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Argonautika
The Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts
Stage Play Adapted & Directed by Mary Zimmerman
At Lookingglass Theatre
Water Tower Water Works
821 N. Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL
Call 312-337-0665, tickets $30 -$58
Tuesdays at 6:30 PM
Wednesdays at 7 PM
Thursdays at 6:30 PM
Fridays at 7 PM
Saturdays at 3 & 8 PM
Sundays at 3 PM
Running time is 2 hours, 45 minutes with intermission
Through December 23, 2006
Greek mythology an endless enticing adventure
Argonautika is a sweeping epic tale that combines several forces into a theatrical spectacle. Director/Adapter Mary Zimmerman is a master storyteller who loves to take audiences on journeys of discovery where unpredictable adventures await. Here she uses the physical style of Lookingglass and adds hip-hop elements with unique staging, some choral singing together with puppets, special lighting and sound on a spectacular ship-styled set to cast up back into antiquity. Basically, this show delivers despite being about 30 minutes too long with some slow periods early in act two.
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Fans of Greek mythology (I’m not one of them) will cherish this bold and enchanting epic. I found it a tad hard to follow but basically interesting, especially the production values. The puppets, the costumes (designed by Ana Kuzmanic), the set depicting the hull of a ship (designed by Dan Ostling) gave the show the ancient flavor that worked nicely. The early ensemble speech and the hip-hop rally that featured irritating rhythms and percussion were inventive but out of place and hard to understand. Mary Zimmerman does deliver a complete, sweeping stage production of the strange story of Jason and the Argonauts.
Jason and his crew set sail through the Mediterranean in search of the Golden Fleece that will allow Jason to become king. The crew has many of the legendary characters from Greek mythology including the warrior Hercules and the poet Orpheus. Danger is everywhere as the voyagers encounter sea-monsters, water nymphs, wicked and savage kings, a city of sex-starved women and a land where warriors spring from the earth. The visuals and the ensemble of brave actors climb ropes, swing from masts, and emerge from high above the stage to aptly depict the monster lurking after Jason and his crew. The precise movements with their unpredictability kept the story fresh and engaging.
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Ryan Artzberger plays Jason effectively flaws and all. Allen Gilmore is terrific as Pelisa, the nasty old king while Glenn Flesher’s Hercules was commanding. The woman dominated this show as Atley Loughridge’s Medea, Lisa Tejero’s Hera and Mariann Mayberry’s narrator Athena were outstanding. The entire cast of 14 worked exceptionally hard using much physical efforts to deliver the visuals that catapulted the story were stunning and made up for a story that gets bogged down in act two. I believe that once cuts are made, Argonautika will emerge as a swift enjoyable saga. Mary Zimmerman essentially delivers a workable and mildly entertaining presentation of Greek mythology. This show is worth seeing.
Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: October 28, 2006
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