For this writer, the superglue of this unusually bright and cheery Trap Door production begins long before the official curtain, as we get to watch most of the goth garbed and painted mask faced cast primp, pose and strut before mirrors.
The dialogue launches the story with D’Eon (David Lovejoy) conversing with his imagined Joan of Arc muse within (Ty Easley). The fast-paced rhythm of this script though is set more by the repartee of King Louis XV court where playwright Mark Brownell gets to pack in more boner jokes per second than most of us get to hear in a typical year. This is when you sit back and relax totally—knowing this is going to be one heckuva fun ride.
This trans character Monsieur D’Eon was a real person and the play tells the story of their gender fluidity more imposed upon him/her than freely chosen. D’Eon’s role as spy, manipulator, King’s emissary and later King’s bane is recounted in panoramic detail. Famous personages as diverse as Ben Franklin, Rousseau, and more flit in and out.
Each member of this super-talented cast plays many roles, and shows the acting equivalent of multi-jointed hyper-flexibility. Lovejoy, for this writer, became the relatively humdrum vanilla in the cornucopia of talents surrounding hir. In Trap Door’s hands it’s all about the telling and less about the tale, even as incredibly intriguing as the real story is.
When one considers the perfections of music, costume, sound design, acting, and more as a combination, it’s clear that Director Nicole Wiesner’s touch is the meta-talent that is power packing this play’s charm. For this writer, though, the best of the best is the choreography for which she shares credit with the entire cast. The secret society ensemble moves are a hoot; the break dancing competition that comes later even better.
Expect to be entertained, even if you barely follow the story line proper.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Note: This is now added to the Picture this Post round up of BEST PLAYS IN CHICAGO, where it will remain until the end of the run. Click here to read – Top Picks for Theater in Chicago NOW – Chicago Plays PICTURE THIS POST Loves.
Cast:
Maryam Abdi, Dennis Bisto, Ty Easley, Bill Gordon, Miguel Long, Emily Lotspeich, Michael Mejia, Ann Sonneville, Keith Surney, Nora Lise Ulrey, and featuring David Lovejoy as D’eon.
Note: An excerpt of this review appears in Theatre in Chicago
When:
Thru July 7
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8PM
Where:
Trap Door Theatre
1655 West Cortland Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
Tickets:
$20+
For Information/Reservations: 773-384-0494 To purchase online visit The Trap Door website
Photos by Chris Popio
About the Author: Amy Munice
Amy Munice is Editor-in-Chief and Co-Publisher of Picture This Post. She covers books, dance, film, theater, music, museums and travel. Prior to founding Picture This Post, Amy was a freelance writer and global PR specialist for decades—writing and ghostwriting thousands of articles and promotional communications on a wide range of technical and not-so-technical topics.
Amy hopes the magazine’s click-a-picture-to-read-a-vivid-account format will nourish those ever hunting for under-discovered cultural treasures. She especially loves writing articles about travel finds, showcasing works by cultural warriors of a progressive bent, and shining a light on bold, creative strokes by fledgling artists in all genres.
