Theater Review: ‘The Wedding’
CHICAGO—Bertolt Brecht, who wrote such famous works as Life of Galileo, Mother Courage and Her Children, The Good Person of Szechwan, and perhaps the most well known, The Threepenny Opera, also wrote a marvelous Bavarian folk comedy (with music) entitled A Respectable Wedding.
The TUTA Theatre Chicago brings a new adaptation of this sparkling little musical adventure (now called The Wedding, translated by Martin and Rose Kastner and featuring original music by Jesse Terrill) to Chicago’s Chopin Theatre.
This mind twister will surely make you laugh. The clever story, the translation, the direction, and the actors’ understanding of Brecht, all work to produce a solid show.
In The Wedding, Brecht takes on the middle class. Self-importance is ridiculed as those who live a pretentious life are urged to step back, look at others, and then realize that the disdain they feel for others is exactly what others are feeling for them.
Although Brecht was attacking the moral and economic crisis of 1919, what he expressed is still valid today. A wedding is the perfect place to impress relatives seen only at such functions.
Jennifer Byers and Trey Maclin bring a certain amount of realism to the characters of the wedding couple. The Groom has built everything in his home himself. He is very proud of his workmanship and lords it over his friends and family every chance he gets. They are the perfect couple. Or are they?
We see many characters who remind us of our own long lost friends and relatives. The Bride’s father (Kirk Anderson) tells the same stories over and over again. The Groom’s Mother (Laurie Larson) shows her devotion to her son by expressing that the bride is just not good enough for him. The Bride’s Sister (deliciously played by Jaimelyn Gray) and the Young Man (deftly handled by Ben Harris) share some wonderful scenes.
Jaqueline Stone and Christopher Popio play the The Wife and Her Husband who have some relationship problems that come out as the play progresses—they are that special couple who end the evening hating each other after the event.
The final character in this story is The Groom’s Friend, played with a great comic touch by Andy Hager. He is the loner and loser who always comes alone (couldn’t he get a date or did he not want one?) and flirts with every woman in the room—even the Mother of the Groom. He is under the table, rubbing legs, taking pictures, and dancing with any woman who will allow him to do so. Mr. Hager is a hoot in this role.
The Chopin Theatre is a great little venue with an enchanting lower lobby filled with antiques and a warm atmosphere. The play is staged in Chopin’s Cabaret Studio, a cavernous space, and while I found the direction of this production to be marvelous, Zeljko Djukic neglected to take into account the large pillars that support the building in his “blocking.” As the wedding party moves about, during some moments, the view is blocked for certain seats.
Nonetheless, this is a show that earns both laughter and applause. It is a solid production that will allow you to leave the theater with a smile on your face as well as a good feeling in your heart.
I would also like to mention an unseen hero: the property master, who often has the tedious task of finding the items that the script requires or the director wants—so, Joel Lambie, a marvelous job!
The Wedding
The Chopin Theatre
1543 W. Division Street
Tickets: 847-217-0691 or www.tutato.com
Running time: Approximately 1 hour, 30 minutes
Closing: Feb. 14
Alan Bresloff writes about theater in and around the Chicago area.