Actor's Gym Enchants With "The Tempest: A Magical Circus"

By Victoria Scott

Performers take Shakespeare to new heights in the Actors Gymnasium production of "The Tempest," playing throgh Sunday. Children welcome.

Shakespeare's shortest play, the last he completed, was adaptor/director Felicity HunzekerHesed's inspiration for the current production at the Actors Gymnasium of Evanston.

"The Tempest: A Magical Circus," playing through Oct. 22 in the Actors Gymnasium building behind Noyes Cultural Arts Center, is Shakespeare for preschoolers. And old folks. And everyone in between.

The cast members - advanced Actors Gymnasium students, professional actors and circus performers - tumble, juggle and dance their way through the 90-minute show, spinning the tale of Prospero and his magic island on the silks, trapeze, ropes and stilts.

Said one mother during intermission, "I can't even take [my preschool daughter] to a movie. She won't sit still. But she's sitting still for this."

Ms. HunzekerHesed began work on the play a year and a half ago with the goal of making it accessible to children. The experience was not foreign to her. As an elementary school drama teacher in Chicago, she often brings Shakespeare and sixth-graders together. As a student of the Actors Gymnasium, she saw "The Tempest" and the circus as a good match.

"[The play] is about a magical place," says Ms. HunzekerHesed, "and we associate the circus with superhuman activity."

She began her adaptation by excising material she found repetitive and so dated as to be obscure. Though she eliminated large chunks of dialogue, she insisted on keeping Shakespeare's language for the rest.

Her script remains true to the original, with its island setting, sorcerer protagonist (Prospero is usually seen as a stand-in for Shakespeare), shipwrecked villains (usurpers of Prospero's Milan dukedom); love-struck youth (Prospero's daughter, Miranda, and the castaway Prince of Naples, Ferdinand); scheming ruffians (including the comic jester, drunk butler and half-human monster, Caliban); and cast of nymphs and spirits headed by Ariel, a sprite who serves Prospero.

By simplifying the complicated plot, Ms. HunzekerHesed hopes to have made the show a good introduction to Shakespeare for children; for everyone else, she thinks it can be "a great take on the story." The very simplicity of the production seems to highlight Shakespeare's poignant message about the transitory quality of life and beauty.

The script complete, Ms. HunzekerHesed began working with the show's choreographer, Silvia Hernandez-DiStasi, and with Actors Gym students, to bring plot and characters to life through circus acts. Even the smallest audience members respond to the lovers who swing on the trapeze, clowns who fall and somersault, nymphs who frolic high overhead on silks and ropes, and oversized spirits who glide on stilts.

And though they sense Ariel's joy as she alights from the air at the moment Prospero sets her free, Ms. Hernandez-DiStasi wonders whether the audience notices that she never touches ground till that moment. "It takes so much upper body strength," she says of Ariel's aerials.

A circus veteran herself (she last worked as a teeter-board artist with Ringling Brothers), Ms. Hernandez-DiStasi founded the Actors Gymnasium 11 years ago with her husband, an actor with Chicago's Lookingglass Theater.

"The Tempest" is part of a series conceived as a laboratory for advanced students of the Actors Gym. Some of these teens, says Ms. Hernandez-DiStasi, have been with her as long as eight years. They auditioned for the "Tempest" cast early last summer, she says, then collaborated with her and Ms. HunzekerHesed to create the show. The choreography for the opening storm, for example, developed out of Ms. Hernandez-DiStasi's asking them to "do a movement that reminds you of a storm." Years of working together allowed her the luxury of verbal shorthand, she says. When she said, "Try a shoofly," they did.

The Actors Gymnasium offers adult classes in stage combat, dialect and voice as well as gymnastics, Pilates-based body work and circus arts. Kids can study tumbling, acro-dance and magic and more. Students who train through high school with the Actors Gymnasium most often go on to college, says Ms. Hernandez-DiStasi. But a number have pursued acting careers, she said, and she gets postcards from one who is on the road with a circus.

The play begins with the performers hoisting the scenery and lowering the curtains that transform their gym into a fantasy world. "You forget where you are," says Ms. Hernandez-DiStasi.

