Taking Theatre to New Heights

The Attic

As the lights come up we discover a lovely young woman, dressed only in a slip. She stands silently for a few minutes seeming to study the entire audience. Then the woman dons a hospital gown and speaks directly to the audience, telling us ominously, “I fell once.” The woman adds the puzzling, recurring phrase, “Things I’ve seen while lying on my back.” What can she mean by this cryptic declaration—a secretive statement that she will repeat throughout this play? 

When the curtain rises we’re in a bizarre Wonderland, a nightmare vision of, perhaps, a hospital room. It’s dominated by a large bed, but there’s also some wooden chairs, a rough-hewn clapboard cupboard, a full-length mirror, a couple of large, freestanding wooden frames and a trapeze. Throughout this absolutely extraordinary, exciting, thrilling, new brand of circus (and don’t let this word throw you off), other props and pieces are added and/or removed. What we’re about to experience is the true story of a life that was tinged with tragedy. In this poetic, phenomenal, heart-stopping and highflying new production, told by a group of nine athletically agile and accomplished young performers, the company is taking theatre to new heights.

This exquisite production opens Goodman’s second century of magnificent theatrical presentations. And it truly is quite special, remarkable and unusual. Tony Award-nominated former trapeze artist, Shana Carroll, (the talented choreographer of Broadway’s circus-based musical, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS) shares her autobiographical story through a cast of ten actor/performers. Ms. Carroll is the cofounding Artistic Director of Montreal’s The 7 Fingers, a unique Canadian theatrical collective that tells tales through death-defying acrobatics with a life-affirming theatricality. Through Shana Carroll’s artistry, the theatrical troupe has redefined the word “circus,” by stripping down the spectacle to its essence. Shana has written and choreographed at least a dozen other resident or touring shows, much like THE ATTIC. But what makes this production so special is that it’s primarily a memoir of the playwright, told through poetic dialogue and movement. 

The literal narrative portion is performed by talented Chicago actress Tyler Meredith (INHERIT THE WIND; THE PENELOPIAD, Goodman; LITTLE WOMEN, Northlight; TRANSLATIONS, Writers), when dialogue becomes necessary. The always magnificent Ms. Meredith is the soulful performer who primarily portrays Shana Carroll, but the multitalented playwright/director/choreographer is also physicalized and represented throughout the play by the other  nine other acrobats and aerialists. They include, in alphabetical order, Fran Alvarez, Melvin Diggs, Eduardo De Azevedo Grillo, Kalani June, Anna Kichtchenko, Nancy Luna, Santiago Rivera Laugerud, Alexandra Royer and Lucy Tan. And may I say unequivocally that each and every one of these athletic artists is a bonafide star.

The play begins with In The Great White Room. It then continues through a Flying Dream, into Shana’s Infancy, Middle School Dance, Ode to Trapeze, and followed by the foreboding and recurring, Falling. Act I ends with the spectacular, Shooting Stars, while Act II kicks off with I Want You 2. The forthcoming heartbreaking scenes are entitled, Childless Mother, CT Scanner, Trapeze Lessons #1-3, concluding with The Old Lady and the Sea.

The extraordinary production features countless incredible scenes of jaw-dropping acrobatics, the likes of which the theatergoer has probably never seen before or imagined. Then there comes a juggernaut of juggling, a heap of hoops used imaginatively, bouncing and bounding around on bungee cords and silks, and, of course, an absolute tour de force on the trapeze. The performers appear on a fluid stage setting that’s designed by Ana Cappelluto, and they’re clothed in a variety of continually changing, off-white costumes, designed by Marie Chantale. The production is beautifully enhanced by a range of live music and heartfelt songs, thanks to the original compositions and musical direction by Colin Gagne. And the show drips with dazzling lighting by Alexander Nichols and offers live video broadcasting and special effect projections designed by Johnny Ranger.

Mere words can’t do justice to the majesty of this awesome and astounding production. Standing ovations always seem to be de rigueur these days, following pretty much every concert or theatrical event. But THE ATTIC most definitely deserves to receive the greatest praise possible. The superb, ten cast members have trained and constantly work their muscular limbs and svelte bodies to the max. The result is an extraordinary true story that portrays the highs and lows, the drama and comedy, of Shana Carroll’s turbulent life. By the final scene, the recurring phrase, “Things I’ve seen while lying on my back,” which is also the play’s subtitle, is no longer a mystery. And the story’s other recurring line, “I fell once,” means so much more by the end of this stirring production. Do not miss THE ATTIC, because Goodman’s production is perfectly and profoundly taking theatre to new heights.   

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented September 5-October 4 by the Goodman Theatre, in the Albert Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn, Chicago. 

Tickets are available in person at the Goodman box office, by calling 312-443-3800 or by going to www.GoodmanTheatre.org.

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

Photos by Todd Rosenberg