Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-02-22
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Theater: Oedipus Complex
by Mary Shen Barnidge
2007-05-16

This article shared 5757 times since Wed May 16, 2007
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Oedipus Complex. Image by Brian Warling

_________

Playwright: Adapted by Frank Galati from a play by Sophocles, translated by Stephen Berg and Diskin Clay

At: Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn

Phone: 312-443-3800; $20-$68

Runs through: June 3

Once upon a time—around 1900, to be specific—there was a Viennese doctor named Sigmund Freud who was troubled by bizarre dreams incorporating shocking images of verifiably false events centered on his childhood relationships with a passive father and seductive mother. His attempts at explaining these disturbing fantasies led him to the myth of Oedipus Rex—not simply viewed as a play written by Sophocles circa 429 B.C., but as documentation of an impulse universal among western males. When presenting his findings to skeptical colleagues, he supports his arguments by recounting the story at the heart of his thesis: that of the innocent king who learns, too late, that his rise to power is founded on his having murdered his own father and sired children by his own mother.

So who's the hero of this play? Oedipus or Freud? What is most astonishing—and commendable—about the multiple dimensions imposed on the classical tragedy by Frank Galati's framing it in explication of its modern legacy is how equitably they share the stage, both dramatically and physically. To be sure, the opening tableau—modeled on Thomas Eakins' famous painting, The Agnew Clinic—with its observing surgeons serving as a chorus led by Freud himself, somewhat slows our emotional investment in the ancient scandal. No one can resist a whodunit, however, and as the evidence accumulates, our involvement in the outcome does likewise, so that Oedipus' horror at his own culpability—paralleled by Freud's upon discovery of childhood sexual abuse at the foundation of his own malaise—affects us profoundly.

Audiences in 2007 being long conditioned to snigger at the mention of anything associated with the 'sex doctor,' an actor faces Herculean obstacles persuading us to take the 'father of modern psychology' seriously, let alone acknowledge his courage in exploring his darkest secrets and not attempting suicide after exposing them. Nick Sandys, however, paints us a portrait of Freud steeped in vulnerability, his German accent muted as he proffers comfort to the intrepid Theban monarch, endowed with dignity and compassion by Ben Viccellio. The supporting players—whose ranks encompass a veritable who's who of off-Loop talent—deliver performances varying from Roderick Peeples' raisonné Kreon to Jeffrey Baumgartner's fevered Teiresias. But the star of the show is vocal coach Linda Gates, whose instruction shapes the individual voices of the chorus into a single vox populi bearing witness to occurances both brutal and benevolent, but no less truthful now as in ages past.

Miss Saigon Gala

on May 18

Former cast members of five locally-produced productions of Miss Saigon will join forces in 'Broadway Asia!,' a one-night-only gala that will benefit School Street Arts Movement, a local AIDS-awareness not-for-profit organization. The event will take place May 18 in the Chicago River Ballroom of the Embassy Suites Lakefront, 511 N. Columbus.

School Street has spent 15 years in Chicago's most disadvantaged neighborhoods, using art forms such as theater, rap and hip-hop dance to educate at-risk youth about HIV. For more info about the group, see www.schoolstreetarts.org .


This article shared 5757 times since Wed May 16, 2007
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Barela wins International Mr. Leather title 2023-05-30
- IML45 came to an exciting close at the Auditorium Theater on Sunday Night as the title was awarded to Marcus Barela of Los Angeles, California. Chris Glc of Atlanta, Georgia was awarded first runner up, and ...


Gay News

IML 2023 begins 2023-05-26
- Visitors from around the world gathered in the Florentine Room of the Congress Hotel on May 25 to kick off the opening ceremonies of the 2023 installment International Male Leather. The event was emceed by Thib ...


Gay News

About Face Theater hosts Leppen Leadership Awards 2023-05-23
- On May 14, About Face Theater presented its Leppen Leadership Awards to members of the LGBTQ+ community for their activism and service. The organization normally awards two individuals a year but decided to expand this year, ...


