Displaying items by tag: Magdalena Dalzell

Settling in for A Red Orchid Theatre’s Heroes of the Fourth Turning, I knew next to nothing, having no familiarity with the playwright Will Arbery. Partly by design, I avoid preconceived notions and try to listen to the play itself, and watch the performers as I review. Even with so-called “canon” plays like Chekov or Miller.

With Heroes of the Fourth Turning, I soon learned why this script was a 2020 Pulitzer finalist, and won accolades on Broadway (an Obie award among others). It’s the writing. (Shout out to dramaturg Michele Uy; you can get a taste of Arbery’s style on Netflix in his 2025 film, Sacrifice, a satire with Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Evans and John Malkovich.) 

The production at A Red Orchid is smashingly good—tightly directed by the estimable dado with a first rate cast that has mastered this challenging, wonderfully wordy work. (The title refers to a fourth stage of an 80-year cycle in which American history resets itself, tears down the old order and forces a rebirth.)

Unaware of any of this, just listening to its two-plus hours of non-stop dialog set on a back porch near the campus of the small liberal arts college, I can say Abery’s script is remarkable, capturing the tenor of our social discourse in the period culminating in the first term of Donald Trump’s presidency. Arbery has delivered a public service that historians will treasure for centuries. For he has captured with precision the tenor of the conversations, debates, the arguments we currently undertake, rendering faithfully the language, the reasoning, the syntax, the syllogisms, and replete with logical fallacies that permeate so much of what we dispute.   

Magdalena Dalzell, Nate Santana and Beck Nolan (right). Photo by Evan Hanover. 

Heroes of the Fourth Turning takes place on the back porch and garden of a white clapboard house where four graduates of the small Catholic liberal arts Transfiguration College in Wyoming have gathered. All are a few years into their work and life, and a bit inebriated from a party inside, perhaps in anticipation of an imminent solar eclipse. But for these four, the more significant occasion is to celebrate the appointment of their beloved educator and mentor Gina (Kirsten Fitzgerald) to head the school. But Gina doesn’t appear for hours into the play. So the four have plenty of time to talk amongst themselves. Talk they do, as we listen in. 

We learn their paths of life have begun to form, though not solidified. To a greater extent their belief systems, and their approach to life, are firming up. The powerful performers in this show are admirably harnessed by director dado, whose excellent work was seen in A Red Orchid’s Six Men Dressed As Stalin. 

We first meet Justin (Nate Santana captures the role impeccably), who was an older student and is more mature. We’re at his house in Wyoming. In the opening scene he grabs a rifle and shoots a deer far off in the distance. Back at the porch, he attempts to slaughter his wounded quarry, but his hand trembles as he holds the knife. “I guess I had too much time alone,” Justin tells himself. 

In scenes following the rest of this excellent cast arrives: Emily (Magdalena Dalzell) escapes from the party inside to the porch. Emily is gentle, a woman of sorrow and perpetual suffering, both from the duress of counselling pregnant clients considering abortions, and emotionally from the mean-spirited war of words that puts her friends at each other's throats. 

Soon we meet Kevin (Beck Nolan) with long blonde locks and a load of longing for love, who works at a Catholic publishing firm in Oklahoma. Eventually Teresa (Isa Grofsorean perfectly carries the role) appears, also escaping the now waning festivities. Teresa is clearly different: coiffed and manicured, and wearing a designer frock with off the bias hem, while the rest are grunge and denim (costumes by Madeleine Shows). Theresa’s polished presentation foreshadows what we’ll learn about her worldview.

The playwright arranges pairings of characters, and we see the disconsolate, love-starved and quite drunk Kevin beseeching her for attention. This is where Theresa, who is engaged, lets him have it. “It’s nice to see you feel responsible to perform your self loathing,” she tells Kevin, branding him weak and not in her league. “Talk to me about adult things,” and “I want to have a normal conversation like adults.” Kevin tells her, “It’s so messed up, it will lead to a four hour conversation,” then drunkenly to Theresa, “I love your brain.” 

