what: the lark by jean anouilh - adapted by lillian hellman
where: the athenaeum theatre in lake view
accompaniment: emily!
drinkability: they have a lovely refreshment center open for all shows- even matinees! emily & i had french prosecco.
show length: two hours with a ten minute intermission
out of four: two and a half/four
a little confession before i begin: i am myself working on a joan of arc show, so when i saw that THE LARK was opening my heart sank a little. even though my show is in the beginning stages of the creative process i was saddened for a minute to think that someone else out there had the same thoughts at the same time to put on a show about the incredible historical icon joan of arc and my thought wasn't precious or golden. then i shook myself out of it. from history class, to church, to the grocery store- the incredible being that was joan of arc surrounds us- even in this day and age.
i was then further delighted to note that a very talented and very rad recently acquired friend of mine sat in the coveted role of joan - aila peck. i saw her as well as kimberly logan (who played her mother as well as queen yolande) in babes with blade's production of JULIUS CAESAR last year (see my review here) - so it was nice to see them reunited in this production.
THE LARK presents us with joan's last day as she sits on trial awaiting her final punishment: jailed for life or burned at the stake? for some interesting/theatrical reason the jury asks her to act out what brought her to the jail in the first place. she chooses to start at the day st. michael appeared to her through the moment she convinced charles the dauphin to hand over the french army to her. of course, we all know what happens and i wouldn't dare spoil it for you who don't.
peck does a really lovely job with joan- its such a challenging role when you take a moment to remember- really really remember that she was only sixteen years old. i thought she found a really nice place between a young innocent girl and a brave woman who was taking on the world in the direction that god lead her. unfortunately the way that promethean set their stage- a very plain, empty set with not much for the actors to ultimately explore- all the characters (including joan) were rather stuck and married to a very small playing space in order to tell such an epic tale.
this show demands a lot from its audience- a lot of patience, a lot of attention, and a lot of absorption of material without a lot of action. there is a whole lot of talent on this stage and vocally they all soared. i'd just love to see this ensemble in a more active setting.
the costumes (designed by rachel m. sypniewski) were a light in the darkness: beautiful pieces- a splash of color mixed in with the plain structure of the set.
i walked away pleased with this production as i am knee-deep in the history of joan and every new angle, view, and experience i can absorb with her involved is at the height of my interest level these days. go get yourself a history lesson, theatre lovers!
THE LARK runs thursdays through saturdays until february 22nd. tickets are $12-$22!
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upcoming february shows:
friday feb 7th, 8pm: oracle production's the mother
saturday feb 8th, 7:30pm: dog and pony theatre company's breach
sunday feb 16th, 6pm: the rum & coke collective's endlings
saturday feb 22nd, 8pm: the chicago mammals' ass kicking amazons
join me, will you?