Then, at the end, when Prospero breaks his staff and renounces "this rough magic," the scenery is carried away and the ropes and silks raised to the roof. In the words of Prospero, "Our revels now are ended. These our actors …were all spirits, and/Are melted into thin air…We are such stuff/As dreams are made on, and our little life/Is rounded with a sleep."

The house lights come on, and the gym reappears.

"The Tempest: A Magical Circus" runs through Oct. 22. Call 847-328-2795 or visit www.actorsgymnasium.com for ticket information.

Halloween Events aRound Town

Pumpkin Patch & Monster Bash

Ridgeville Park District, 908 Seward St., will host a Halloween party on Oct. 26. From 4 to 5:30 p.m. there will be a free pumpkin patch and sing-along for kids up to first grade with parents or guardians. From 6:30-8 p.m. there will be a monster bash with carnival games and a costume contest for kids in grades 2-5. There is a $3 admission charge for the monster bash, which buys 15 carnival tickets. Call 847-869-5640 or visit www.ridgeville.org.

SPOOKY & NOT-SO-SPOOKY HALLOWEEN TALES

Wild Child, 612 Davis St., will host storyteller Jane Stenson on Oct. 26 for a pre-Halloween hour of frightful and not-so-frightful tales, including an original written just for the occasion titled "The Big Hairy Toe." The storytelling presentation is free and open to the public as part of Wild Child's "Stories, Kazoos, and Dim Sum Too" series. All children attending the performance receive a stamp on their hands, which allows them a free, post-performance dinner at Lulu's Dim Sum and Then Some, 804 Davis St., when accompanied by an adult.Performance times are 4 and 5 p.m. and last 45 minutes. Call 847-475-6225.

Fairy Tale Trail

For one special weekend, The Woman's Club of Evanston, 1702 Chicago Ave., will be transformed into an enchanted Halloween experience focusing on fun - not fright - for youngsters of all abilities ages 2-8 years. Friday, Oct.27, 4-7 p.m. & Saturday, Oct. 28, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Children are greeted by whimsical costumed characters and encouraged to explore. Young "trailblazers" often attend in costume, which makes this a popular Halloween destination.

The admission is $7 per child and $3 per adult. Children under 1 year are free.

For more information, contact Carol Short, 847-475-3800.

Fall Celebration at the Farmers Market

Celebrate fall on Oct.28 - bring the kids to the Farmers Market and decorate pumpkins for home.

Families will be provided with supplies for pumpkin crafts and prizes will be awarded to the individuals who guess the weights of Mr. and Ms. Pumpkin.

Saturdays through Nov. 4, 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m., at the intersection of University and Oak avenues. Call 847-866-2936.

Trick-or-Treat hours

Evanston Mayor Lorraine H. Morton announces that Trick-or-Treat hours are scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m. on Halloween, which is Tuesday, Oct. 31.

"You Are Not You"

A Book Review By Sue Brooke

"You Are Not You" is a remarkable first novel by Michelle Wildgen.

The protagonist, Bec, at 21, is at loose ends, enrolled in college in Madison, Wis., but mostly spending her time drinking beer and waitressing. She is involved with a married Ph.D. candidate and takes a job as care giver for 41-year-old Kate, who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

On Bec's first day Kate and her husband, Evan, walk her through the routine. The next day she is on her own. Bec tries to help Kate shower, though Kate cannot even stand by herself. Bec has to apply Kate's makeup, although she herself has never even worn any. And Kate wants her to cook, a thing Bec has never attempted. Bec likes Evan well enough and his instructions are straightforward, but Bec can barely make out what Kate tells her in her squeaky voice. She is in over her head, but she will not quit.

Little by little, Bec learns to take instruction from Kate. Kate's first rule is that Bec is never to call for an ambulance without her approval. Kate wants to live her life on her own terms. Kate's second rule is to remember that often Bec does things for her that she cannot do for herself. And when Bec acts in this capacity, Kate tells her, "You are not you." As Bec learns to understand Kate, she often has to repeat what Kate says, verbatim, with all Kate's inflections even though she may not agree with what Kate is saying.

Kate accepts her situation but is still determined to lead her own life. She has Bec drive her to the Farmers Market most days and then prepare incredible meals while Kate instructs her, even though Kate herself no longer eats solid food.