Gay News

Hair coming to Skokie Theater June 23 - July 30 2023-05-20
- Madkap Productions has announced the cast and creative team for the inaugural show of their 2023-24 season, the rock musical HAIR, with book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, and music by Gail MacDermot. ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Cynthia Erivo, 'Next Level' winner, 'All Out,' Madonna, Omar Ayuso 2023-05-19
- LGBTQ+ actor Cynthia Erivo will star in a film adaptation of the theater sensation Prime Facie, Variety noted. Oscar nominee Erivo will take on the role originated on the West End (and, currently, on Broadway) by ...


Gay News

Belting for Life returns for an 8th edition 2023-05-18
- On May 15, Jeff Award-winning director and activist Christopher Pazdernik celebrated his birthday with the eighth edition of Belting for Life, his annual Chicago-style theatrical concert and fundraiser for AIDS ...


Gay News

MUSIC Billy Porter talks 'Mona Lisa,' authenticity and activism 2023-05-15
- Billy Porter certainly seems to have it all. The actor/singer/director received numerous awards—including two Tonys (for his role in Kinky Boots and as a producer of A Strange Loop), a Grammy (for Kinky Boots as well) ...


Gay News

Chicago Opera Theater announces new General Director Lawrence Edelson 2023-05-12
--From a press release - May 12, 2023 (Chicago) — After a three-month nationwide search, the Chicago Opera Theater (COT) Board of Directors is pleased to announce that veteran artistic leader and stage director Lawrence Edelson has been named the next ...


Gay News

South Chicago Dance Theatre to debut 'Memoirs of Jazz' on June 10 2023-05-09
--From a press release - (May 8, 2023) Through the 1960s and '70s, Jazz in the Alley on Chicago's South Side was a hotbed for jazz and a meeting place for some of the country's prominent musicians, visual artists, poets, activists, ...


Gay News

Chicago theaters hold memorial, will dim lights in honor of Frank Galati 2023-05-09
--From a press release - CHICAGO (May 8, 2023) — Several major theatres across the Chicago-area will dim their marquees or lobby lights on the evening of Saturday, May 13, in tribute to late playwright, director, actor and educator Frank Galati, ...


Gay News

Kayla Boye's 'Call Me Elizabeth' to run at Venus Cabaret on June 16-18 2023-05-06
--From a press release - Chicago—"Call Me Elizabeth," a one-woman show about the early life of Elizabeth Taylor, will be presented June 16—18 by KB Productions at Venus Cabaret Theater. Kayla Boye stars in and wrote the production; Michael Weber directs. ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Barry Manilow, 'The Kardashians,' gay Marine drama, Tonys, 'Unleashed' 2023-05-05
- The Barry Manilow/Bruce Sussman production Harmony will make its Broadway bow in the 2023-24 season, beginning performances Oct. 18 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, with opening night on Nov. 13, according to Playbill. The musical—featuring music ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ movie 'The Conformist' to open at Music Box on May 13 2023-05-05
- Kino Lorber will present a new 4K restoration of Bernardo Bertolucci's 1970 LGBTQ+ masterpiece The Conformist—and it will open Saturday, May 13, at Chicago's Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., for one weekend only. The ...


Gay News

2023 Leppen Leadership Awards announced, event May 14 2023-05-04
--From a press release - About Face Theatre has announced the return of the Leppen Leadership Awards. Now in the 28th season, About Face has been honoring community luminaries since 2001 with the Leppen Leadership Award, named for founding supporter and ...


Gay News

Tony nominations are out 2023-05-02
- The 2023 Tony nominations are out. With 13 nominations, the musical Some Like It Hot led all productions, with & Juliet; New York, New York; and Shucked tying for second with nine nominations, per Deadline. Kimberly ...


 


Copyright © 2023 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives. Single copies of back issues in print form are
available for $4 per issue, older than one month for $6 if available,
by check to the mailing address listed below.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.
All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transegender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS






Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.