Displaying items by tag: Demetrios Troy

Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s production of The Winter’s Tale delivers a compelling evening of theater, showcasing an exceptional company of actors working at the top of their craft. Under the direction of Artistic Director Edward Hall, this staging marks an exciting experiment for the theater as the troupe performs in repertoire, set to follow this production with A Midsummer Night’s Dream in November. Though The Winter’s Tale remains one of Shakespeare’s lesser-known plays, Hall breathes fresh vitality into the work, framing it like a classic fairy tale. Playing a child, Felicia Oduh begins the show opening a picture book in view of a toy ship and a teddy bear, foreshadowing what is to come.

The piece opens with a joyous celebration as King Leontes tries to convince his childhood best friend, King Polixenes, to remain a little longer in his company. But the homesick royal denies every plea, until the beautiful Queen Hermione persuades him to stay. At her success, Leontes is suddenly possessed by jealousy, wondering why her efforts worked. His wild imagination corrodes his sanity quickly, and in no time, he’s envisioned a forbidden affair between his pregnant wife and his most loyal friend. His nobles fail to reel him in, and his madness drives him to forsake everything, even banishing his newborn daughter, only to discover his accusations had no merit. His only hope now rests in a prophecy and the hope that he’ll be reunited with his child one day.

This production thrives as a true ensemble piece, with the majority of the cast adeptly tackling dual roles. Demetrios Troy plays the maddened Leontes with fierce conviction, delivering an inspired portrayal of a ruler’s terrifying mental unraveling. Opposite him, Jessica Dean Turner brings raw emotion to Queen Hermione, grounding her betrayal in a profound, heartbreaking depth. Issy van Randwyck is a force to be reckoned with as Paulina. She commands the stage with a presence capable of calling down fire from heaven or piercing with her witty remarks dipped in uncompromising truth. Providing comedic relief, Kevin Gudahl and Dan Haller share delightful chemistry as the simple-minded shepherd and his son. Later, Sean Fortunato’s turn as the rogue Autolycus provides an absolute audience treat, creating a larger-than-life, hilarious scoundrel infused with a playful rock edge. His playful French accent was especially hilarious.

While the cast excels, the production’s main hurdles stem from the disjointed nature of Shakespeare's text. Act One functions as a powerful, high-stakes drama, illustrating how a poisoned mind can devastate love and life. Act Two, however, pivots sharply, opening with upbeat musical numbers, including a sequence featuring the cast as “baahing” sheep (one even relieves himself on stage). The second half feels in many ways like an extended tangent from the primary plot, as we’re promised a return to Leontes’ court. Still, while it’s a diversion, it is an entertaining one.

Also, no production of The Winter’s Tale would be complete without addressing the play's most famous stage direction, "Exit, pursued by a bear," and Chicago Shakespeare’s iteration does not disappoint. They unleash a creature that is truly the stuff of nightmares.

Despite the script's structural awkwardness, Hall has crafted an enjoyable and emotionally resonant piece of theater powered by artists who elevate every moment. The ensemble brings richness and warmth to these complex characters, capturing the audience’s heart while delivering laughter throughout.

Overall, this presentation stands as another triumph for Chicago Shakespeare Theater, proving that even Shakespeare's lesser-known works can shine brilliantly in the hands of a gifted company.

The Winter's Tale runs until December 12.

https://www.chicagoshakes.com/productions/2627-winters-tale/

The play Threesome is an ambitious work, taking aim at the ease with which we become stuck in patterns of bad behavior like possessiveness in relationships. It also reaches into threats to women's freedom in other cultures. 

As the lights come up we meet a married couple already in bed, who have embarked on a venture both risqué and risky: a man has been invited to join them for a tryst, at the behest of the wife, Leila (Suzan Faycurry). 

The two are modestly dressed, considering this is a three-way. Presentiments of a drawing room comedy? Perhaps it's a commentary on social mores leading couples to extremes, even when not a good fit. 

It’s the first time for the couple, an Egyptian-American pair. Husband Rashid (Demetrios Troy) was likely ready to jump into this moment without reserve, but guest Doug (Mike Tepeli) has been overlong and rather noisy in his preparations in the bathroom. This interlude gives Rashid too much time for second and third thoughts. Leila is compelled to combat his misgivings, but does not assuage his fears. The tryst is more about settling their own martial scores, it seems, than about the sex. 

