“Cardboard Piano”

Recommended *** One thing that can always be said about the productions at Timeline Theatre- they are of great importance and in most cases actual and factual! While I look forward with great anticipation to their move to their new building in Uptown, until that time, I will still attend anything they do in their present home located at 615 West Wellington Avenue ( just West of Broadway). I will tell you that during this cold snap in Chicago, you might want to wear a second ( or third) layer, as it was a bit nippy in the theater, but the show is warm and is a story that one can learn from, along with being highly entertained.

The play is “Cardboard Piano” and is written by Hansol Jung. This is the Chicago premiere of a play that began at the Humana Festival of New American Plays in 2016. It is the story of two young ladies, one , a daughter of American missionaries, Chris ( played to perfection by Kearstyn Keller) and the other, Adiel ( deftly handled by Adia Alli), a teen-age girl, as they prepare to exchange vows in a secret, makeshift wedding. They are in Uganda. It is New Years Eve, 1999 and we are heading into the Millennium. Uganda is war-torn and these two youngsters , while they live their dreams, are forced to take note of the reality that surrounds them. Their love is real, no matter their differences. But so is the war and the intolerance of those who are fighting it.

I will not tell you what happens with these two ladies, but will tell you that there are soldiers involved and that the first act ends with death and humiliation for those concerned. One must pay close attention to see what happens to whom.

As we go to Act Two, we are in the same church, in the same area of Uganda, but we are now in the year 2014 and it is the wedding anniversary of the pastor, Paul ( a solid and powerful performance by Kai A. Ealy ( who played another role in the first act, but pay close attention on this one) and his wife, Ruth ( played to perfection by Adai Alli- not the same role as she portrayed in the first act).They are preparing to celebrate and the Pastor is about to give his wife her gift, his sermon, when Chris stops by the Church. She has brought her father’s ashes as she would like very much to spread them where his father had done his work and she had grown up. The story gets tight here and under the solid direction of Michelle Moe, you will find yourself caught in the web of intrigue relative to the characters as written by Jung. These are four very energetic performers making this story live and recall the trials and tribulations of a war-torn country. Freedom Martin is the 4th actor playing Pika and Francis, characters who are very important to the story line about Love and hate, forgiveness and intolerance.

The set( Jeffrey D. Kmiec) has the flexibility to be a place of worship in the second act and yet, a hideout during the first. The costumes (Elle Erickson) are very fitting to the times and the nature of the story and the lighting (Brandon Wardell) and sound (David Kelepha Samba)are  quite realistic with the exception of the gun firings ( maybe it was just too cold to sound real) and the music ( Frederick Harris)is  very fitting to the story. The fight choreography ( Jon Beal) was powerful and very authentic looking and the intimacy choreography (Kristina Fluty) very touching. Fatima Sowe’s movement choreography and Amy Peter’s prop designs were the last of a solid technical show. Of great importance in this story is that Uganda had laws prohibiting independence for LGBT persons.

Because of the story’s relevance in our world, still today, there are a number of performances that will be followed by discussion groups

Pre-show Wednesday, February 6th and Sunday , February 17th, one hour before curtain.

Post Show:  1/27, 1/31, 2/21, 2/27 and 3/3 Right after the performance

Company Member discussion- February 10th

Open captioned performance 2/16 at 4 p.m.

Sunday Scholars  one hour post show on 2/24

All discussions are open to the public at no additional charge

“Cardboard Piano” will continue at Timeline Theatre, 615 West Wellington Avenue thru March 17th with performances as follows:

Wednesdays  7:30 p.m.

Thursdays  7:30 p.m.

Fridays  8 p.m.

Saturdays  4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Sundays  2 p.m.

On Wednesday, March 6th the curtain time will be 8:30 p.m.

ADDED performance Tuesday, March 12th at 7:30 p.m.

NO SHOW on March 15th!

Tickets range from $40-$54 and are available by calling 773-281-8463 ext 6. online at www.Timelinetheatre.com

Parking is available at The Century Mall 2836 N. Clark and at Broadway Center, 2846 N. Broadway- discounted BUT make sure you bring your ticket to the theater for validation.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Cardboard Piano”  run time 2 hours-20 minutes including a 15 minute intermission where you can read about what you are viewing ( Timeline always does this)