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Out of town: Chicago’s Steppenwolf goes ‘Up’
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Ian Barford in Steppenwolf’s Up. Photo by Michael Brosilow.
A trip to Chicago may be the proverbial busman’s holiday for a theatre critic but hey, we all need a change of scenery once in a while. In between drooling over the Windy City’s architecture and salivating over the food for which the town is justly renowned, I caught Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s current effort, Up.
Driven by a powerhouse group of artists, the ensemble’s reputation precedes it, and they’re no strangers to Los Angeles. LA recently played host to Steppenwolf’s production of The Seafarer (at The Geffen Playhouse in April) and will soon see their acclaimed August: Osage County (opening September 8 at the Ahmanson Theatre).
Bridget Carpenter’s Up is a thought-provoking play about a man who defies gravity—a dreamer whose refusal to live in the real world frustrates his pragmatic wife, and distorts his adoring son’s concept of reality. The drama (playing through August 23) is coincidentally based on the true incident that inspired the same-named Pixar film—the story of Larry Walters, who built a flying machine by tying helium balloons to a lawn chair—but stands on its own.
Director Anna D. Shapiro (who won a Tony for August: Osage County) has crafted a beautifully imaginative production. Ian Barford makes Walter, the dreamer, a fully credible character we can all relate to; he gets solid support from a sensitive Jake Cohen as son Mikey; Lauren Katz as wife Helen; Martha Lavey as a sly businesswoman; and Tony Hernandez as wirewalker Philippe Petit. Rachel Brosnahan is amusing as Maria, a teenager befriended by Mikey, but much of her dialogue is incomprehensible—the only real flaw in the show. Call 312-335-1650 for information.
Speaking of revered Windy City institutions: The Art Institute of Chicago is presenting a breathtaking exhibit of Japanese folding screens, “Beyond Golden Clouds,” through September 27. Their stellar permanent collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings is of course worthy of a visit in itself. Call 312-443-3600 for information.
Through August 23: Up
Steppenwolf, Downstairs Theatre
1650 N. Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60614
312-335-1650
More from Jordan:
Cirque Berzerk’s alternative circus returns
Summer storm of Shakespeare, from LA to OC
Growing the legacy at Theatricum Botanicum
Visit Jordan’s new website: actingsolo.com.
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