Adapted from Euripides’ “Iphigenia at Aulis, ” playwright Caridad Svich’s “Iphigenia…(a rave fable)” is a disorienting amalgam of plot points involving the title character, her (possibly?) incestuous relationship with her despotic general of a father, a hermaphroditic rock singer and a trio of dead drag queens. As Iphigenia wanders the streets of her unnamed country (well represented by the nicely stylized black and white of the set design by Steph Charaska), electronic and vaguely video-gamey music flows constantly through the inadequate sound system. There’s a multimedia aspect to the show that has promise but ultimately distracts from rather than enhances the clarity of the story. The blocking frequently feels lackadaisical and director Tony Adams would do well to pick up the pace throughout, as the stilted dialogue and unnecessarily lengthy pauses effectively kill any momentum the more exciting scenes might generate. Ultimately, though, it’s the disjointed script that does Iphigenia in. (Zach Freeman)
Halcyon Theatre at Greenhouse Theatre Center, 2257 North Lincoln, (773)404-7336. Through March 27.
Let’s See Together: A Review of "Choir Boy" at Steppenwolf Theatre Among other compelling reasons to see "Choir Boy" is the power and musicianship on songs sung by the young men who play the students in the choir at the Black, Christian Charles R. Drew School for Boys.
Buggin’ Out: A Review of Bug at Steppenwolf Theatre The audience is the fly on the wall of a dingy Oklahoma hotel room where Agnes White is taking refuge from her recently released, abusive ex-husband Jerry.
