In its latest ardent call to activism, Quest takes mask work, dance, show tunes and puppetry, and combines it with the democracy of a drum circle with mixed results. The show’s muddled narrative modifies the Pandora tale; the Greek Nosy Parker doesn’t let the world’s evils out of the box; she simply notices life’s everyday evils. How does she solve them? Social change! Wind power! Drum circles!
This is broad-strokes theater, but the politics are naïve to the point of inaccuracy and the transitional dialogue is ham-handed. A bad audio mix drowned out the voices of the sixteen-member ensemble in the show’s opener. There are a few bright spots: Aimee Bass’ patient instruction enabled the most rhythmically challenged audience members to engage in basic drumming and Jason Bowen has the superior singing chops to support his narrator/mentor (villain?) role. The show’s issues are important; they deserve a more coherent examination. (Lisa Buscani)
Quest Theatre Ensemble, 1609 West Gregory, (312)458-0895. Through September 19.
Players 2022: The Fifty People Who Really Perform for Chicago In the return of the Players 50 list, we tried to honor those who came back, who've already been putting shows on stages, while crossing our fingers that those we've not heard from are just around the corner.
