The Feast: an intimate Tempest
January 18
March 11, 2012
Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare
co-created and co-directed by
Jessica Thebus and Frank Maugeri
adaptation by Jessica Thebus
Critical Acclaim
“[An] original and conceptually fascinating new production at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. The visuals are nothing short of incredible: Jesse Mooney Bullock's puppets are magnificently empathetic creations, so full of character, nuance and sadness that I constantly found myself staring into their eyes. "The Feast" is billed as a collision between actors and objects, and collide they do throughout the piece, often with dazzling results. And this is precisely the kind of textual experimentation that Chicago Shakespeare Theater should be supporting. This feast for the eyes is simply wonderful.”
“There is magic and gorgeous imagination to spare at "The Feast: An Intimate Tempest." Brilliant visual, sonic and dramatic astonishments...the ingredients for something truly rare and wondrous are all here, thanks to designer Frank Maugeri and the show's three marvelous actors they also employ a series of astonishingly lifelike masks and puppets, as well as their own impressive lexicon of voices and movement styles.”
“Critic's Choice. [An] imaginative, suggestive work, exquisitely realized by a cast that includes John Judd, Samuel Taylor, Adrian Danzig, and a marvelously un-Beckettian retinue of puppets and masks.”
“Working in collaboration with Redmoon theater, the two top-quality companies explore Shakespeare from a different angle...this is a side of the storm you have never imagined. You must see this.”
“A bountiful bodacious buffet! Jessica Thebus, along with co-creator and co-director Frank Maugeri, cleverly weave in elements of the Shakes' classic into this tight imaginative reinvention. Levers move. Planks flip. Puppets float... It's tempest in a teapot. And THIS teapot is unique and whimsical. The puppetry is so fascinating that I couldn't stop gaping at it.”
“A whimsical adaptation, combining Chicago Shakespeare's highly skilled cadre of professionals with Redmoon's imaginative artistic elements. Co-creators Jessica Thebus and Frank Maugeri have a wild sense of imagination...conjuring a world from bits of fabric and wood. Drunken butlers, sweet ladies and dastardly brothers come to haunting and vivid life thanks to their extraordinary skill set.”
“Recommended. It is no surprise to see the esteemed Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier collaborate with the more modernistic and often zany Redmoon Company in a new look at Shakespeare's "The Tempest." This World Premiere piece is a cleverly directed show by its co-writers, who one can see have their hearts and souls into every minute. As an audience, we are privileged to have this exciting experience, well written and crafted and played to perfection by three talented men. This is a story of emotion and one that allows us to do some soul searching of our own existence—to look at our lives and see it for what it really is, not what we would like it to be. This experience is one that you should partake of.”