“Mr. Dickens’ Hat” a play with music

Highly Recommended ***** A World Premiere right out of the box post Covid. Hurray for Northlight Theatre. It is December, holiday cheer is all around. We are already celebrating Chanukah and Christmas is only three weeks away. While most of the theater companies are bringing out the old standards for the holidays, this unique piece from Northlight is a perfect evening out away from worrying about shopping, gifts, grab bags and for me “Santa”. Many plays we know were written by Dickens and it is quite fitting that a story about him , or should I say his hat, is perfect. Written by Michael Hollinger ( who also composed the music) and directed by David Catlin, this is 90 minutes of pure artistry.

Most theater audiences know that Catlin is a  founding member of Lookingglass Theatre Company and physical theater is something they almost invented. His sterling “choreography” of movement in this production is amazing. One finds that they cannot take their eyes off the players or they will miss something important. The story begins with the cast of six players taking the stage of what appears to be an empty theater filled with boxes and props. As they tell the story they are about to tell, the boxes are slowly taken off the stage and the set ( William Boles) opens up to be a hat shop. At the very top of the shop is “the hat”, Yes, the actual hat that allegedly Dickens wore and used to carry water to victims of a train wreck.

Watching these six performers ( along with the three crew members ) navigate through this production is a trip. The stage manager , Katie Klemme, and her assistant, Helen Lattyak are as much a part of the precise timing as the performers. This is as smooth as one will ever see a production with this much physical comedy. I also must say that Nick Sandys is in great shape having a scene where the hysterical Mark David kaplan is on his back for quite some time. In this scene, these two, as the bumbling thieves after the hat introduce us to some of the quips and one -liners that are used to make points. Watching these actors switch characters sometimes onstage is powerful stuff. note: I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall during rehearsals- I bet they had a ball!

This cast is amazing! Christine Bunuan, playing at least five characters truly shows off her talent for comedy. She also proves that great things come in small packages. Cordelia Dewdney is Kit and others, Kasey Foster as Mrs. Prattle and others shows her ability to play many roles and sing in a huge range. Ruchir Khazanchi plays the son of the hatmaker, who is a little slow, but in the end is smarter than we think, and of course Sandys is incredible as the evil Fleece and the imprisoned “father”.

Fleece is the money lender who collects the debt owed by Kit’s father and when Kit finds out that the debt is all paid off she attempts to get the book so her father can come home. But Fleece and his partner, Gnat ( a truly funny character brought to life by Kaplan) have one goal- to get the hat.

While some of this may sound confusing, it is an easy to follow story pulled off brilliantly by these six actors. Catlin has in fact brought us a wonderful escape from the daily news and grind we all face. For at least 90 minutes, you will not care about what is happening outside the walls of Northlight Theatre, but only what is happening right before your eyes. If you can only see one holiday show, I think this is the one that you will be talking about for some time to some.

I do not want to forget the tech people who make all of this come to life. Jonathan Berg-Einhorn’s props are amazing. The sound (Andre Pluess), lighting ( Jason Lynch) and costumes ( Sully Ratke) were perfect. Some of the costume changes were so fast I though it was magical. The music direction by Chuck Larkin was perfect. Since this is a play with music, the songs are not applauded, but I will tell you that the entire opening night audience was on its feet for the curtain call and they were all feeling great about the 90 minutes they just experienced.

“Mr. Dickens’ Hat” will continue thru January 2nd with performances as follows:

Tuesdays  7:30 p.m. ( except 12/28)

Wednesdays  1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Thursdays  7:30 p.m.

Fridays  8 p.m.  SPECIAL 12/24  2:30 p.m.

Saturdays  2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.   NO SATURDAYS Christmas and New Years Days

Sundays  2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. (12/26 only)

December 18th  open caption and audio described performance

Relaxed performance 12/14- to support neuro-diverse individuals and those with sensory sensitivity

Tickets range from $30 ( students are $15) and can be purchased by calling 847-673-6300 or online at www.northlight.org

Northlight Theatre is located in Skokie in the North Shore Center for Performing Arts located at 9501 Skokie Blvd. with lots of free parking.

To see what others are saying. visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Mr. Dickens’ Hat”

Family friendly- Covid vac cards and ID must be shown and masks are to remain on for the entire production.