rating=5] The holidays are here! While you may not be able to tell from the weather we are enjoying, you are starting to see the ads and flyers for Black Friday and small business Saturday and Santa is starting to appear. We can also tell from our theaters. “A Christmas Carol”, “White Christmas”, “It’s A Wonderful Life” and one of the newest traditions in Chicago, “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” at Lookingglass Theatre at Water Tower in Chicago. This is a one hour version of the story by Hans Christian Andersen as re-created by Mary Zimmerman.This version is precious and can be watched by anyone as there is no language barrier. There is no speaking until the final song.
It appears that the cast is the same as last year and that a few of the musicians, who also take part in the play have changed.
It is a storybook saga and deals with love. With the use of five actors, four musicians, some cleverly designed puppets (Chicago Puppet Studio) and some great choreography (Tracy Walsh), Ms Zimmerman’s direction is pure Hans Christian Andersen, holding every audience member ( young and old) spellbound.
In “The Nutcracker”, one of the major characters is the Tin Soldier. In this tale, there are three tin soldiers being played with by a baby ( a great puppet) and one breaks, allowing for only one leg. How can this soldier exist with one leg?
Adeoye,( who I believe is doing this role for the first time) the soldier is an amazing performer with very expressive eyes and the ability to appear weightless. He spies a ballerina in the doll house in the children’s playroom. As he gazes on her, we now see him in that very playroom with that very ballerina ( Karsey Foster) who he falls in love with. After all, she is in dance mode so he only sees one leg, making them perfect for each other.
From this point forward, we watch as our Hero is thrown away and in order to survive and be with his love, he must overcome many obstacles facing many adventures
The other performers who make this show as spectacular as it is, are John Gregorio and Anthony Irons as well as the nursemaid played to perfection by Christopher Donahue. The costume and character changes are also quite amazing.
Todd Rosenthal’s set is in actuality another cast member. The wall on the stage is filled with boxes that are doored. Before the actual start of the show, every few minutes we hear a “tinkle” and one of the performers in one of the many characters they portray comes out and opens one or more of the boxes preparing us for some of the stories we will see ( not hear, as they never speak). Some of the youngsters in my area loved watching this part and were wrapped up in how they did this. Ana Kuzmanic’s costumes are a delight, so colorful and eye catching and the sound (Christopher M. LaPorte) and lighting (T.J. Gerckens) were right on! The music composed by Andre Pluess and Amanda Dehnert was sheer perfection. I truly feel that if Mr. Andersen was alive today and could watch this production, he would say, ” Thank you ms Zimmerman for making my work even more meaningful!”
The four musicians are :Shaman Ghosh (conductor and piano) , Juan Horie (Cellist) , Pascal Innocenti, (violinist) and Dalla Chin or Constance Volk ( flutist)
“The Steadfast Tin Soldier” will continue at Lookingglass Theatre Thru January 8th with show times as follows: (note: they are not the same every week, so look at the entire schedule before planning your outing!)
Wed, Nov 23:1:30pm & 7:00pm
Fri, Nov 25:1:30pm & 7:00pm
Sat, Nov 26:1:30pm & 7:00pm
Sun, Nov 27:1:00pm & 6:00pm
Wed, Nov 30:7:00pm
Thu, Dec 1:1:30pm & 7:00pm
Fri, Dec 2:7:00pm
Sat, Dec 3:1:30pm & 7:00pm
Sun, Dec 4:1:00pm & 6:00pm
Wed, Dec 7:7:00pm
Thu, Dec 8:1:30pm & 7:00pm
Fri, Dec 9:7:00pm
Sat, Dec 10:1:30pm & 7:00p
Sun, Dec 11:1:00pm & 6:00pmTue, Dec 13:7:00pm
Wed, Dec 14:7:00pm
Thu, Dec 15:1:30pm & 7:00pm
Fri, Dec 16:7:00pm
Sat, Dec 17:1:30pm & 7:00pm
Sun, Dec 18:1:00pm & 6:00pm
Tue, Dec 20:1:30pm & 7:00pm
Wed, Dec 21:7:00pm
Thu, Dec 22:1:30pm & 7:00pm
Fri, Dec 23:1:30pm & 7:00pm
Sat, Dec 24:10:30am & 2:00pm
Tue, Dec 27:1:30pm & 7:00pm
Wed, Dec 28:7:00pm
Thu, Dec 29:1:30pm & 7:00pm
Fri, Dec 30:2:00pm & 7:00pm
Sat, Dec 31:2:00pm
Tue, Jan 3:7:00pm
Wed, Jan 4:7:00pm
Thu, Jan 5:1:30pm & 7:00pm
Fri, Jan 6:7:00pm
Sat, Jan 7:2:00pm & 7:00pm
Sun, Jan 8:1:00pm & 6:00pm
Lookingglass is located at 821 N. Michigan Avenue ( at Pearson Street)
Show Type: Drama/Musical
Box Office: 312-337-0665
Perfect family fare. One hour in length, a masterful story and a perfect cast. What a wonderful holiday gift!
To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com,http://www.theatreinchicago.com go to Review Round-Up and click at “The Steadfast Tin Soldier”
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