When Kevin is alone with Emily, he wears his neediness on his arm, but Emily is kinder in her rejection of this puppy at her feet. 

All this establishes the characters rather quickly before the serious discussions begin. Anyone who has witnessed a convo among millennials will recognize the endless “chewing of the cud” such conversations entail. Like the mesmerizing drone of “Sienfeld,” (the show about nothing) one surrenders to a miasma of discursion when folks are fired up to converse. 

But this conversation is on a topic all will find of interest, as it touches on the survival of the Republic, or of Western Civilization, depending on where you’re coming from.

By anchoring these four young adults in a Catholic college, playwright Arbery narrows the range of conversation to the spectrum of conservatism. So when they talk about topics central to the MAGA crowd, such as abortion or gender, viewpoints range from hardened doctrinaire Theresa, a fan of Steve Bannon, who recommends hanging for the reluctant mothers; through Justin, who seems more stoical than vindictive; to Emily who empathizes with suffering; to Kevin, who can hear what is compelling for pro-choice advocates. These subjects drive Theresa into a rage.

“The lepers need to be healed, not championed for their leprosy,” she says, skewering liberal identity politics. “Otherwise, what are we? A throbbing mass of genderless narcissists. There’s no ‘thisness’ in the liberal future.” Theresa sees the proper political position as bound up with her vision of Christian nationalism that will preserve Western civilization. “What’s really radical is sacrifice. Painful particularity is what we need. Otherwise we’re culturally lobotomized. We’ll be force-fed brand new oppressed identities every year and we’ll bow to the tyranny of rights.”

By excluding voices from the liberal side of the spectrum, Arbery gives us a chance to hear the conservative arguments without the dissonant clash of culture. These characters debate the Virgin Mary’s role in their spiritual life, speak freely of attending weekday mass, and live uninhibitedly Catholic lives. They are all on the same page, but interpret the text differently. Emily, for instance, while against abortion, professes to love the benighted pro-choicers regardless. 

Each character has one or more lengthy monologues and these are delivered with a skillfulness one associates with those sometimes unhinged flights in Steppenwolf shows. Early on, Justin shares with the group a children’s story he has composed, a rather lengthy “The Grateful Acre.” Both beautiful and alarming, its repetitive refrain is hypnotic, especially in its delivery in Nate Santana’s rich baritone. I searched around for the origin of this basically environmental saga of stoic indomitability of the natural world, and found that Arbery crafted it just for this play. 

When Gina finally does arrive, she sizes up her students as they test her mettle. It’s a combustible scene, and draws the play to a satisfying close. Highly recommended, Heroes of the Fourth Turning runs through December 6, 2026 at A Red Orchid Theatre on Wells St. in Chicago.

A Red Orchid Theatre is pleased open its 34^th Season, exploring the theme of "world on fire," with the Chicago premiere of Will Arbery's politically-charged drama Heroes of the Fourth Turning, directed by Ensemble member dado*, playing October 29 – December 6, 2026 at 1531 N. Wells St. in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood. Single tickets are now on sale at aredorchidtheatre.org or by calling (312) 943-8722. Season subscriptions are currently available.

Heroes of the Fourth Turning features Ensemble Member Kirsten Fitzgerald* with Magdalena Dalzell, Isa Grofsorean, Beck Nolan and Nate Santana.

About the Production:

It's nearing midnight in Wyoming, where four recent graduates have gathered to celebrate their beloved mentor and professor Gina, newly inducted as president of their tiny Catholic liberal arts college. The reunion spirals into spiritual chaos, clashing generational politics and a vicious fight to be understood. Offering grace and disarming clarity, this haunting play speaks to the torn heart of a country at war with itself.

