It`s hard to dislike a young theater company in which an actor`s program biography notes that ”this is his 14th production with Chicago Actors Ensemble since being asked to join the group because he owned power tools.”
It`s hard to imagine, also, that such a stripling group would be able to give a vaguely credible or remotely moving reading of ”The Cherry Orchard.” Yet here is Anton Chekhov`s great drama–staged roughly by the Ensemble on the fifth floor of the People`s Church, where the breeze coming in from an open balcony door is the only air conditioning–and, despite the youthful casting and the raw talent, glints of the play`s greatness shine in moments of amazing perception.
In many ways, this is a pure postgraduate show, a young actor with crudely powdered hair and bent-over frame trying to portray an ancient servant, and a couple players whose line readings are rudimentary, at best.
The sound effects are primitive, the lighting is basic, and the setting is made up of cardboard and resale shop hand-me-downs.
Still, this version, directed by Rick Helweg, has at its heart a most appealing Madame Ranevsky, and when this central role of the aristocratic owner of the doomed cherry orchard is well cast, the play has a real chance to bloom.
Patti Hannon, a shortish, stoutish actress, portrays the frivolous Ranevsky as a childish, yet mothering figure, warding off unhappy thoughts by forever caressing and kissing the persons around her. Told by the peasant Lopahin of the possibility that her impoverished estate will be sold at auction, she continues to giggle at a silly joke she has just made. Harangued about the dilemmas of her outmoded society, she nibbles on a strawberry and gazes off into nothingness, refusing to deal with reality.
And in one wonderful moment, Hannon captures the rare Chekhovian mingling of emotions that have eluded many a mature actress in the same role. It comes when, returning to her beloved home estate, Ranevsky sees again the young scholar who had been tutor to her now-deceased son. Hannon bursts into tears with a passion at once so heartfelt and so silly that one hardly knows whether to cry or to laugh.
Right behind her in effectiveness is Loren Crawford as her daughter, Yarya, who ”looks like a nun.” Pale and pinch-faced, Crawford plays the role holding a handkerchief that`s always ready to dab at her tearful eyes. It`s a deft comic touch for most of the play, yet when she truly does weep over her lost love as she prepares to leave her home, the comedy turns into sudden, powerful pathos.
The production, which runs through July 19, is being presented as the first of four Ensemble shows offering free admission this summer. The price is right, and these two performances (as well as a few others) are worth a look. `THE CHERRY ORCHARD`
A play by Anton Chekhov, presented by the Chicago Actors Ensemble and directed by Rick Helweg, with settings by Steve Scherer, Cindi Urbaniak, Joe Jahraus and Helweg, lights by Steve Gusler and costumes by Patti Hannon and Mary Derbyshire. Opened July 9 in the People`s Church (fifth floor), 941 W. Lawrence Ave., and plays at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday, through July 19. Length of performance: 2:15. Tickets are free, but reservations are encouraged. Phone 275-4463.
![At a recent wedding reception in Chicago, guests gathered to toast the newlyweds at the bar. Glasses were lined up in front of them, but no alcohol was poured. Instead, marijuana vapor was pumped into the upside-down glasses, which were then lifted and inhaled in unison. “A lot of people were surprised,” bride Aja Heinlein said. “They didn’t even know that was something they could do.” In the new world of cannabis, consumption at private events like weddings, holiday parties and corporate events is becoming more common. The state law that legalized recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 and […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ctc-L-Illinois-marijuana-wedding15_187593870.jpg?w=525 "At a recent wedding reception in Chicago, guests gathered to toast the newlyweds at the bar. Glasses were lined up in front of them, but no alcohol was poured. Instead, marijuana vapor was pumped into the upside-down glasses, which were then lifted and inhaled in unison. “A lot of people were surprised,” bride Aja Heinlein said. “They didn’t even know that was something they could do.” In the new world of cannabis, consumption at private events like weddings, holiday parties and corporate events is becoming more common. The state law that legalized recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 and […]")
