*** There are often times when rating a play is difficult. The current production of Marcus Gardley’s “The House That Will Not Stand”, now on the stage at Windy City Playhouse ( a production by Invictus Theatre Company/Chicago) is an example- while the play is “recommended”, some of the performances in this powerful play are “highly recommended”! This play, inspired by Frederico Garcia Lorca’s “The House of Bernard Alba” takes us to New Orleans, circa 1813 , as the French-owned territory is about to become a part of the United States, which threatens the liberty of the free people of color who live there. I, for one, do not recall much of this during my history classes in school, and I am sure that most of you will agree.
This production, directed by Aaron Reese Boseman on a set designed by Kevin Rolfs, is a combination drama, with some very funny spots, covering Voodoo, slavery, emancipation, love, death and growing old. There is also a little bit of craziness in the family, and as I am not one to give away mystery and mysterious happenings, there are some wonderful albeit zany moments that will shock many of those in the audience.
I suppose, many will be shocked to see the play open ( there is no curtain for this set) with a corpse on a table, played by Ron Quade. It is his “wake” and this ceremony is taking place in his home. He is White, but his wife is Black, as are his daughters. In the opening scene, they are visited by Madame La Vueve ( Sandra Adjoumani) who is a sworn enemy of Beartrice ( a wonderful portrayal by Britt Edwards). In this scene, La Vueve , while sobbing over the demise of LaZare, also steals his rings and other valuables, only to be found out by Makeda ( a five star performance by Shenise Brown, who should be Jeff nominated for sure) the house slave, awaiting her paperwork for her upcoming “freedom”.
The cast is powerful, and although the accents are often tough to understand, the story unfolds easily. Having seen many theatrical productions with no curtain, there are some tech problems in this one, as on several ocassions, there is something taking place in another area of the set that just might draw one’s attention away from the main action. This can make for some confusion later in the story,
The daughter are played by three powerful actressesKaylah Marie Crosby (Agnes), Sierra Coachman (Maude Lynn), and the youngest, Odette ( Aysia Slade, who is making her Chicago area theater debut with great style). Beartrice’s sister, Marie Josephine is played to perfection by Jimiece Gilbert and the other player to round out this quality cast is Ron Quade as Lazare. There are some rough elements to telling this story and I would suggest NOT bringing young children as they might find areas to be scary and others offensive.
On the tech side, I love some of the movement (Isis Elizabeth), the incidental music (Christie Chiles Twillie), sound (Petter Wahlback), lighting (Levi J. Wilkins), costumes (Terri Devine) and props (Mariah Bennet). I also feel that there needs to be a great deal of credit to Greg Geffrard for the violence and intimacy choreography ( some thing fairly new to live theater, but of great importance.. As I said at the onset of this review. This was a hard one to put a rating to. I am sure that those who do see it will find the value in the history and the powerful acting. Ms. Brown’s one scene dealing with Voodo is worth the price of the ticket- she is amazing!
“The House That Will Not Stand” will continue thru – Dec 14th with performances as follows:
Mondays:7:00pmPrice: $25-$38
Show Type: Drama
Box Office: 773-609-1177
Invictus Theatre is located in Windy City Playhouse
3014 West Irving Park Road in Chicago
A House that Will Not Stand by Marcus Gardley
By:
Paul Lisnek, Behind the Curtain, WGN+ and WGNRadio.com
***1/2 out of 4
A House that Will not Stand won the OBIE Award for Playwriting and this is eh first production in Chicago since its Victory gardens production in 2016.
This play carries on the tradition of Invictus Theatre presenting powerful and moving dramatic works that is elevating them to new heights in the Chicagoland Theater community. “House” is a powerful and meticulously crafted production that addresses freedom, identity and self-determination set in early 1800’s New Orleans but with messages that resonate today. Indeed it is a masterful exploration of human resilience in the face of class oppression but retaining a sense of current importance and relevance.
The set, sound and lighting are almost characters in themselves. The atmosphere is authentically Creole and you can just taste the pralines! If a criticism is to be made, it is that the dialect is so authentic that it is difficult to understand the dialogue at times, but the acting is so powerful we get the message coming through. That was certainly a challenge for director Aaron Reese Boseman (well known to Invictus audiences) who might want to tweak that point but should nevertheless take pride in directing and creating an experience worthy of the high quality that is now expected from Invictus after the triumphant production of Angels in America.
Artistic Director Charles Askenaizer seems to pinpoint exactly the productions that should be taking the stage at Windy City Playhouse, a theater in which Invictus fits in well.
The dialogue is honest, deep, and challenging. The actors are up to the challenge to be sure. In fact, I will be shocked if Britt Edwards (Beartrice Albans a free woman of color) and Shanise Brown (Makeda – the Albans’ servant who seeks her freedom) are not nominated for Jeff Awards. Britt is well known for her singing chops on the stage of Black Ensemble Theatre where she has developed her craft over the course of seven shows taking on roles like Donna Summer and Tina Turner.
But now, this fine actor is spreading her wings beyond the familiar comfort certainly afforded by the BET family and the tutelage of BET Founder Jackie Taylor. And she is more than up to the challenge. Brown is also a veteran of BET and Northlight Theatre). This is not to slight anyone in the cast as they are universally strong and deserving of high praise.
The play runs at Windy City Playhouse located at 3014 W. Irving Park Road, thru December 14th and tickets can be purchased at: www.invictustheatreco.com
————————————————————–
More Stories
“Les Miserables” reviewed by Paul Lesnik
“Do Something Pretty” Al Bresloff and a 2nd opinion from Paul Lisnek- Curtain Call Chicago
“Scaramouche” reviewed by Julia W. Rath