Let's get the important message out of the way: Go see The Magnificents. A production of Chicago's House Theatre, it's part Chagall painting, part commedia dell' arte, and part meditation on the nature of family, love and loss. It weaves magic, storytelling and audience inclusion into a don't-miss jewel of an experience.
The plot is a simple one, but finely etched. It's the tale of an elderly magician, his wife, an orphan boy who crosses their path, and a trio of clowns who form the chorus. The story is shot through with magic tricks, compelling use of animation, and set design that pulls you into the moment and propels the plot. But don't let the simplicity deceive you. I couldn't shake certain images, certain moments from my mind, hours after I'd left the theater.
With this play, the House Theatre of Chicago achieves in spades what so many theater companies aspire to create: a resonant, living, deeply moving experience. This is done by directly including the audience, starting with bringing an audience member on stage as an honorary member of the company to help with pre-show announcements.
That's just the the first thing that grabbed me, and it kept building from there. The emotional reach of the story is irresistible, due to a spare and sensitive story line and a superb cast, who, in the words of the company, give "One-Hundred Percent."
The Magnificents gave me an evening of theater that broke my heart open a little, then made me want to jump up and yell 'Hurrah!" I can't remember the last time I felt that way.
Dennis Watkins, the play's author and one of its stars, talks to BC readers.
Can you tell us a little bit about your odyssey here....about your own contact with magic as a young person, your involvement in theater, and how they inspired The Magnificents?
I grew up learning magic from my grandfather, Ed Watkins. He was a great close-up magician who ran a magic shop in Dallas called Douglas Magicland. I can’t say that I remember my first introduction to magic, but I certainly remember how much I loved it as a kid. My grandfather took me under his wing and began teaching me when I was very little. By the time I was about eight, I was performing at neighborhood events, birthday parties, and other local events. Then, around high school, I started taking theater classes. I fell in love with acting and studied it in college. After graduating from SMU I moved to Chicago with a group of my classmates and started The House Theatre of Chicago.
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