The production team includes Ensemble Member Grant Sabin* (Scenic Designer), Madeleine Shows (Costume Designer), Josiah Croegaert (Lighting Designer), Ethan Korvne (Composer & Sound Designer), Eel Black (Props Designer), Chels Morgan (Violence & Intimacy Director), Caroline Michele Uy (Dramaturg), Omar Fernandez (Assistant Director), Kira Nutter (Production Manager), Tom Daniel (Technical Director), Mark Brown (Master Electrician), JC Widman (Stage Manager) and Faith Locke (Assistant Stage Manager).

*Denotes A Red Orchid Theatre Ensemble Member

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Title: Heroes of the Fourth Turning

Playwright: Will Arbery
Director: Ensemble member dado*
Cast: Ensemble Member Kirsten Fitzgerald* (Gina) with Magdalena Dalzell (Emily), Isa Grofsorean (Teresa), Beck Nolan (Kevin) and Nate Santana (Justin).

Understudies: Rachel Ives (Emily & Teresa), Kyle Ringley (Justin & Kevin) and Sarafina Vecchio (Gina).

Location: A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells St., Chicago

Dates: Previews: Thursday, October 29 at 7 pm, Friday, October 30 at 7 pm, Sunday, November 1 at 3 pm, Thursday, November 5 at 7 pm and Friday, November 6 at 7 pm

Opening: Sunday, November 8 at 6 pm

Regular run: Thursday, November 12 – Sunday, December 6, 2026
Curtain Times: Thursdays and Fridays at 7 pm; Saturdays 3 pm & 7 pm; and Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be performances on Saturday, October 31 at 7 pm (Halloween) or Thursday, November 26 (Thanksgiving); there will be an added Industry Night performance on Monday, November 23 at 7 pm.

Tickets: Previews: $33 – $44*. Regular run: $55*. Access, student, senior, and group discounts available. Single tickets are now on sale at aredorchidtheatre.org or by calling (312) 943-8722. Season subscriptions are currently available. *Ticket prices include a processing fee.

For some, an evening of Chekhov may sound like pure misery, but Red Theater’s “The Seagull” running at The Edge Off Broadway soars. The original adaptation by Red Theater cohort Ian Mayfield imagines Anton Chekhov’s emotionally searing dramady as a chamber play. Under his direction, this faithful version is a hidden gem of this winter’s storefront theatre scene.

Though known for depressing family melodramas, Chekhov did have a sense of humor, and perhaps in no other play is his cynical wit more on display than “The Seagull”. Any production is only as good as its neurotic, self-involved Arkadina. Anne Sheridan Smith is a captivating presence in the role of the celebrated actress. She brings an amusing larger-than-life performance that’s devilish to watch. Lovelorn and constantly drinking Masha played by Magdalena Dalzell delivers cutting physicality that’s also quite thrilling.

Jamie Herb is one of the production’s strongest assets in the role of Nina. Her performance takes full advantage of the closely drawn staging. She tells entire stories with haunting gazes. Her eventual breakdown feels more disturbing than the play’s actual tragic conclusion. However, perhaps no character is as pitiful as Medvedenko the schoolteacher. Ben Murphy plays the role with a subdued quietness that’s like whatever the opposite of “golden retriever boyfriend” energy is.

Original scoring by Jonathan Hannau lends to the chamber play atmosphere and elevates the ambiance. Maggie McGlenn’s sumptuous costumes combined with Hunter Cole’s minimal staging keep the focus on the action. As the actors move in and around the space, audiences will feel personally drawn in, as if they’re a silent guest at a party.

Red Theater’s “The Seagull” is a great example of what makes Chicago’s fringe and storefront scene so exciting. While many may look to the bigger institutions like Goodman or Steppenwolf to tackle major works by important playwrights, with the right talent in place a small theater can be just as impactful, if not more in some cases. Ian Mayfield’s version spends a lot of time dissecting Chekhov’s musings on artistic forms, and that curiosity about the craft of theatre feels evident in this cast. The result is a labor of love, and exactly what you want from a good night of theatre–that you lived through something. 

Through March 15 at Red Theater at The Edge Off Broadway. 1133 W Catalpa Ave. Tickets via www.redtheater.org

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