“Twice,Thrice,Frice…”

Highly Recommended ***** Chicago is home to many smaller theater companies, and as hard as it is to believe, there are many of these solid companies that as yet have not been discovered. One of these is Silk Road Rising. Silk Road Rising is a community-centered art making and service organization rooted in Asian, Middle Eastern and Muslim Experiences. Through their storytelling and dialogue, they are able to challenge the disinformation that people hear while promoting a culture of continuous learning and exploring what it means to be an American, no matter where born or from.

The theater they use is in the “loop” located in the lower level of  77 W. Washington Street in Chicago. The building is a church , but the lower level a very powerful theater company that brings new experiences to the stage and wakes Chicago theater audiences to a story that will be emotional for all, no matter their heritage.

Their current production, “Twice, Thrice, Frice…” is now in its World Premier. Written by Fouad Teymour, this is 100 minutes ( no intermission) of great pathos and comedy. It tells the story of three Muslim women, who are very close, almost “family” to each other and how they must deal with adultery, polygamy, loneliness and lifestyles. The women are a mix of ages. Khadija ( powerfully played by Annalise Raziq) is the eldest. A married woman, her husband is a college professor who travels the country doing seminars. She does suspect that he may be having an affair.

The youngest of the trio is  Samara ( deftly handled by Marielle Issa) wh claims to be the most religious of the three, but has her own secret life. She is also a professor and since her parents are gone, has relied on the grace and love of Khadija for motherly advice. The third lady is Amira ( played to perfection by Catherine Dililian) who is also married, and an artist. She is also lonely as her husband, a doctor, is on the road a lot.

We learn from the script that Muslim laws can allow for a man to have more than one wife ( not in America, of course) and so when one of the women finds that another is on the verge of marrying a married man, in order for him to have additional family, it is quite mortifying. I try to avoid giving away much as this 100 minute story as directed by the keen eye of Patrizia Acerra on the best set I have ever seen in this theater (Jose Manuel Diaz-Soto) takes us through a myriad of scenes where the ladies are forced to see conditions that are not normal or usual in their lives. Amira is the strongest of the three and is caught in the middle of these differences between young and old, new and old customs and traditions!

These women must examine their relationships with each other, and with those who are connected to them. They must evaluate their friendship’s, their loyalty, their faith and for one their fidelity. Are they strong enough to fend off the situations that are knocking at their doors? Can the friendship they have built survive what life is throwing at them? The story unfolds beautifully and always keeps you guessing. This is of great import as once you begin to see the story unfolding, it is easy to begin to surmise where Teymour is heading. The truth is, you will be wrong!

There are many challenges these three ladies are about to face and as written and directed, you will adore the outcome and how they arrive there. You see strength come from the shadows. You see the uneducated outsmart the college graduate. In fact, this might be the best 100 minutes in theater in Chicago right now. If you can get to see it, I am suggesting you clear your calendar to do so. It is a “women’s play for women and about women” but men will enjoy and perhaps even learn something from it.

“Twice,Thrice,Frice…” will continue thru November 10th at Silk Road Rising located in the Historic Chicago Temple Building, 77 West Washington Street, lower level in Chicago with performances as follows:

Mondays  7:30 p.m.

Tuesdays  7:30 p.m.

Fridays  8 p.m.

Saturdays  4 p.m.

Sundays  4 p.m.

Tickets are only $38/$28 students and can be purchased by calling 312-857-1234 ext 201 or online at www.SilkRoadRising.org

Parking can be a little rough in the loop, but  they do offer discounted parking at WMW Park at 172 West Madison Street ( two streets west ) at $10 ( bring you tickets for validation)

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Twice,Thrice,Frice…”