Kate and Bec form a true bond of friendship, which is tested as things change in Kate's household. As Bec sees how happy Kate and Evan are together, she begins to question what she is doing with a married man.

This is a beautiful story of friendship and growth as well as a fast-paced novel with many twists. It would be a great book for group discussion.

Fall Music Concert

The Evanston Township High School Music Division will present its Fall Band, Orchestra and Choral Concert at 7 p.m. on Oct. 24 in the ETHS auditorium, 1600 Dodge Ave. Students will take the stage for a program of popular and classical music.

Tickets are $2 for adults, $1 for students and free for senior citizens and will be sold at the door the night of the performance. Parking for disabled patrons is available in the lot on Dodge Avenue directly across from the auditorium entrance.

"The Departed"

A Film Review By Joe Linstroth

Though it falls short of being one of Martin Scorsese's best films, "The Departed," featuring Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon and supported by many other famous names, will surely delight fans of all of the above.
Based on the 2002 Hong Kong hit "Infernal Affairs," Mr. Scorsese moves the lies, masculine feather-ruffling and brutal violence to the South Boston underworld controlled by the Irish gangster Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson).

Frank ambles down the streets of his empire, conducts business in the back of his pubs and buys bologna, make up, and comic books for the kids in his neighborhood. One such freckled altar boy is Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), whom Frank grooms into a fast-rising state police detective assigned to the Special Operations unit that is trying to nail him.

As Colin rises from the South Boston slum to a condo in Beacon Hill, his fellow officer Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) takes the opposite path.

Billy's history of assault, his lack of family and his fragile identity are preyed upon by Special Operations officers Queenan (Martin Sheen) and Dignam (Mark Wahlberg). Desperate for an insider, the two create Billy's criminal credibility by booting him out of the force, sending him to prison and then back into the neighborhood where his dead father spurned a young Frank Costello for an honest job shucking luggage at the airport.

What follows is an intricate game of cat and rat, and with each dead body the pressure mounts for Billy and Colin to expose each other or be the next one buried in the swamp.

"The Departed" features outstanding performances from its big-name cast, and as expected, the highlight is Jack Nicholson. Whether he is quoting James Joyce, calmly telling the Chinese Triad how business is done in America, or quipping to his henchman that "she fell funny" after popping an unlucky betrayer in the back of the head, Mr. Nicholson is a sight to behold.

With a smirk and a furrow of the brow he conveys both cool humor and murderous rage, absorbing all the attention while onscreen.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon turn in mighty performances as two cops in opposite predicaments, whose lives depend on keeping their cool despite the pressure that is nearly breaking them. And Alec Baldwin makes the most of his limited screen time with his masculine energy and often humorous, rapid fire delivery as Captain Ellerby, the head of the Special Operations unit.

While the film is engaging and filled with great performances, Martin Scorsese has set a high bar of excellence, and "The Departed" does not quite reach it. The film relies more on plot intricacies and dialogue than his other films, which depend instead on his masterful ability to capture an entire subculture with elegant use of the camera. He and screenwriter William Monahan skillfully wrap many characters and subplots into a tight, believable package-and the line between cops and criminals is sufficiently muddled-but the impact is lessened because too much of the conflict is hastily resolved by point-blank bullets to the forehead.

Nevertheless, a very good film directed by Martin Scorsese is better than most filmmakers' best. Combine that with magnificent performances from the cream of Hollywood's crop and "The Departed" is still a can't miss.

Joe Says

Runs 2 hrs. 30 min. Rated R for profanity, violence, and some sexual situations.

"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning"

A Film Review By Brian Murphy

Aside from being a truly awful horror film, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning," directed by Jonathan Liebesman, could have been advertised as the most disturbing and effective Child Services public service announcement ever created.

Warning: Birthing a child on the floor of a slaughterhouse is not only unsanitary, the refrigerated room will cause warm amniotic fluids and blood to smoke upon hitting the floor, causing fellow employees to deem the newborn an unholy aberration.

Warning: Discarding said baby in closest dumpster may lead to undocumented adoption by local family consisting of deviant cannibals.

