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Dandelion Wine
By Ray Bradbury
Directed by Eric Rosen
Produced by Chicago Children’s Theatre
At the Steppenwolf Upstairs Theatre
1650 N. Halsted
Chicago, IL
Call 312-335-1650, tickets $15 for children, $30 for adults
Fridays at 7:30 PM
Saturdays at 3:30 PM
Sundays at 3:30 PM
Friday, Nov 25 at 4:40 PM
December schedule:
Fridays at 7:30 PM
Saturdays at 11 AM & 3:30 PM
Sundays at 11 AM & 3:30 PM (except Dec 10 at 2 PM)
Tuesday, Dec 19, Wed, Dec 20, Thurs, Dec 21 at 7:30 PM
Wed, Dec 27, Thurs, Dec 28, Friday, Dec 29 at 2 PM
Running time is 80 minutes with no intermission
Stylized, complex and thought-provoking kid’s show is a “must see”
Chicago Children’s Theatre, an ambitious Equity children’s troupe that mounted a delightful A Year With Frog and Toad last February at the Goodman Theatre, is back with another gem—Dandelion Wine by Waukegan native Ray Bradbury. This is a well staged event for middle school kids (I’d say age 10 and up) that combines state-of-the-art animation with live performers with multiple projections to display images of movement and still photos on the set. Add folk styles music from three guitars, a banjo and a mandolin and fine harmonies from the cast members and Dandelion Wine unfolds as an energetic, funny and dark adventure that will have children riveted to their seats. This is a sensory explosion that also contains a rich, thoughtful story.
“Dandelion Wine is a magical, mysterious tale, and the visual effects will make it that much more experiential for our audiences,“ said Director Eric Rosen. In homage to his Midwestern roots, Ray Bradbury (The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451, etc) brings back to life one unforgettable summer in 1928 when Douglas Spaulding (Michael Viruet) discovers he’s alive, a time machine and someone building a Happiness machine. He gets new sneaker, meet a fortune telling Tarot witch (Jacqueline Williams). The story is about a 12 year old boy experiencing the pleasures of youth. The blending of folk music, song and movement enhances this engaging show.
When an older man shows up, the folks wonder who he is since he seems to know everyone’s name and where they live. The mystery man, Bill Forrester (Sean Cooper) stays at the Spaulding home and follows young Douglas around the town. Bradbury states: “The play is about me as an older man, talking to my younger self. I find the connectivity between generations never changes. It still exists today.”
This adventure deals with death, scary ghost stories and lost people as it shows that the young and the old are intertwined and interdependent and that our real time machines are the older folks in our lives. Bradbury’s autobiographical tale has its dark moments that titillate kids. Bradbury said: “When Douglas discovers he’s alive, he also realizes that, some day, he will die too, so he has to face up to it. There’s a miraculousness of being alive and having this fear of death. So everything’s there…you must make do with it. And that’s what the play is all about.”
Director Eric Rosen’s smart, quickly paced production is a visual delight. The ensemble is first-class. I especially like the wide-eyed and immensely likable Michael Viruet as Douglas. He is a talent to keep an eye on (he’s a high school senior). Bubba Weiler as Tom and Sean Cooper as Forrester added fine work.
Chicago Children’s Theatre is quickly becoming a force with another stellar show. The production values of Dandelion Wine are superb. It’s amazing how terrific children’s shows can be! Take your middle school children to see this show. It’ll get them talking about generations, life and discovering their world. Adults will find Dandelion Wine excellent theatrical fare.
Highly Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: November 18, 2006
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