Conceived by: Jim Lasko and Blake Montgomery At: Redmoon Central, 2120 S. Jefferson St. Tickets: 312-850-8440 or www.redmoon.org; $25-$30. Runs through June 8
For centuries, scholars have debated the odd stage direction of "Exit, pursued by a bear" in William Shakespeare's problem play The Winter's Tale. Was it an actual bear, was it someone in a bear costume or just imaginary?
The artists of Redmoon have proposed their answer to that question with Bellboys, Bears and Baggage, the company's latest performance-art installation inspired by The Winter's Tale, and performed in an 18,000-square-foot Pilsen warehouse studio.
Audiences are admitted to Bellboys… in small groups and then left to wander throughout the studio filled with rooms overstuffed with antiques and emblazoned Shakespearean quotes. The cast is composed of sometimes indifferent bellboys, performers as duplicate masked men and women and actors in bear costumes. You may even bump into the Bard himself, who appears here as a puppeteer who also encourages you to experience the show in the moment rather than via smartphone.
Now if you're looking for a solid narrative, something that Redmoon has frequently neglected in the past in favor of ingeniously elaborate scenic contraptions and spectacle, then perhaps Bellboys… might not be your cup of tea.
But everything else is so playful and ingeniously designed by Frank Maugeri that you can take it all in for novelty's sake without a previous knowledge of the plot of The Winter's Tale. Co-conceived by Jim Lasko and Blake Montgomery ( who appears in the show as Shakespeare ), Bellboys… offers constant surprises around each and every corner. And if you miss one particular vignette or stumble upon one in the middle, wait a while since it will probably be reprised since the performers go about their business in a series of repeating loops.
If you are familiar with The Winter's Tale, it would be safe to guess that the duplicate masked men and women could be representative of the distrustful King Leontes and the Queen Hermione who has wrongly been accused of being unfaithful. You'll also be able to spot the moment when the baby Perdita is spirited away by boat to the landlocked Bohemia and, of course, when that servant is pursued by a bear.
But then you also get an odd mash-up of classical and pop music underscoring the event, including a company-wide dance to "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" ( perhaps to hint at how rumor and insinuation drive an emotional wedge through the cast ).
Although the plot isn't explicitly spelled out for you, Bellboys… overflows with symbolism and snatches of emotional scenes that makes you want to interact with the cast again and again. And since so much of Bellboys… is so free-flowing in structure and design, don't be surprised to discover when you leave that hours have passed since you first arrived.