Georg Büchner's Woyzeck as Presented by The Hypocrites
Chopin Theatre Mainstage (1543 W. Division Ave. Chicago, IL 60642)
- Full Price:
- $28.00
- Our Price:
- FREE - $14.00*
* Additional fees apply.
All offers for Woyzeck have expired.
The last date listed for Woyzeck was Sunday May 22, 2011 / 5:00pm.
Currently at Chopin Theatre Mainstage:
Jamaica, Farewell, a Powerful One-Woman Show, at Chopin Theatre
- Full Price:
- $35.00
- Our Price:
- $17.50
Debra Ehrhardt's acclaimed solo show Jamaica, Farewell is based on a mostly true story about the playwright's journey to the USA from Jamaica in the turbulent 1970s of the Manley Era. As an 18-year-old secretary in Kingston, Jamaica, Ehrhardt and her passion for America bump into a handsome CIA agent over a bowl of oxtail soup. She decides to squeeze through the pinhole of opportunity with the help of this love-struck American. Her way out of Jamaica is blocked by many obstacles: an alcoholic father, a Bible-spouting mother, the price of an air ticket and U.S. government suspicions. The boundary between bravery and foolishness becomes blurred as she becomes more desperate. When she agrees to smuggle a million dollars in cash to a mysterious contact somewhere in Miami, the agent becomes her unwitting accomplice. NAACP Award-winner Ehrhardt plays every part. Jamaica, Farewell is directed by Joel Zwick (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) and has been optioned for film by a major Hollywood producer. Learn More
6 Goldstar Member Reviews
Goldstar Member
I can't imagine what the one star reviewer was expecting: The play that I saw was an interesting refraction of Woyzeck, seen through the 1920s. Maybe the neg reviewer wanted a happy ending? This is serious theater, beautifully realized, for people with a genuine commitment to art and culture. The audience I saw it with gave it a standing ovation, so, fortunately, there are quite a few people in the city who are interested in interesting things.Written on May 11 2011
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New2Chicago
You can also find my review with links at http://windycitytheater.blogspot.com/Written on May 16 2011
This, I hope, is the most challenging review I will ever have to write.
Woyzeck is a play by Georg Büchner that is comprised of a set of unfinished scenes composed sometime between 1836 and 1837. I attended the energetic, avant garde and decidedly attention-grabbing production mounted by The Hypocrites company at the Chopin Theatre cold - I knew nothing about the play, the story line, or the author. This turned out to be a significant error, and yet I can recommend the production anyway.
The story line can be found briefly on Wikipedia (not that I endorse that site). As it is presented, it seems to be a compelling, linear story. As presented by The Hypocrites, it is anything but linear (unless one knows the story), and is a swirling mass of symbols, energy, blood and creativity.
The staging itself is compelling: a melange of props, each with their own deeply-rooted symbology, an elevated stage with a river running through it, and one of the more intriguing openings I have seen. Much of the sound effects are provided by the actors, often in a Greek chorus-meets-acapela percussion that is both unsettling and convincing. The lighting is dramatic, and the direction seemed quite crisp.
The actors threw themselves expertly into their roles, but (owing to my lack of knowledge) I was not always initially clear on what they were attempting to convey beyond the immediate scene. Yet slowly certain themes emerged, through clever repetition: the thumping of the heart accompanied by pulse-taking; the religious undertones, the drama of red blood on white fabric. I soon gained the compelling understanding that something deeper, richer was being communicated - I just couldn't tell you what it was.
Having skimmed the play, I can attest to its openness to such an avant-garde production as was mounted, although I suspect it could be mounted more traditionally as well. My recommendation: digest at least the story line (the play is available in English online) before seeing this excellent production. Were there more hours in the day (or days in the week), I would definitely return for a second viewing after such a reading.
On a side note, this was my first visit to the Chopin Theatre, and I am completely entranced with it overall. This is one venue I expect to be returning to many times.
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Goldstar Member
This adaptation was far fetched. The audience seemed largely confused. The acting was okay, some definitely overpowered others. Certain scenes were portrayed in a graphic manner that didn't work well with the stage design, too intimate with the audience.Written on May 23 2011
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MollyAC
This isn't the type of theatre I typically enjoy. I prefer solid storylines and deeper characterizations. This felt more absurdest in nature and I'm not sure I really "got it." The acting was very good, and I appreciated the minimalistic set and the use of space.Written on May 23 2011
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More Information About Woyzeck
Website
Quotes & Highlights
- "Adapter-director Sean Graney’s blistering and altogether superb take on the play... is not only a thrilling take on Buchner’s classic, but an example of Graney working at the top of his powers." --Chicago Sun-Times (Highly Recommended)
- "Graney’s exuberantly eccentric productio... yields a bracing, inspiring performance. The ferocious violence of the play’s climax turns out to have been perfectly prepared by the piece’s Kubrickian opening." --Time Out Chicago
Description
People, look at Woyzeck as the world made him. A broken, poor soldier. Can medicine save him? Can work save him? Can murder save him? Love. Sex. Death. Science. Come see Woyzeck die.
Franz Woyzeck, a lowly soldier stationed in a provincial German town, is living with Marie, and father of a child not blessed by the church as the child was born out of wedlock. Woyzeck earns extra money for his family by performing menial jobs for his Captain and agreeing to take part in medical experiments conducted by the Doctor. As one of these experiments, the Doctor tells Woyzeck he must eat nothing but peas. It is obvious that Woyzeck's mental health is breaking down and he begins to experience a series of apocalyptic visions.
Starring Erin Barlow, Ryan Bollettino, Ryan Bourque, Walter Briggs, Geoff Button, Sean Patrick Fawcett, Lindsey Gavel and Zeke Sulkes
Woyzeck is a new adaptation by director Sean Graney
About the Ticket Supplier: The Hypocrites
Their mission, which is ever-evolving to adapt to the growth of their organization, is to make a Theater of Honesty. They define a Theater of Honesty chiefly through two elements of their work: performance and presentation. In performance, their actors shall employ a genuine emotional vulnerability, rather than manufacturing a disconnected, intellectual version of emotion. In presentation, they shall acknowledge their presence in a theater and embrace high theatricality. Through this balance of an unyielding emotional honesty and accepting a concept of "play," they seek to strengthen the connection between artist and audience, enriching their audience's imaginative experience. Ultimately, they aim, perhaps somewhat naively, to spread understanding within society, thereby minimizing cruelty