Sunday, May 21, 2006

Funeral Wedding

I recently saw Funeral Wedding at the Athenaeum Theatre, and let me offer this two word synopsis of the play: See it.

Expanding on that a bit, this was the best small theatre production I have seen in 15 years. It was a dark comedy about this guy, Alvin Fisher (no relation, thankfully), who was fraught with anxiety over some stabbed corpses he had discovered on the beach when he was a child. Or so it would seem. In a merely good play, this would be about the murder mystery, but it wasn't so much. It was about the dysfunction of Alvin's family and why they were as messed up as they were, and what each member could possibly do to rectify it. The play was written beautifully, with wit, charm, intensity, creepiness, poignancy, and above all else, skill. Every single performance brought both an intensity and a subtlety that had me engrossed from beginning to end.

If you are in the Chicago area, and have even a passing interest in live theatre, you really owe it to yourself to go see this show. I recommend going to the box office directly, as you'll save yourself a sizeable amount in tickemaster "convenience fees," but freakin' wow. I wish it was a movie, so I could buy it on DVD when it comes out.

1 comment:

Tracy Lee V said...

I agree. It rocked. So glad to be there with you...your signature laugh was an added blessing... :)