RECOMMENDED
Northlight Theatre kicks off its thirty-third season with James Magruder’s light and lively new translation of Moliere’s satire on the love of money, “The Miser.” Contemporary tweaks made to the period comedy work well, infusing the production with energetic stage business and plenty of laughs—bawdy, albeit innocuous, double entendre abound. Rachel Anne Healy’s elegant costumes, against the backdrop of an inspired, minimal scenic design from Tim Morrison, give the production a crisp and vibrant foundation. Gene Weygandt’s Harpagon, the paranoid, greed-driven patriarch, is spry and quick on his feet; charming, even. Under Mark E. Lococo’s direction, this miser has become a genuine showman (in perhaps the most vigorous scene of the play, when his money chest is stolen, Harpagon is alone onstage, engaging the audience with a tirade reminiscent of a stand-up routine). But there is a price to be paid for this dynamism—and it comes out of the pockets of Harpagon’s children and their respective love interests (or rather those of the actors who portray them), all whom suffer under his money-grubbing thumb. These are the characters we’re supposed to be rooting for, sympathizing with, but they, their trials and their triumphs are often overshadowed by Weygandt’s feistiness, sometimes simply neglected by Magruder’s script, leaving a craving for balance. Amongst the supporting ensemble, Bob Fairbrooks and Dietrich Gray are both solidly watchable; but it’s the divine Jacqueline Williams who, with impeccable timing and delivery, is an absolute standout as Frosine, the clever matchmaker. (Valerie Jean Johnson)
At Northlight Theatre, 9501 N. Skokie, Skokie, (847)673-6300. This production is now closed.
Related Stories
Bad Britches: A Review of Into the Breeches at Northlight Theatre This new play by George Brandt broadly broaches feminist rhetoric without committing to, or really understanding, the realities of being a woman.
Grinding Away: A Review of Skeleton Crew at Northlight Theatre Northlight Theatre completes Dominique Morisseau's Detroit Trilogy with a production that exerts more force than her script offers.
Wash the Pain Away: A Review of By the Water at Northlight Theatre RECOMMENDED It says something about the Murphy family that Hurricane Sandy, which has just laid waste their cozy home and tight-knit Staten Island neighborhood, is almost the least of their problems. The 2012 storm has swept away more than walls and furnishings. It has also wrecked the family’s façade of cheerful normalcy, forcing the senior Murphys and their two adult…
Angles and Perspectives: A Review of Mansfield Park at Northlight Theatre Northlight Theatre adapts Jane Austen's novel though the real question is: why?
Sadistic Pageantry: A Review of The Beauty Queen of Leenane at Northlight Theatre Even the formidable leads of this Northlight Theatre production cannot rescue it from Martin McDonagh's bone-deep cynicism.
Don't Let Her Be Misunderstood: A Review of Nina Simone: Four Women at Northlight Theatre Come for the legacy, stay for the songs.
