Almost forty years before John Woo had Nic Cage and John Travolta swapping mugs as a vehicle for on-screen suspense, Georges Franju originated the cinematic concept to far creepier (if less action-packed) effect. A brokenhearted plastic surgeon tries to restore his daughter’s mutilated face by kidnapping young women off the streets of Paris and stealing their identities the pre-digital way.
Not a subject one might imagine as a muse for a tap show, but Mark Yonally, artistic director of Chicago Tap Theatre, was inspired by just that, creating an evening-length stage adaptation of the French horror film “Les Yeux Sans Visage” told through rhythm both verbal and tapped. Yonally teamed with legendary Poetry Slam founder Marc Kelly Smith, to develop the script and narrate the tragic tale. The original score is by frequent CTT collaborator Andrew Edwards. (Sharon Hoyer)
March 23-25 and March 30-April 1 at Stage 773, 1225 West Belmont, (773)327-5252. Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 3pm. $20-$35.