Elmhurst, IL — GreenMan Theatre’s spring production of The Arabian Nights by Mary Zimmerman runs for 3 weekends from April 8-24. As actors from several local communities work hard on polishing their characters in ongoing rehearsals, a few of them took time to reflect on why they auditioned for this production as well as sharing what they feel audiences will enjoy when they attend a performance.
GreenMan Artistic Director David Soria (Lombard) directs the production. It is a well-known tale: King Shahryar, after finding his first wife in the arms of another, murders her and her lover. Left alone, the King decides to marry a new woman eight night — only to kill her in the morning. That is, until Scheherezade courageously marries the King and begins telling a wondrous tale each evening and continuing through until dawn — when she is supposed to be killed, except that the King always allows her to live in order to finish the next story. In this way, she suspends her death sentence for one thousand and one nights, and slowly heals King Shahryar’s broken heart, in the process.
The production staff includes Elizabeth Thompson (Assistant Director & Stage Manager), Alma and Rhys Read (Producers), Becca Easley (Sound Design), Chuck Erickson and Jim Ocasek (Tech Direction/Lights/Set), Cathleen Ann (Poster Design), Valerie Meachum (Costume Design), Steven Soria (Program Design), Phaedra Darwish (Choreographer), and Mary-Carol Riehs (Dramaturg).
The cast includes Christian Colucci (Chicago), Maureen Denhof (Carol Stream), Josh Durham (Darien), Chris Gair (Elmhurst), Lincoln Green (Elmhurst), Emily Leu (Villa Park), Agnieszka Miklas (Bensenville), Patricia Moy (Chicago), Maggie Opal (Glen Ellyn), Rhys Read (Des Plaines), Mary-Carol Riehs (Elmhurst), Steven Soria (Elmhurst), Scott Surowiecki (Streamwood), Nicole Urso (Addison), and Carson VanHorn (Barrington).
Leu discussed her thoughts of the production. “It’s an ensemble show which requires each actor to move in and out of different stories and roles. Pacing and fluidity is huge in this production; we’re basically all figments of Sheherezade’s imagination and when you take a step back and realize she’s telling each story to save her and her sister’s life from the king, there is a sort of desperation underlying each story. As an actor it’s an exciting challenge to discover and pinpoint the underlying message that Sheherezade is trying to convey and work that into each vignette. Zimmerman’s script encourages creativity, incorporating improvisation, music and dance into the play. As an actor, it has been an incredible exercise in flexibility and has really pushed me to be fearless about trying new things during rehearsals. Due to the nature of the script, no two shows will ever be alike, which gives each performance an electricity that is unlike any production I’ve ever been a part of,” she commented.
Rhys Read felt the show had a variety of appeal to audiences. “There are many things I find interesting in this production. The way that the acting, music, singing, dancing, and performance blends together makes this a unique show. This is a very talented cast and the way this is assembled that we are all involved in one way or another for the whole show is very exciting. I actually get to play 10 different roles, so it is like I got cast in 10 plays at once. There is a wide range of theater in this one play, from gross comedy, sophisticated humor, to deep thought provoking concepts as well as tragedy. There is a lot in this show that is physical or movement based so you cannot get a concept of the play from just reading. This play is actually a series of fast moving short stories which I think will keep the audience entertained. I would expect that at the end of the two hour show the audience will have been so engrossed that they will not realize the time has past so quickly. I don’t think this is a show that you will be able to absorb in seeing just one performance, but will probably need to see several times,” he said.
Denhoff is excited about the production and feels audiences will feel the same way. “This production is nothing like I expected. When I auditioned I was unfamiliar with this adaptation and now that we’ve started rehearsing I have really enjoyed the humor in the show. That’s not to say this is a comedy but there’s a great balance between serious and comedic moments. I feel the audience will find the music and rhythms interesting with this show because it gives the play an entirely different element created completely by the cast!!”
All performances will take place in Asbury Hall at First United Methodist Church at 232 S. York in Elmhurst. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 7:30 PM & Sunday matinees begin at 2 PM. Tickets are $17 for adults and $15 for seniors/students. Tickets can be reserved by calling the GreenMan box office at 630-464-2646 or by visiting the GreenMan website at www.greenmantheatre.org. Free parking is available.