On the Aisle
Well, I've seen a lot over the past months. Some ups and some downs. First I saw A Doll's House at the Guthrie Theatre. The story is about a Norwegian family (a husband and a wife) who seem so happy until the wife realizes she hardly knows her husband. The husband treats his wife as if she is living in a doll's house. The wife, Nora, was portrayed by Megan Follows who was the star in the Anne of Green Gables television mini-series. She did her part extremely well. I enjoyed this play.
Next I saw Frankenstein — a play at the Times Theatre. Despite the past success of Frankenstein in the book and movies, this play turned out to be a disaster. The actors were okay, but the dialogue was flat and dull. The sets were good, but the theater was like a basement. The monster was the worst. He looked like a goblin who mumbled and walked about like an idiot. This play probably made Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (the author) and Boris Karloff (the monster in the '30s movie) spin in their graves.
The most recent production I have seen was the Minnehaha Academy's I Remember Mama, very well-directed by Ann Sorenson. The story is good. I would consider it Guthrie material. Vannessa Knapp's splendid playing of Katrin was a highlight of this production and showed skilled acting ability. Every other character supported the play very well. Ann Sorenson, who recently directed Guys and Dolls and The Music Man, has added another excellent production to Minnehaha Academy Theater history.
In a couple of weeks I'll be going to the Chicago Lyric Opera to see The Magic Flute and Salome. The great bass/baritone Bryn Terfel will be playing John the Baptist. It should be good.
'Til next time...