Event Details
British Drama A Taste of Honey from Shattered Globe Theatre
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Members Who Went Said:
Centering on the tumultuous relationship of daughter and mother, Jo and Helen, the play chronicles the events of about a year in their lives. The production last night was excellent in spite of minor technical problems that, fortunately, did not detract from the fine acting. I particularly enjoyed the lead performances of Linda Reiter as Helen (I have fond memories of her past performances in Suddenly, Last Summer and Arcadia); Helen Sadler as Jo, who was convincing in her search for love; and Kevin Viol as Geof, whose character brought some touching tenderness into Jo's life. Shattered Globe's production at the Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater is a worthy revival of this now classic drama from the fifties.
Norman S. An excellent production of a long-neglected first work of British
Anna Gorman The acting, set and costumes were all superb. The story was funny, sweet and engaging. |
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More Details About This Event: Set in 1950s Manchester, England, this poignant and comic play tells the story of Jo, a shy adolescent chafing against the constraints of her working-class life and the demands of her selfish, irresponsible mother Helen. When Helen abandons Jo to take up with a much younger man, Jo falls prey to the advances of an itinerant sailor and is left pregnant and alone. Determined not to be undone by her difficult circumstances, she creates her own sort of family with gay art student Geoffrey, who moves into Jo’s flat to help her prepare for the birth of her baby. The two settle into tentative peace and happiness--until Helen’s unexpected reappearance threatens to throw Jo’s life back into upheaval.
The play was a revolutionary piece in British theatre, confronting taboo social issues from a woman’s perspective, with working-class characters that are realistic, resilient and refuse to be bound by circumstance. Grammar-school dropout Shelagh Delaney was only 17 years old when she started writing A Taste of Honey, her first play and a work that would propel her to literary superstardom by the time she reached her twenties. By Shelagh Delaney Directed by Jeremy Wechsler About Shattered Globe Theatre: Dedicated to the philosophy of ensemble, Shattered Globe Theatre dissects, challenges and revels in the American experiment; inspires social discourse by raising questions rather than espousing philosophy; stimulates artistic growth for, and broadens the perspectives of, both artist and audience; and pushes the boundaries of excellence in ensemble theatre. To this end, Shattered Globe Theatre brings its audiences fresh renditions of classic works and premiere productions that celebrate new voices and innovative
About Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater: Founded in 1974, Victory Gardens Theater is a seminal institution within the Chicago Theater Movement of the 1970s and 1980s, dedicated by mission to serving playwrights and producing world premiere plays. Having just surpassed our 30th season as one of the country's most respected mid-sized professional theater companies, Victory Gardens Theater is the recipient of the prestigious 2001 Tony Award for Best Regional Theater and was recently heralded by The New York Times for its role in helping to position Chicago as a city "with a theater scene as vibrant as New York's" (May, 2003).With the receipt of the 2001 Regional Theater Tony Award, the American Theater Critics Association and The Tony Committee recognized Victory Gardens for its 28 years of excellence and for its "continuous level of artistic achievement contributing to the growth of theater nationally." Victory Gardens is the first theater dedicated solely to new work and one of the few mid-sized theaters in the country to receive this significant award. The Wall Street Journal recognizes Victory Gardens as "the nation's most important incubator of new playwrights." (August 2002). Two hundred forty-three plays have been produced at Victory Gardens Theater. Of these, one hundred forty-two have been world premiere productions, and one hundred fifty-one were written by Chicago authors. In 1996 Victory Gardens reconfirmed its commitment to the playwright by creating the Playwrights Ensemble, a company of twelve diverse playwrights who develop work for the Victory Gardens stage. The policy of producing new plays and the establishment of the Ensemble makes Victory Gardens unique both locally and nationally. Each year at least 50% of the Theater's work comes from the Ensemble with the remaining plays from playwrights who work throughout the nation and the world. |
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James Henderson
The Frugal Reviewer