‘Wicked’ isn’t the only dark Oz
Lifeline Theatre presents |
Neverwhere |
Adapted by Robert Kauzlaric from the novel by Neil Gaiman Directed by Paul S. Holmquist Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood (map) Through June 20 | Tickets: $30 | more info |
Reviewed by Leah A. Zeldes
Alice fell through the rabbit hole. Dorothy was swept up by a tornado.
For good-hearted, mild-mannered Richard Mayhew, unlikely hero of Neil Gaiman’s dark fantasy Neverwhere, now in a world-premiere adaptation at Rogers Park’s always innovative Lifeline Theatre, it’s stumbling on and aiding an injured girl that propels him into a strange new world — London Below – a grimmer, underground version of the city he knows, a place of sewers and magic and people who fell through cracks … and from which there can be no return. Like Wicked,
the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel from which the lighter, happier Broadway musical was adapted, Neverwhere, gives us an upended and blackly humorous view of a familiar place.
Directed by Paul S. Holmquist, Kauzlaric’s adaptation, ten years in the making, sticks closely to Gaiman’s 1996 novel, which was in turn based on a teleplay Gaiman did for a BBC miniseries. Gaiman’s storyline leaves unanswered questions, and so does this play, but his creatively imagined world overcomes the hanging threads. Kauzlaric’s trimming removes some of the most gruesome and ugly bits, retaining most of the action.
The hapless Richard (guilelessly portrayed by Robert Kauzlaric, the playwright) journeys through the bizarre and deadly London Below with the hunted girl, Lady Door (plucky Katie McLean), and her companions, the dodgy, sardonic Marquis de Carabas (a wonderfully dry and laconic Chris Hainsworth) and the enigmatic bodyguard Hunter (Kyra Morris, in fighting trim). They’re off to see the angel Islington (somewhat over-deliberately played by Phil Timberlake) in an effort to find out who ordered Door’s whole family murdered and how Richard can, like Dorothy, go home again. The wizard … er, angel … sends them on a quest to bring back a mysterious key.
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Lifeline does its usual beautifully inventive job of bringing the written word to the stage, with just a few minor flaws. Here and there, unexplained lines leftover from the book may be puzzling to those who haven’t read it. Mikhail Fiksel‘s eerie original music fits the mood quite well, but in several places underlying music or sound-effects distract from the dialogue. A few longish monologues slow the action (and add up to a 2½-hour-long production).
Alan Donahue’s multi-level set, full of doors and tunnels and ladders, goes a long way toward evoking the forbidding London Below, aided by puppets created by Kimberly G. Morris and rich performances from Patrick Blashill, Christopher M. Walsh and Elise Kauzlaric as a series of creepy, colorful, underworld characters. Sean Sinitski is spine-chillingly funny as the loquacious and sinister Mr. Croup.
Gaiman fans should be thrilled, but you needn’t know the novel to enjoy this lively fantasy adventure on stage.
Rating: ★★★½ |
Note: Not suitable for young children. Free parking available in the lot at the northeast corner of Morse and Ravenswood avenues, with free shuttle-van service before and after shows.
A scene from the BBC’s Neverwhere
Neil Gaiman on Neverwhere, Naperville, Feb. 2010
Filed under: 2010 Reviews, Adaptation, Leah A. Zeldes, Lifeline Theatre | Tagged: Adam Hubbell, Alan Donahue, Charlie Alves, Chris Hainsworth, Christopher M. Walsh, Cortney Hurley, Dan Granata, Elise Kauzlaric, Elizabeth Powell Wislar, Erica Foster, Eva Brenneman, Gregory Maguire, Ian Novak, Ian Zywica, Jessica Wright, Jordan Kardasz, Katie McLean, Kevin D. Gawley, Kimberly G. Morris, Kyra Morris, Leah A. Zeldes, Lifeline Theatre, Mallory Nees, Maren Robinson, Matt Kahler, Mike Ooi, Mikhail Fiksel, Neil Gaiman, Neil Gaiman Neverwhere, Neverwhere, Neverwhere Lifeline Theatre review, Neverwhere review, Patrick Blashill, Paul S. Holmquist, Phil Timberlake, R&D Choreography, Robert Kauzlaric, Sara Gorsky, Sean Sinitski, Wicked the Musical | Leave a comment »