The myriad tensions found in any domestic relationship arise, and conflicts surface. Debates about whether men or women feel greater pressure on body image, and who has the short end of the stick in social expectations - the usual stuff.

But there is a hint of something more, here – the couple are both from Cairo, and were actively engaged in the political and social struggles released in that country by the Arab Spring. Leila's memoir covering that time is about to be published - but she has pointedly not let Rashid read it. He accuses her of mistrust over this, and over his innocent flirtation with another woman. Leila counters that his occupation, photographer, sets him up as an observer rather than a full participant in life – and so on.

The tension pulls back as Doug bursts in, bubbling with excitement, which further unnerves Rashid. Fated to be the odd man out, Doug drives the comedic interlude that follows, and again we feel headed for lighter fare. But Doug’s joy fades as, unnerved that the two have withdrawn from the bed, he realizes he has stepped into the middle of a spat. Tepeli plays Doug with nuance and flair, especially challenging since he is in the nude for the first 15 minutes or so. 

We find Doug also has some baggage, and the unhappy couple conjures neuroses from his teen years. All this intimacy puts a damper on sex; the downside of Rashid and Leila’s marriage is on display. We also find that Doug, a photographer, has won the photo assignment that Rashid had been seeking: the cover of Leila’s book. An angry departure scene follows as the lights go down on Act I.

In Act II we are at Doug’s studio, where he is readying a set for the photo shoot. More drama follows as Doug and Leila work out the tension from the previous encounter. Then enters a drunken Rashid, and things continue downhill. Somewhere between the script and the performance, Faycurry's Leila is appropriately cerebral, but her dialog is unnaturally literary and unemotional. Troy's Rashid brings emotional range, and he has more luck with delivering the script. During his drunken diatrib, however, the lines require an unlikely sobriety. 

As the audience learns director Jason Gerace had a complicated scenario to present, and he manages to keep our interest on the script by Yussef El Guindi. But attention to the plight of Leila challenges loses out when mixed with so many other stories and issues within this story. 

Threesome runs through May 21 at Greenhouse Theater. Find tickets here.

About a month ago, CNN began running a series of clips showing self-proclaimed Islamic State militants destroying Middle Eastern artifacts. While their motives remain unclear, it does point to an unsettling idea that significant pieces of history are lost or destroyed in times of civil unrest.

Michele Lowe’s 2009 play ‘Inana’ makes its Midwestern premiere at TimeLine Theatre. ‘Inana’ centers itself around an Iraqi museum curator Yasin (Demetrios Troy) and his recent bride Shali (Atra Asdou). Yasin is in love with a statue named Inana and fears that with the impending U.S. Invasion of Baghdad, she will end up in the wrong hands. His fanatic obsession leads him to an arranged marriage with Shali, who despite her servile disposition is smarter than she seems.

Director Kimberly Senior arranges her stage in a way that compliments Lowe’s non-linear script. While the present-tense action of the play takes place in a London hotel room – a series of past events are revealed in vignettes that lead us to a final revelation.

TimeLine has assembled a talented cast of Chicago actors, but it’s really Atra Asdou in the role of Shali on which this show hinges. Asdou is a gifted reactionary actress, every little offense Yasin commits registers on her face, and a single tear hangs in her eyes throughout the show. In many aspects Asdou and Troy’s interaction begins as a comedy of errors, but ends a bittersweet love story. Some explosive dialogue builds in between and the chemistry is thrilling.

The political slant in Lowe’s 90-minute play preaches to a choir whose opinion is now the majority in the U.S. “Operation: Iraqi Freedom” is widely regarded as a debacle these days. This play goes back in time to show us a view from the other side of the lines. We sympathize with a people who knew no other world than Saddam’s regime, people who were actually content with what was. Considering today’s disturbing post-war Middle Eastern climate; a crumbled Syria, and the volatile Iraqi infrastructure, it’s hard not to see the parallels between a sacred statue being guarded from corrupt hands and that of a region destroyed by global machismo.

Through July 26^th at TimeLine Theatre – 615 W Wellington Ave. 773-281-8463