Icarus: A Comic Fable by Edwin Sánchez
Theater Wit (1229 West Belmont Chicago, IL 60640)
- Full Price:
- $25.00
- Our Price:
- FREE - $12.50*
* Additional fees apply.
All offers for Icarus have expired.
The last date listed for Icarus was Sunday July 24, 2011 / 2:00pm.
Currently at Theater Wit:
Lance Baker Back in Famed Thom Pain (based on nothing)
- Full Price:
- $15.00
- Our Price:
- $7.50
Chicago's own Lance Baker returns in the role that netted him a Jefferson Award for Best Solo Performance, as Theater Wit revives Will Eno's critically-acclaimed paradox of a play. A finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize, Thom Pain (based on nothing) is a one-man show involving the entire audience, a hilarious coming-of-age comedy and a heart-rending drama, and a self-reflexive theatrical experience that somehow leaves you both filled with despair and thrilled to be alive. Baker stars as a man searching through the wreckage of his life to uncover the remains of his childhood. Gradually, his biting humor gives way to a moving portrait of desire and lost innocence. The New York Times calls playwright Eno the "Samuel Beckett for the Jon Stewart generation," and this exciting existential production proves it. Learn More
Goldstar Member Tips
Bar inside the theatre space, drinks welcome during performance.info • Feb 23 2013 star this tip starred
Street parking. Take the El to Belmont, walk west.info • Feb 23 2013 star this tip starred
Park at any nearby street, there is no residential parking at all, that is cool.info • Feb 23 2013 star this tip starred
Theatre was chilly, might want to bring a sweater.info • Feb 23 2013 star this tip starred
Reviews & Ratings
Featured review from Nick Meredith
view more less of this reviewI hate giving bad reviews for plays but this one was a waste of my time and so as to not waste anymore of my time. The writing and interpretation of the story of Icarus was the worst I've ever seen. I understood their version of the story but it just didn't work, it was almost like they were shoving their vision down your throat. Lines were repeated and then rearranged to be said again. Poor poor actors, this is a job I would quit.
star this review starred report as inappropriateI really liked "Icarus". It's full of heart. Much tenderness and vulnerability under the bravado. Each of the five characters pulled me in. Both touched my heart and had me thinking. It's all about dreams and illusions - remembering and trying to forget. Very well cast and well acted. I recommend it! --Dan
star this review starred report as inappropriateBoho Theatre Ensemble is a company that has guts, heart, and a real love for the storytelling they offer with each and every production. The space they use this time around at Theatre Wit is complimentary to the story of Icarus, offering an intimate but not uncomfortable view of the action. The show is beautifully and minimally staged, as well as beautifully lit. The actors are well suited to their roles, and all fit well with one another onstage, but the script has a kind of delicate, almost dreamlike quality at points that ought to be embraced rather than hurried through, roughened up or paraphrased to compete with the edgy qualities of some of the other moments. No doubt, the story will better be able to breathe with more time and more performances; a few moments were too brief to really emotionally land, namely the final tableau, but the cast is very capable and the story deeply endearing.
star this review starred report as inappropriateI enjoyed this performance. I appreciate the minimalist set design - and the beach - real sand! It left room for me to see what came to my imagination as the story unfolded. The performance by Altagracia had such awesome fiery Puerto Rican attitude. Primitivo's physical disability was believable and his delivery was also. I agree that with time, some of the emotional moments will become deeper and more fluid. Overall, very well done - it's a great story with some strong messages.
More Information About Icarus
Website
http://bohotheatre.com/show_archive/icarus/show_icarus.php
Description
"Like two battle-weary soldiers, Altagracia and Primitivo plod toward the beach. Primitivo, a boy whose contorted body languishes in a wheelchair, is nudged forward. His sister, half-dragging the chair, is marked by a maroon-colored gnarl that runs across her forehead and down the side of her face. Just then, Primitivo, as cranky as a sleep-deprived two-year-old, begins to cry.”
The disquieting scene that opens Edwin Sánchez's Icarus is enough to make anyone uneasy. But what initially seems like some postmodern cross between Beach Blanket Bingo and Freaks, Tod Browning's 1932 cult film, methodically unfolds into a thing of profound beauty. And that's the point of Icarus: Beauty is not just in the eye of the beholder. It's something that runs deeper than the roots of an oak tree, down to some inner sanctuary that provides safety even in the harshest conditions.
Icarus is propelled by Sánchez's winning, playful script. His moving text is laden with the nuggets of information that go into building a richly etched picture. A consummate story-teller, Sánchez also is careful to leave enough blank spaces on his canvas for the audience to fill in from their own imaginations…
Join Bohemian Theatre Ensemble as it presents this fascinating and soul-searching work. The questions brought to the fore are ones worthy of much discussion and debate. With Icarus, Sánchez, ultimately, chooses to takes us inward, revealing the terrible effects of the ghostly truth many hold, but pretend does not exist.
About the Ticket Supplier: Bohemian Theatre Ensemble
Mission:
Creating theatre that incorporates the arts as a whole -- Art for art's sake.
Vision:
To challenge convention through literary originality and eclectic expression while fostering an ever-evolving artistic environment in which people are inspired to learn, think, dream, and feel. To teach others and ourselves how to expand, create, and present art through theatre while reveling not only in the process, but also in the journey.
Being "Bohemian":
Bohemia is not so much a place on a map but a timeless concept that knows no geographic boundaries. The Bohemian recognizes that cherishing all aspects of art is tantamount to progression of mankind as more than just a living being.
The Four Basic Principles of the Bohemian represent their core values:
Truth -- That which is at the core of all things good and soulful
Beauty -- The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance. -Aristotle
Freedom -- Without freedom, no art; art lives only on the restraints it imposes on itself, and dies of all others. -Camus
Love -- Life in abundance comes only through great love.