing a sense of playfulness and hope to the otherwise heavy emotional landscape. The dynamic between Smallwood and Gardner is captivating, with Bert acting as both a comforting presence and a stark reminder of Kenneth’s profound isolation. Gardner brings a lightness to the role that underscores the bittersweet nature of Kenneth’s imaginary companionship.

Christiana Clark is impressive in her portrayal of 27 characters, most notably Corrina, a waitress at a bar where Kenneth frequently dines. Clark brings a vibrant energy to her roles, providing Kenneth with moments of real, tangible connection. Her Corrina is kind but grounded, gently pushing Kenneth to consider the world beyond his limited bubble. Clark’s range is showcased as she shifts between 27 (you read that) 27 different personas, offering a fresh perspective to each new character.

Fred Zimmerman also takes on multiple roles, including Kenneth’s boss, Clay, and various other characters. His versatility adds depth and dimension to the play’s supporting cast, each character uniquely distinct and contributing to Kenneth’s journey. Zimmerman’s performance helps fill out the world of Primary Trust with a sense of realism and gentle humor.

Mike Przygoda’s onstage musicianship brings a delicate, almost whimsical layer to the production. His understated presence as the tiki bar musician, playing late 90s top 40 hits, highlights key emotional moments in Kenneth’s journey. The music acts as an emotional echo, amplifying Kenneth’s solitude and brief glimpses of hope.

Lex Liang’s set design perfectly captures the small town of Cranberry, N.Y. where Kenneth lives. He brilliantly makes the town feel even smaller through his presence. Heather Gilbert’s lighting design enhances this with soft, natural tones and hints of color that create a sense of warmth while subtly highlighting a sense of hope.

Malkia Stampley’s direction allows the story to unfold at a measured pace, giving space for the quiet moments to resonate. She lets the production breathe as she skillfully balances the play’s themes of abandonment, loneliness and hope, guiding the audience through Kenneth’s gradual self-realization with care and empathy. The delicate interplay between reality and fantasy is handled with a light touch, allowing the audience to feel immersed in Kenneth’s internal world without losing sight of the story’s emotional core.

Primary Trust is a moving and tender exploration of a fragile man struggling to cope with the sudden upheaval of his carefully structured life. With an outstanding cast and an inspired creative team, the production offers a quiet yet profound reflection on human connection, personal growth, courage, and the essential need for primary trust. Yeah, it’s okay to not be okay.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

When: Through Nov. 3

Where: Goodman Theatre 170 N. Dearborn

Tickets: $25 - $40

Infor:www.goodmantheatre.org/show/primary-trust/

From Twelfth Night’s well-known opening lines “If music be the food of love, play on …,” the stage is set for Shakespeare’s madcap comedy of misplaced love and mixed-up identities. Woven throughout this production are the colors, culture, and Caribbean-inspired music that play almost as important a role as the actors on stage.

There are those who prefer their Shakespeare straight up and true to the Bard’s written word and intended setting. I, however, am not one of them. I enjoy seeing Shakespeare’s plays reimagined and reset into different settings and time periods, and I was thoroughly enchanted and entertained by director Tyrone Phillips’ interpretation of Twelfth Night.

In his debut as a director at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Phillips brings his personal background to the stage as a first-generation Jamaican America. The island kingdom of Shakespeare’s Illyria comes to life under Phillips’ direction as a Caribbean paradise, complete with swaying palm trees, a sandy shore, and a reggae-inspired beat that pulses throughout the show.

There’s no way you can leave the theatre without a smile on your face, as if you’ve just been on a mini-vacation.

We first meet the Duke Orsino, played by Yao Dogbe, a talented veteran of Chicago Shakespeare, lamenting his unrequited love for Countess Olivia, who has declared a seven-year period of mourning for her brother. The duke’s emissaries have all been rejected, and he is at wit’s end.

That is, until a spectacular storm at sea deposits the young Viola, aptly played by Jaeda LaVoone in her debut at Chicago Shakes, on the beach of Illyria. Believing that her twin brother, Sebastian, has drowned in the storm, she disguises herself as a young lad, Cesario, and seeks employment with the duke. There’s something about the well-spoken Cesario that prompts the duke to send him to Olivia to proclaim the duke’s love to her.

Viola is immediately smitten by the duke, but vows to serve her master, and so as Cesario, goes off to see Olivia, wonderfully played by Christiana Clark. Craziness ensues as Olivia becomes love-struck with Cesario, and comically, Viola finds herself trying to extract herself from this awkward love triangle.

Throw into the mix the subplot of characters, led by Olivia’s uncle, Sir Toby Belch, (Ronald L. Conner), and his sidekick, Sir Andrew (Alex Goodrich), who plot to prank the uptight Malvolio, Olivia’s stalwart steward, by leading him to believe that his mistress is deeply in love with him. Add the surprise appearance of Olivia’s twin, Sebastian, who in actuality also survived the shipwreck, and the series of mistaken identities that result add to the chaotic comedy.

 But, as with all Shakespeare’s comedies, all is resolved in the final scenes. Brother and sister are reunited. The Duke and Olivia, at last, find their true loves (and not with each other!), and even the mistreated Malvolio realizes that “everyone is fragile,” and makes his peace with his adversaries.

