The Fourth Walsh

Shattered Globe Theatre presents the Midwest Premiere of Brendan Pelsue’s A TALE OF TWO CITIES.

Charles Dickens’ masterpiece spanned 18 years over 45 chapters separated into three books. His epic novel explored the class struggle and inequities leading up to The Reign of Terror. The story follows the intertwined lives of Dr. Manette, his daughter Lucie, and her husband Charles Darnay, as they are swept up in the chaos of the French Revolution. Their journey is full of characters pushing them into a climatic act of sacrifice and redemption.

Playwright Brendan Pelsue ambitiously adapts Dickens’ saga with 8 actors playing multiple parts. Daria Harper, identified as Actor 1, serves as a modern-day narrator. Harper sets up scenarios and interacts with the audience. Jazzma Pryor also addresses the audience by hilariously telling them how to respond to the information. As the play starts, it appears it will be a condensed ensemble-driven telling. Pelsue even has Harper utilize red yarn as a vehicle to knit together the performers and stories. Although this idea is clever, it also serves as foreshadowing that if you lose a thread, you’ll be confused. The play gets bogged down in the details with lengthy soliloquies. Pelsue can’t seem to choose between two tales… a contemporary streamlined adaptation or a Dicken’s preservation tribute.

Director Mikael Burke assembled a terrific ensemble with Demetra Dee, Harper, Pryor, Diego Vazquez Gomez, Glenn Obrero, Jeff Rodriguez, William Anthony Sebastian Rose II and Penelope Walker. Each plays multiple characters by adding a jacket, sunglasses or different shoes. Rodriguez is particularly distinctive slipping into high heels and aristocratic aloofness.  Although this adds to the modish playfulness, characters aren’t always easily identifiable and the audience is left trying to decipher who is who. Burke also blurs the gender lines. Although the ensemble seamlessly transition from male/female, it’s a layer of complexity in recognition. I grapple between two competing desires… supporting a theatre’s need to go digital and my wanting a physical program as an intermission study guide crediting actors with a list of their characters.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES captivates upon arrival. The set (co-Designers Milo Bue and Eleanor Kahn) has an oversized antiqued mirror backdrop and candles encircling the stage to establish tone and time. The guillotine, without the aid of blood or gore, uses light (Designer Eric Watkins) and sound (Designer Christopher Kriz) to convey the horrific torture. And Costume Designer Kotryna Hilko dresses up the ensemble in elegant splendor. Burke’s creative team impressively orchestrates moments of theatrical spectacle.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES is definitely relevant and timely. The inhumane punishments and class inequities parallels the current U.S. Reign of Terror. Although the storytelling intrigues and the acting is good in this production, the show is long… 2 hours and forty-five minutes. And if you lose a thread, you’re going to lose your way between London and Paris. Travelers would benefit by studying up for the trip.        

Running Time: Two hours and forty-five minutes includes an intermission.

At Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont

Based on the novel by Charles Dickens

Adapted by Brendan Pelsue

Directed by Mikael Burke

Performances are:

Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 PM

Sundays at 3:00 PM

Thru May 31st

For more information or tickets

Production photos by Michael Brosilow

For more Chicago theatre information and reviews, please visit Theatre in Chicago