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Termen Vox Machina
…a sci-fi radio drama for the stage
By M Deegan
Produced by Oracle Productions
At Oracle Theatre
3809 N. Broadway
Chicago, IL
Call 773-244-2980, tickets $18
Thursdays thru Saturdays at 8 pm
Sundays at 7 pm
Running time is 1 hour, 50 minutes with intermission
Through August 3, 2008
Provocative and unique radio drama for the stage has its moments
In the tradition of old-time radio shows like “The Shadow,” director Max Traux has taken a pre-recorded sci-fi drama and mounted it on stage (at Oracle Theatre) with live actors lip-synching the dialogue aided by multimedia video and sound. With a set filled with layers of see-through plastic sheeting, “Termen Vox Machima” unfolds as an ambitious theatrical event that mostly delivers.
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Anchored by Carl Wisniewski as Lev Termen (aka Leon Theremin), this middle aged everyman spy, inventor and inventor is obsessed and overtaken with the voices in his head. Theses voices take Termen into the vast mysterious world of Russian-American Cold War espionage as he plummets into the depths of Ether as the voice of his machine forces him back into his past. Wisniewski does his best to keep up with the prerecorded script evoking more than merely excellent lip-synching. He actually manages to convey, through looks, gestures and physicality, all the rage, frustration and joy Termen experienced during his turbulent life.
The fast pace and excellent use of video and sound helped establish and maintain the tension as this spy mystery unfolds. The complicated plot fueled with fine supporting work from David Boren, Casey Chapman, Cassandra Kaluza, Stephanie Polt, David Steiger and Justin Warren made for a most intriguing show. The tone and volume of the recorded script, over time, became tedious and lowered the dramatic tension a tad. But the strong work of Carl Wisniewski and the ensemble helped his through this mystery.
The mixture of live actors and prerecorded audio has promise. I do prefer utilizing some prerecorded audio and video with live speaking actors in a pure multimedia-live stage presentation. Lip-synching can get stale quickly. Kudos to Oracle for stretching their art into new vistas utilizing modern media.
Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: July 5. 2008
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