The production is a homecoming of sorts for Phillips, who first visited Chicago Shakespeare as a teen and later performed on its stage in A Midsummer’s Night Dream.  He has assembled a talented group of predominantly African-American actors who bring an energy and authenticity to the show. For me, the performances by Clark’s Olivia and Paul Oakley Stovall’s Malvolio stood out. Clark’s Olivia is bold, beautiful, and determined to win Cesario’s love. I was captivated by her larger-than-life presence whenever she was on stage. And Stovall shines as the puritanical prude, Malvolio, who underscores his performance with a subtle gesture or a raised eyebrow.

From the opening scene where Olivia’s jester Feste (Israel Erron Ford) invites islanders to stroll with him to a reggae-inspired beat to the curtain-call where the entire cast dances to that same exuberant rhythm, Twelfth Night is an energetic, joyous, laugh-out loud romp that is sure to entertain – a perfect escape for a couple hours from the holiday stress.

You can still get in on the fun as Chicago Shakespeare extended its run through Dec. 3.  

Goodman Theatre’s staging of The Winter’s Tale, loaded with spectacle, would have seemed ridiculous and even unanchored 20 years ago. But with the surging popularity of those magical realms in the movies of the Marvel Universe – Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame - where characters die, then return, and are repeatedly transformed – well, director Robert Fall’s almost (but not quite) overwrought effort fits our times perfectly.

The Winter’s Tale was one of Shakespeare final works, and it is a unique form (perhaps why it is produced less often), neither a comedy nor a tragedy, but devised as a romance.
Unlike the powerful plays that are channeled intellectually to our emotions through telling dialog, as in the tragic Hamlet or comic Taming of the Shrew, The Winter’s Tale was meant as a theatrical confection, and entertains us more than it sways us.

In Goodman Theatre’s magnificent production, director Robert Falls has given us spectacle – five acts delivered as a series of elegant vignettes, presenting different facets of Shakespeare’s spin on several forms: Tragedy, Greek Drama, Pastoral Romance, Comedy & Clowning. At first, I admit I was suspicious of it all, wondering whether Goodman had bankrolled an overproduced folly. But by degrees I came to appreciate Falls' vision, and fell for it.

The Winter’s Tale opens with a brewing tragedy among royals – the deeply bonded kings of Bohemia and Sicilia are like brothers, who have a falling out, leading to tragic consequences and suffering. But Shakespeare uses the stuff of this tragedy as a formula: we are meant to behold the key points of very bad things happening.

For this, Falls puts the cast in contemporary evening wear and paper crowns – suggesting through what is almost a cliché in contemporary Shakespeare style, that this is a throwaway tragedy. The cast delivers it’s Elizabethan dialog persuasively. But the rather convoluted sequence of events is more like an exaggerated operatic storyline, than compelling trough of sorrow.

In a nutshell, Leontes (Dan Donohue - he was Scar in Lion King!) King of Sicilia becomes jealous of his pregnant wife Hermione (Kate Fry) and of his dearest friend, Polixenes (Nathan Hosner), the King of Bohemia, who he deems are cheating on him. Leontes shifts with inexplicable rapidity from bosom buddy to enraged adversary, though friends and advisers try to soothe him. Hermione delivers the baby, and Leontes puts her on trial, and sends the infant girl to die in the wilderness – of Bohemia. Oh and his young son Mamillius (Charlie Herman) dies, leaving Leontes heirless.

Subsequent scenes, including the trial of Hermione, now are given the look of Greek drama, or, Game of Thrones as suggested by the costume of Leontes steward, Paulina (Christiana Clark is a dramatic force). Hermione’s fate is sealed by Leontes' edict, but an appeal is made to consult the Oracle at Delphos on whether his jealousy is misplaced.

The play transitions a more pastoral setting, in wilds of the Kingdom of Bohemia, where the baby in the basket is threatened by a bear – played with convincing ferociousness by Mark Lancaster. The baby is saved when the bear chases after someone else (“Exit, pursued by bear” is the script line).

The curtain falls. And when it rises, we are greeted by a transitional interlude, with the character Time and letting us know in metered verse the clock has moved forward 16 years. This precious scene is like an elaborate decorative embellishment in an antiquarian book, letting us know we are entering a new episode.

The next parts of the play brings us to the pastoral setting of the Kingdom of Bohemia, and Falls gives us celebratory scenes following a sheep shearing, with bales of wool stacked high, and ala Nutcracker, a giant sheep and sheers. Against the setting of plenty we meet the surviving infant, Perdita (Chloe Baldwin) now a teenaged girl, and her boyfriend, Florizel (Xavier Bluell, who brings a real freshness and spark to his role). We are greeted by delightful scenes, and eventually the play makes it’s way back to the Kingdom of Sicilia, for a magical resolution in which all is forgiven, though not all live happily ever after.

For Shakespeare fans this production of a rarity makes The Winter’s Tale must viewing. But anyone who comes will find themselves richly rewarded. It runs through June 9 at Goodman Theatre.