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“The Mysterious Elephant”
And the Terrible Tragedy of the Unlikely Addington Twins
(*Who Kill Him)
By Emily Schwartz
Directed by Carolyn Klein
Produced by The Strange Tree Group
At Chopin Studio Theatre
1543 W. Division Street
Chicago, IL
Call 773-598-8240 or www.strangetree.org , tickets $20
Wednesdays thru Saturdays at 8 pm
Sundays at 2 pm
Running time is 2 hours, 10 minutes with intermission
Through July 19, 2008
“Woe to all Orphans. There are wicked things afoot!”
Another wacky, whimsical and wonderful “Musickal Comedie” from Emily Schwartz
The amazingly bizarre (and talented) Emily Schwartz and her cohorts at The Strange Tree Group have produced terrific shows—“Funeral Wedding: The Alvin Play,” “Mr. Spacky,…the Man Who Was Continuously Followed by Wolves” and now the engaging “The Mysterious Elephant”…And the Terrible Tragedy of the Unlikely Addington Twins” (*Who Kill Him). Their new show contains several of their main components: quirky dialogue—often in rhythm; unique white faced makeup and ragged costumes; folksy-pop acoustic songs; rich physical humor and cleverly surprising plots twists for the cast of weirdly lovable characters. Schwartz combines her sense of theatrics with uniquely complicated plots upon quirky speeches and movements that garner many belly laughs as she tells her macabre stories. Add the elephant puppet and she has enough ingredients for a fine comedy. This lady is a talent. Her shows are immensely entertaining.
“The Mysterious Elephant” almost defies description so I defer to the press notes: “…the tale of the horribly unlucky Addington twins and their quest to extract themselves from the all too tragic plot of the play in which they've been currently placed. Throughout the evening Esther and Edward Addington endeavor to triumph over their narrator, raise the dead, showcase a series of terrible events through song, empathize with unusual puppets and rescue a rather large mechanical elephant from the jaws of certain doom. All in under two human hours! Prepare yourself and your familiars to be both amazed and delighted!” My experience with this show makes me agree with that quote.
Come early to hear the cast sing Schwartz’s folk tunes as they create the mood for the show. Kudos to the Matt Holzfeind (Edward Addington) and Carol Enoch (Esther Addington) for their terrific performances as the dysfunctional twins struggling to both save the dying elephant and make the story end happily. Carol Enoch has the deadpan humor while Matt Holzfeind is all physical and timid. They must deal with the evil Narrator (the strong Weston Davis) who is determined to finish the Addington’s saga as a tragedy. The twins are aided by the Addington’s dead relatives—a collection of deliciously weird folks. The twins get help and comic relief from Cristoff (the fabulous Scott Cupper) as the dead man come alive. This show is well-written, surprisingly clever and filled with humor, rich characters and excellent performances. There is much to admire and laugh at in this special show. You need to experience an Emily Schwatrz comedy to see a wonderful new voice emerging. This is a delightful, fun show. Laughs and cleverness abound—The Strange Tree Group does Chicago storefront theater proud.
Highly Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: June 19, 2008
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