Displaying items by tag: Karen Aldridge

White Rooster arrives at Lookingglass Theatre with the kind of wild, genre‑bending confidence that reminds you why this ensemble has always been one of Chicago’s most inventive storytellers. Ensemble member Matthew C. Yee - doubling as writer and director - conjures a darkly funny, legend-steeped ghost story that feels mischievously modern in this world‑premiere production. What begins as a family tale rooted in early‑1900s China unfurls into a surreal, music‑laced journey through a spirit-ridden American town of gold prospectors, where the living and the dead negotiate unfinished business with equal parts tenderness and absurdity.

That sense of slipping between worlds is echoed the moment you enter the space. For two gripping hours, the audience is submerged into a mysterious, rickety mining town - red light seeping through the floorboards as white, flowing curtains above and below the attic sensually breathe with every spectral draft. A mine entrance sits just below the stage; a shadowy passage characters slip into when needed to dig deeply for gold - and climb back out only if they are fortunate. 

The theatre is arranged in a bold, innovative configuration that feels unmistakably Lookingglass, and once the lights go down, our surroundings tilt sideways. White Rooster summons a realm of folklore and restless spirits in a spellbound theatrical storm. There isn’t a bad seat in the intimate Lookingglass house.

Yee’s setting brilliantly blends Chinese mythology with timeworn Americana, woven together through Lookingglass’ trademark physicality and vivid visual artistry. Lookingglass builds a set that’s equal parts dusty ghost town and drifting dreamscape, all weathered wood, shifting platforms, and shadow‑hungry corners. Nothing stays still for long. Cloth walls slide softly across the room, lighting tricks the eye into seeing motion, and the entire environment reacts to the characters’ emotional temperature - as if the town itself is leaning in to listen.

The tone in White Rooster swings delightfully between eerie and hilarious – a fiancé who won’t stay dead, a sister who won’t stay buried, and a rooster whose presence is as oddly ominous as it is absurd. The stage is set for a journey that feels truly singular, a ride unlike anything else audiences will encounter.

Karen Aldridge in Lookingglass' White Rooster. Photo by Justin Barbin.

The story centers on Min (finely played by Sunnie Eraso), a young woman desperate to outrun her past, only to discover that the past travels fast - especially when it’s carrying old curses, stubborn spirits, and grief that refuses to stay buried. As the spirit world starts calling to her, we’re left wondering whether she’ll remain among the living or cross over to the dead.

Min stands at the center of White Rooster like a live wire – restless and, at the same time, determined. I feel that through her, the story becomes something of a tug‑of‑war between who we were raised to be and who we’re trying desperately to become. And every time Min thinks she’s found solid ground, the environment around her shifts - sometimes literally - reminding her that souls from the past don’t just haunt; they negotiate, bargain, and occasionally throw a tantrum in grand fashion.

Maria (fiercely played by Karen Aldridge) and John (vibrantly inhabited by Mark Montgomery) are Min’s parents and June (Noelle Oh – bravo!) her sister. Together they orbit Min with the gravitational pull of family - comforting one moment, complicating everything the next. Maria brings the ancestral weight, the traditions and expectations that shape the supernatural rules of this world – and she can tell a mean ghost story.

Reilly Oh is outstanding as Pong, a mythic wildcard who brings humor, mystery, and a touch of the uncanny. Pong is the character who reminds you that in this universe, what lies beyond the veil isn’t just a threat - it’s a personality, a mood, a powerful force with its own agenda. He and Min develop real, and complicated, feelings for each other, until an unexpected twist shifts the story’s course and ushers the white rooster into a central role.

Through it all, Pong’s parents Judy (Louise Lamson) and Hao (Daniel Lee Smith) are a strong support system for both Min and their son. Their performances, full of humor and tenderness, add texture and tension - the sort of familial presence that renders grief both intimate and unwieldy. In the meantime, June, Min’s ethereal sister residing in the attic, expands the emotional landscape. She gives Min someone who reflects the stakes of staying connected even when everything inside her screams to run. Together, they form a constellation of women whose histories overlap, collide, and echo through the dust of this otherworldly settlement. And in a twist that complicates everything, June’s heart belongs to the version of Pong that no longer exists. Blink and you’ll miss something; the play keeps unfolding in unexpected ways.