Warning: Teaching said child to skin animals at a preadolescent age will cause child to develop skills necessary to gain career as a butcher, but may lead to antisocial tendencies and poor interpersonal skills.

When Tobe Hooper released the original "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" in 1974, he shocked audiences with the story of the murderous Sawyer family residing in a desolate Texas town. The film was terrifying largely because no history was given of the family - no insight into the origins of their psychopathology and murderous intentions. The audience was initiated as blind witnesses to unexplained carnage.

The original "Chain Saw," like the original "Halloween," stands alone as a definitive work. Their sequels sought, unsuccessfully, to explain the mysteries never "solved" in their originals. Successive "Halloween" films linked Laurie Strode to Michael Myers by copying the "Star Wars" family connection (he was her brother) and eventually offered a lame connection between the killer and Druid occultists.

"Chain Saw" sequels sought to explore the myth of the Sawyer family, dragging actors such as Dennis Hopper, Viggo Mortensen ("A History of Violence"), Renee Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey along for the ride. The 2003 remake starred Jessica Biel, offering fans a big-budget recreation of the inexpensive original.

As a critic who has seen every "Chain Saw" offering, I find it impossible not to point out the recycled elements present in just about each film. What is inexcusable is that, not only do the sequels steal material from the original, they rip each other off, as well.

The latest incarnation regurgitates the standard "Chain Saw" plot. A handful of attractive, wild teens (Jordana Brewster, Taylor Handley, Diora Baird, Matthew Bomer) manage to get lost and trapped in a desolate Texas town. Along the way, they visit the creepy filling station/diner, encounter some rude locals and finally wind up at the Sawyer house, either as bound-and-gagged dinner guests or as the entrée. Inevitably, one of the females (the prettiest one) escapes, and Leatherface (Andrew Bryniarski of "The Program"), our chainsaw-wielding, human-skin-wearing villain, gives chase. Ripping off the 2003 remake, the climax takes place in a slaughterhouse. The only alteration to the tired formula rests (in peace) with who makes it out alive.

Laughably, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning" tries to justify its killers' actions by making reference to the wounded psyches of war veterans. Leatherface's daddy ("Full Metal Jacket" drill instructor R. Lee Ermey) rants about eating fellow soldiers at a Korean POW camp. Even worse, thieving director Mr. Liebesman copies two visuals straight from "Apocalypse Now," including a Vietnam draftee (Mr. Bomer) rising from a pool with a knife clenched in his teeth.

Hooper's original had theatergoers running for the exits before the credits, sickened by a spectacle they had never seen before. This time, if patrons exit early, it may be due to the sickening fact that they have seen everything before.

Brian says:

1 hr. 24 min.Rated R for strong horror violence/gore, language and some sexual content.

Central Street Merchants Present "Retail Therapy" Night

Stressed-out women, women in need of pampering, women who love shopping - all are invited to Central Street tomorrow night, Oct. 19, for a "women's night out" of shopping, discounts, chocolate and champagne.

From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., 20 shops on Central Street just west of Green Bay Road will stay open with special events and discounts for the discriminating shopper.

In addition to its unique gifts, Stella will offer chocolate, champagne and special discounts. Perennials invites shoppers to "pick your own discount," and patrons of Coventry Eye Care can avail themselves of neck and shoulder massages and enjoy sweets and dessert wine.

Lois & Company will feature a trunk show with the woven clothing and crocheted scarves and hats of two different artists.

Sigmund Freud, the father of psychiatry, once remarked, "[T]he great question that has never been answered and which I have not yet been able to answer, despite my 30 years of research into the feminine soul, is ‘What does a woman want?'"

The merchants of Central Street respond, "The answer for you, Dr. Freud, is shopping."

BEHIV Selling Holiday Ornaments

Better Existence with HIV (BEHIV), a Chicago and Evanston-based AIDS service organization, is selling holiday ornaments to benefit its programs and clients. The ornament, titled "Light Everlasting," is made of solid brass with 24-karat gold and enamel finish.The international symbol for AIDS awareness, the red ribbon, is centered in the glowing flame of the light everlasting. Cost is $16 if ordered before Nov. 1. Ornaments can be purchased by calling 847-475-2115, ext. 112.

