A Sweeping Epic

Leopoldstadt

Before his death, theatre critic Dominic Cavendish called the late playwright Sir Tom Stoppard, “Britain’s greatest living dramatist.” He burst onto the theatre scene in 1966 with his daring and hilarious spin-off of HAMLET, entitled ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD. Known for his razor-sharp wit, deep intellectual curiosity and playful exploration of language, Stoppard went on to write for film, radio, television as well as for the theatre. 

Over his lifetime Tom Stoppard penned more than 30 tragicomedies. They include TRAVESTIES, THE INVENTION OF LOVE,  JUMPERS, THE REAL THING, ARCADIA, ROCK N’ ROLL and THE COAST OF UTOPIA. Reviewing LEOPOLDSTADT, his last play, Greg Evans called Stoppard’s final work “a late career masterpiece.” He went on to wisely comment about this sweeping epic that “any summary of the scenes and timeline descriptions of LEOPOLDSTADT can’t begin to convey the richness of Stoppard’s work.” And I absolutely agree. 

LEOPOLDSTADT premiered in 2020 in London’s West End, but was forced to close due to the Covid pandemic. It returned again when the theaters were reopened, and then transferred to Broadway two years later. In New York, Stoppard’s three-hour masterpiece won four Tony Awards, including Best Play. However, the presentation at Writers Theatre features a few cuts and script revisions made by Stoppard and his frequent collaborator and friend, Carey Perloff, who also brilliantly directed this production. There could not have been a more perfect choice as guest director. The Glencoe theatre’s incredibly intimate presentation marks the largest production in the theatre’s history, as well as a beautiful rendition of the final play by one of our greatest playwrights.

LEOPOLDSTADT is Stoppard’s most personal, elaborate and semi-biographical play. It follows the lives of four generations of a large Jewish family. The story is set in the luxurious drawing room of their family home in Vienna, Austria. The clan’s complicated history spans from 1899 to 1955. In two-acts, Stoppard’s saga recounts the intricate journey of an affluent, assimilated family as their enjoyment of prosperity is taken for granted, and until the family’s good fortune descends into  the perils of the Great War and the ravaging realities of the Holocaust. Stoppard based many of the characters in this play on the stories he remembered about his family relatives. As the epic narrative continues, the playwright comes to explore the painful and lingering guilt of those few family members who survived.

It’s imperative that every theatergoer has a printed program in his hands throughout the performance, in order to follow along and thoroughly understand the relationships of each character. The  characters are featured in three ways. There’s a nicely illustrated family tree, and the clan is also listed by the various eras. Then there are the headshot photos of the entire cast, so that the audience can match faces to the character names.

Although there are many newcomers treading the boards in this production, the cast is led by some of Chicago’s finest, best-known and well-loved actors. They include Barbara E. Robertson, (THE DETECTIVE’S WIFE, Writers Theatre), Kate Fry (WIFE OF A SALESMAN, Writers Theatre), Emma Rosenthal (THE FLYING LOVERS OF VITEBSK, at Northlight), Hannah Dworkin (PICNIC, Writers Theatre), Jessie Fisher (EVERY BRILLIANT THING, Writers Theatre), Sarah Coakley Price (EURYDICE, Writers Theatre), Ian Barford (Salieri in Steppenwolf’s AMADEUS), Sean Fortunato (Malvolio in TWELFTH NIGHT, Writers Theatre), Joey Slotnick (AMADEUS, Steppenwolf), Erik Hellman (TRANSLATIONS, Writers Theatre) and Andrew Mueller (TRANSLATIONS, Writers Theatre). The actors range in ages, from children to adult. Many are making their Writers Theatre and/or professional debut. They include Justin Albinder, Sam Bell-Gurwitz, Ella Boparai, Levi Charnay, Asha Dale Hopman, Rachel J Jones, Theo Clark Leber, Morgan Medina, Grainne Ortlieb, Adeline Rosenthal, Sebastian Rus, Caleb Scherr and Brenann Stacker. An award for Best Ensemble was created for such a talented, multi-generational cast as this!

In addition to a large, gifted cast and the brilliant guidance and staging by director Carey Perloff, a few members of the artistic technical team must be acknowledged for their superlative contributions to production. Ken MacDonald’s gorgeous and detailed scenic design is absolutely jaw-dropping. Keith Parham’s exquisite lighting design adds color, depth and mood to each chapter of the story. The sumptuous, multi-piece costume design by Alex Jaeger spans an amazing 56 years of political and cultural change in Vienna, and must be seen to be fully appreciated. The period look for each character is further enhanced by Tom Watson’s excellent hair, wig and makeup design. And Jane Shaw’s spot-on sound design and original music gives an additional layer of realism to this magnificent production. With this breathtaking, must-see presentation of Tom Stoppard’s sweeping epic tragicomedy, Writers Theatre once again shows why it’s consistently regarded as one of the brightest jewels in Chicago’s theatrical crown.       

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented June 4-August 9 by Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe, Illinois.

Tickets are available in person at the box office, by calling 847-242-6000 or by going to www.writerstheatre.org.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com. 

Photos by Michael Brosilow