Fang, a medicine man and Wu are played by Elliot Esquivel through April 5^th and Nik Kmiecik April 8^th-26^th. The two slip between identities with the fluidity of spirits who’ve long stopped caring about the boundary between the living and the dead. They capture the play’s obsession with inheritance - what we cling to, what we hide away, and what keeps clawing back to the surface no matter how deeply it’s buried. In the process, Esquivel scores a generous share of genuine laugh‑out‑loud moments.

Together, this ensemble of characters creates an atmosphere that’s sinister, hilarious, and deeply human, the kind of emotional tapestry that Lookingglass loves to unravel right in front of you. Though Yee’s approach is thematic rather than didactic, he offers no crystal‑clear moral - instead, June, Min’s spectral sister, delivers the closest thing to one: a deep, aching hunger for something she can’t find, especially heard in the way she screams “I’m hungry! I’m hungry!” It’s a hunger shared by every ghost drifting through this world or the next.

(from left) Noelle Oh, Reilly Oh, Sunnie Eraso in White Rooster at Lookingglass Theatre. Photo by Juston Barbin.

Ghost stories flare to life throughout the play by various characters - crisp, vivid, and wickedly staged - sending me right back to those childhood nights when one good scare made you latch onto the nearest friend. And, like a haunted house, the set and effects amplify it all, bringing this shadow-touched world to life with real ingenuity. Layered with White Rooster’s puppetry, which moves like a shared heartbeat - one force sculpting the landscape, the other lending its phantoms their physical form - the result feels kinetic in the eeriest way.

Yes, the puppetry slips right into this dimension, never as a gimmick but as the show’s beating heart of paranormal logic. From shadow‑puppeted silhouettes rippling across illuminated draperies to Dave and his scene‑stealing pet pig to the white rooster that becomes its own mythic force, the blend of object manipulation and visual animation is an imaginative jolt that feels handcrafted and otherworldly at the same time. Together, the set and puppets create a realm that feels porous and alive, the kind of roguish, immersive ecosystem where even the furniture seems menacingly capable of waking up. 

This haunted domain comes to life through the combined minds of Natsu Onoda Power (scenery), Mara Blumenfeld (costumes), Hannah Wien (lighting), Justin Cavazos (sound and score), Amanda Herrmann (props), and Caitlin McLeod (puppets). Their contributions braid together - darkness blooming, objects murmuring, fabrics holding memory - until the world feels less crafted than conjured. The result is a creation that’s tactile, mischievous and emotionally grounded even as it spirals into folklore‑fueled madness. Lookingglass doesn’t just stage the supernatural - it immerses us in it.

Says Artistic Director Kasey Foster on Yee’s offering, “White Rooster has been a thrilling ride from its very first conception in 2020. Matt chooses unique stories to tell, entirely original and fresh, and in his debut role as Director at Lookingglass, he has brought that same originality and "cool" to the staging and design of White Rooster.”

And ‘cool’ is right, with cast members trading off on electric guitar - distortion blazing and ominous percussion driving the suspense. The show’s mix of humor and heartbreak, along with its inventive staging, makes it feel unmistakably like a Lookingglass premiere: collaborative, imaginative, and rooted in personal storytelling.

During the opening night festivities, I chatted briefly with co‑founder and board member David Schwimmer, who was clearly thrilled to discuss the theatre’s refreshed, reimagined space. Lookingglass Theatre’s recent renovation marks a striking reinvention of its public presence. The historic Pumping Station now opens directly onto Michigan Avenue, leading into a bright, flexible lobby that doubles as a café, gathering space, and creative hub. Modular seating, projection surfaces, and expanded rehearsal and education areas turn the venue into an all‑day destination, while warm touches - from celestial‑inspired terrazzo floors to an amber “lantern” box office - give the space its signature glow. More than a facelift, the redesign reshapes how Lookingglass engages its community, creating a welcoming, versatile home for its imaginative spirit.