Hang (Out) by a Thread

Artist and curator Beverly Kedzior has selected a group of artists whose diverse approaches to mixed-media works and installations are united by the use of thread, string and yarn, in the new exhibition, "Unifying Thread." Artists include Judith Brotman, Sun J. Choi, Diane Cooper, Julie Ganser, Amy Honchell, Marci Rae McDade and Georgina Valverde. The exhibit is open now through Nov. 14 at the Evanston Art Center, 2603 Sheridan Road. Free. www.evanstonartcenter.org.

Tea for You

"Sweet Tea" is a play about the interviews conducted by 70 gay African- American men in the southern United States. A dramatic reading will take place at 8 p.m. on Oct. 21 in the Wallis Theatre in NU's Interpretation Center, 1949 Campus Drive. Free. 847-491-3171.

Listen and Learn

The Evanston Symphony previews their concert with a pre-concert lecture. At 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 27, Maestro Lawrence Eckerling and Julie Westbrook present the pre-concert lecture at One Calvin Circle at Westminster Place, Presbyterian Homes, 3200 Grant St. The lecture will include works of Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms. This event is free and open to the public. The concert will take place at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 29 at Pick Staiger Concert Hall, 50 Arts Circle Drive. The concert will feature Vassily Primakov, pianist, performing Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21, Brahms Tragic Overture, and Beethoven Symphony No. 7. Lecture: Free. Concert: $5-$25. 847-864-8804.

Rock Theatre

NU's American Music Theatre Project presents its third work this fall. "Asphalt Beach," a world premiere, is a rock musical featuring music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, book by T. C. Smith and Peter Spears and direction by Amanda Dehnert. The musical will run from Oct. 27 to Nov. 12 at the Josephine Louis Theatre, 20 Arts Circle Drive. $10-$25. 847-491-7282.

Buy Art

Resources for Living, Inc. is hosting its Annual Disabled Artists Show and Sale. Pieces on display and for sale include paintings, beaded jewelry, greeting cards and painted frames and candles. The exhibit is the culmination of the artists' talent, vision and hard work throughout the year. All proceeds from the sales of individual pieces go directly to the artists. The exhibit will be held at the McGaw YMCA, 1000 Grove St., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 3 and Nov. 4. Free.www.resourcesforlivinginc.com.

"A Surburban A Fare" Benefit for Holiday Meals on Wheels

The 15th annual celebrity chef brunch will be held Nov. 5 at the Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace, 100 Drury Lane.

Chefs from the Chicago suburbs, Chicago, including Evanston's Greg Mistak of La Petite Amelia, 626 Church St., will be preparing brunch.

The event begins at 11 a.m. with a wine tasting, appetizers and silent auction followed by the chefs' food feast and live auction. Tickets are $90 per person. The $80 tax-deductible portion provides more than 22 meals for at-risk elders in the suburbs of Chicago.

Call Dawn at 1-800-528-2000.

Culture, Clothes and Dim Sum for Kids

Wild Child, the children's clothing store at 612 Davis St., and Lulu's Dim Sum and Then Sum, 804 Davis St., have come up with double treats for kids.

Once a month, Wild Child holds a free cultural program featuring guest performers from different artistic genres - musicians, bands storytellers, theatre groups and dance companies.

Any child who attends the program can have a free dinner at Lulu's just down the street. The program is called "Stories, Kazoos and Dim Sum, Too."

Grand Wine Dinner at Oceanique

Oceanique presents a special evening of wines from its reserve list, which will be paired with foods to complement their elegance.

The Grand Wine Dinner, featuring the music of Bob Dylan, will be served at 7 p.m. on Oct. 25 - to prepare everyone for the coming Chicago winter. The cost is $200/person excluding tax and gratuity.

Featured wines include N.V. Alfred Gratien Brut Classique poured in Magnum; 1996 Chateu de Fieuzal - Pessac-Leognan; 2001 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir - Russian River; 1977 Carneros Creek "Truchard Vineyards"; 1989 Freemark Abbey "Bosche Vineyards" - Napa; and 1982 Clos Fontindoule Monbazillac. Call 847-864-3435.