Glassheart is a show bursting with quirky charm, memorable performances and perhaps one too many ideas.
This reimagining of Beauty and the Beast set in modern-day Chicago—helmed by newly minted executive artistic director Brian Pastor—is both familiar and strange. The set is an ordinary Chicago apartment but it also feels enchanted from its first appearance, with stars on the walls that flicker on and off at key moments and a mirror that shows “too much truth.” Much credit goes to scenic designer Jeremiah Barr, props designer Meghan X. McGrath, lighting designer Liz Cooper, and costume designer Clare McKellaston, for treading the line between modern and fantastical in the show’s design.
We meet the Beast (Mark Pracht) and his sole companion, a lamp named Only (Kat Evans), centuries after the curse was first laid upon them. She is endlessly optimistic, he is full of despair. There is also Elaine Carlson’s Witch, a sweetly menacing landlady who proffers magical chocolates, and the play’s stand-in for Beauty, Aoife (Cailyn Murray), who has run away to Chicago for a fresh start. All of the performances are excellent, with solid comedic timing and a lot of heart.
In Reina Hardy’s play, what starts as a straightforward but enjoyable retelling quickly turns into a story that is more philosophical than the usual fractured fairytale. This time, Only takes center stage and, with a luminous performance from Evans, she has a lot to say—and sing. One key change from the original is that Only might go back to being an inanimate object instead of a human servant (the specifics on this are a little fuzzy). The play contends with many themes, including what it means to be a person, the complexities of love, the trappings of an ordinary versus extraordinary life, the power of storytelling and the (literal) objectification of women. If that sounds like a lot, it is.
The idea of following one of the Beast’s servants—seemingly the greatest victims of the curse—is a good one. At times, I was enthralled by the play’s dark whimsy, such as when the Beast explains that he has a close relationship with Only because only she can illuminate the words that keep him human. At other times, I felt as if I had taken one of the Witch’s mind-bending chocolates, such as when Aoife agrees to stay trapped in an apartment with a man-beast she does not know while a sentient lamp takes up her human life on the outside.
The production is thoughtful in its direction, performances and design. As a vehicle for commentary on weighty themes, the script sometimes loses its audience. Nonetheless, it is a fully original take on “a tale as old as time” and for that, it deserves its enchanted roses.
The original Beauty and the Beast was published in 1740 by a French novelist and fairytale writer, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. Among the many film versions, the most famous is the 1946 film directed by Jean Cocteau.
Glassheart continues through February 23 at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. (Inside Edgewater Presbyterian Church). Tickets are $12-35. Running time is approximately two hours with one ten-minute intermission. Get your tickets here or by phone at (773) 293-3682.
For more information on this and other productions, see theatreinchicago.com.
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