In the end, in this recently renovated theatre and with this world premiere, White Rooster heralds Matthew C. Yee as a rising playwright‑director with a gift for weaving myth, humor, and heartbreak into something wholly new.

Highly recommended.

White Rooster runs at Lookingglass through April 26, 2026, with performances most Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and select matinees at 2:00 p.m. on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Tickets through the Lookingglass box office start at $33, while Hot Tix lists discounted seats in the $51–$62 range, and select Lookingglass Class events offer pay‑what‑you‑can options. The run also features several special performances, including Folklore Day on March 22 at 2:00 p.m., a mask‑required show on March 25 at 7:30 p.m., open captioning on April 3 at 7:30 p.m., and AAPI Night on April 9 at 7:30 p.m. For tickets and/or more information, click here.

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com. 

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 26, 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..

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   

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.

The dynamic clashes of three couples living parallel lives fuels Christina Anderson’s delightful new play, How to Catch Creation. With dialog that is fresh, arresting, and completely natural, Anderson captures and holds our attention throughout the 90-minute show.  We quickly become invested in the characters, want to know how things will turn out for them.

Particularly strong were the portrayals of Griffin (Keith Randolph Smith is spectacular), and his bosom buddy and best female friend Tami (Karen Aldridge in an electric performance).

Griffin is a middle-aged man recently released from prison after being wrongfully convicted, trying to reclaim his life – with a settlement to get him started. Tami is an academic administrator in the fine arts department, whose life as an artist is now in abeyance – and likewise for her love life, which trends toward women.

Tami and Griffin have that most special intimacy, one that allows for unsparing honesty, and in the best of all possible worlds could be the basis for a rock-solid marriage. But nothing suggests they are headed in that direction. But your antenna will rise as the dialog between these two, sparklingly well written, suggests a special energy – and the chemistry between these two accomplished actors is unrelentingly magnetic.

In the course of the action, Tami pairs up with Riley (Maya Vinice Prentiss) a computer technician and electronic musician. Complicating things is the fact that Riley is involved with Stokes (Bernard Gilbert). Without spoiling the plot and reveals, we discover a thread of connections through two generations, and through coincidences and fate, paths cross and the complicated fabric of the drama is woven.

The presentation of the play is fast-paced and technically wonderful – Anderson’s script sets great production challenges, as it mimics the fast-paced, quick-cut style of a film – with vignettes, short scenes, and jumps back in time. To accomplish this, director Nigel Smith seamlessly integrated scenery and staging (Todd Rosenthal) lighting (Allen Lee Hughes) and sound (Joanna Lynne Staub, with composition by Justin Ellington).

In How to Catch Creation, Anderson reminds us that the more things change, the more they stay the same. The title tips us off to the parallels within these couples, and the pursuit each holds in common of creation – in painting, writing, procreating – and the quest for love. As if to underscore it all, Anderson gives us several pairs of scenes that run concurrently, with identical dialog spoken sometimes simultaneously, sometimes sequentially, by couples in different times and of different ages. The effect is marvelous.   

One couple is shown living in the 1960s and 1970s, Ayanna Bria Bakari (Natalie), Jasmine Bracey (G.K. Marche) and Anderson is very specific about the timing of scenes: one takes place a few days after the specific reference to the September 15, 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama; the scene references the killing of four little girls in the church. Another takes place years later, with a very specific presentation of an ad at a bus stop for an Apple computer (a perfect replication of the real thing), setting it in the late 1970s, when Apple first began advertising.

The other two couples inhabit 2014, but also with a specificity. “It’s 2014,” says Riley. “If you have the money, you can have can have a kid.” Perhaps by rooting the action in concrete details, Anderson wants to make it more credible. But she has accomplished that already, with the dialog in this wonderfully written work. Highly recommended. How to Catch Creation runs through February 24 at Goodman Theatre.  

“Victims of Duty” starts with Madeleine (Karen Aldridge) sitting aside a clawfoot tub where she knits silently as her husband, Choubert (Guy Van Swearingen), reads the newspaper from his chair. Breaking the silence, she finally asks if there is anything knew in the news. There is not. Same old, same old. Their conversation centers on the humdrum of society. We sense a strong boredom between the two. Madeline enjoys the theatre, but Choubert points out how mysteries are so predictable – crime, detective (Michael Shannon), solved. It is then a knock is heard at their neighbor’s door. The two make little of it. Not much longer, the knock is heard at their own door. Enter the detective. This excites Madeline. She asks him to come in, but at first he says he can’t stay. He’s running late, he shows them his watch. He then comes in. He just has a few questions to ask them. When the two are asked about a missing neighbor, “Mallot with a ‘t’ at the end”, the mundane quickly turns into an introspective journey filled with twists and turns (literally) Choubert and Madeline will never forget.

Written in 1953, French-Romanian playwright Eugene lonesco taps into his own psyche in what is considered his most biographical piece. Choubert’s voyage includes real-life experiences of lonesco such as his tumultuous relationship with his father and a memory where he holds his mother’s hand along the Rue Blomet just after the bombing. “Murder for Two” is as penetrating as it is suspenseful as Choubert is forced to face his deepest fears. Michael Shannon as the detective or “Chief Inspector” is as powerful as they come as he guides Choubert through every step into his subconscious. He plays his character with ferocity and yet with a vulnerability that we can easily relate to as viewers, and to see the passion that Shannon so often exudes on the big screen in such an intimate setting is almost overwhelming. Karen Aldridge also puts forth a powerhouse performance as Madeline and does so by going through a gamut of emotions without skipping a beat. Rounding out the main trio is Guy Van Swearingen as Choubert who not only impresses with finessed acting ability but adds plenty of meat to the role with a strong physical performance, most of which is done while soaking wet. Richard Cotovsky (Mary-Archie Theatre fame) also makes a splash (again, literally) as French poet Nicholas D’eu.

Astutely directed by Shira Piven, takes this one-act play and runs with it showing provocative imagery at just the right moments to add to the show’s intensity. With an artistic team of Danila Korogodsky (Production Designer), Mike Durst (Lighting Designer) and Brando Triantafilou (Sound Designer), all the right touches are in place to make this a truly unique theatre experience. And smartly so, Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald brings back Shannon and Swearingen who reprise the same roles they undertook in 1995 when the play first hit A Red Orchid Theatre. To round out the list of returnees, Piven also directed the play’s first run while Korogodsky was on hand as Production Designer.

“'Victims of Duty’ was the very first show I ever saw at A Red Orchid,” says Fitzgerald. “I am not entirely sure lonesco’s investigation of life made logical sense to me at the time, but it made perfect emotional sense and was viscerally stunning. So much so, that I knew I needed to work with these people in this space. That was 1996. With many of the originals returning, the investigation promises to go even deeper.”

Outside of memorable performances and its unusual setting, what makes this play so engaging is how much is left to the audience’s interpretation. Undoubtably, there are several certain moments that will relate heavily with many. There are several questions posed in the concentrated 90 minutes. Are we the victims of duty? Is it because of our place in the system that our actions should be forgiven to those we affected negatively? For instance, as Choubert speaks with his father – a former soldier - whom he has been so filled with anger for so many years, perhaps realizing that the chain reaction set off by his father’s “duty” must be recognized as the source of certain intrinsic behaviors that could not be helped rather than taking all actions at such a personal level. Maybe he should forgive his father. Maybe we should all have a deeper understanding of those around us and realize how being in such a system, whether the role that had to be taken on, has affected those they love.

Highly recommended.

“Victims of Duty” is being performed at A Red Orchid Theatre through August 5th. For tickets and/or more information visit www.aredorchidtheatre.org.