{"id":10753,"date":"2016-11-01T10:36:10","date_gmt":"2016-11-01T15:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/urbanmatter.com\/chicago\/?p=10753"},"modified":"2016-11-01T10:36:10","modified_gmt":"2016-11-01T15:36:10","slug":"greenhouse-theatre-pirandellos-henry-iv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/urbanmatter.com\/chicago\/greenhouse-theatre-pirandellos-henry-iv\/","title":{"rendered":"Now Playing at Greenhouse Theatre: Pirandello’s Henry IV"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A classic tale of madness and sanity plays in Lincoln Park<\/h2>\n
\"Pirandello's
The Greenhouse Theater in Lincoln Park<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pirandello’s Henry IV<\/a>, playing at\u00a0The Greenhouse Theatre<\/a>\u00a0in Lincoln Park,\u00a0illuminates the distorted line between madness and sanity. In the classic, sometimes referred to as\u00a0“the European Hamlet,” an Italian nobleman falls from his horse at a costume party and suddenly begins to believe he is the 11th-century German emperor Henry IV. His friends and family indulge this fantasy for twenty years, but finally seek the help of a renowned psychiatrist to shock him back to reality, setting\u00a0off a gripping spiral of shocking revelations.<\/p>\n

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\"Pirandello's
Photo credit: Remy Bumppo\u2019s Pirandello\u2019s Henry IV\u00a0Production Photo; left to right: Michael Turrentine, Mark L. Montgomery, Martel Manning<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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“The European Hamlet” by Remy Bumppo<\/h2>\n

The play’s production company,\u00a0Remy Bumppo,<\/a>\u00a0celebrates its\u00a020th anniversary this year with the theme \u201c20: An Age of Enlightenment.” According to Producing Artistic Director Nick Sandys, who finds the play a fitting introduction to that\u00a0theme, \u201cthe play tells the story of an individual who, thanks to his presumed madness, sees through social norms to arrive at fundamental truths behind our human existence and the values we live by.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Casting Highlights<\/h2>\n

Henry IV features both comedic and tragic elements. The king’s men, who have joyfully gone along with the charade for the past two decades,\u00a0enthrall with their\u00a0hilarity. The cartoon-like characters, played by Martel Manning, Jake Szczepaniak, and Michael Turpentine,\u00a0serve as the king’s liaisons to the outside world, better\u00a0known as reality. Their interactions with the king, each other and the rest of the cast provide relief to\u00a0offset the sobering\u00a0madness\u00a0of Henry IV.<\/p>\n

When actor Mark L. Montgomery, who plays\u00a0Henry IV, finally emerges\u00a0from his confines, he turns the piece into literally a tour de force. He’s forceful. He commands the stage,\u00a0playing the role of a crazy dictator\u00a0awkwardly well. The play’s success is largely contingent upon\u00a0his character,\u00a0as every scene and conversation includes or in some way relates back to him.<\/p>\n

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More Details<\/h2>\n

The play’s psychological themes keep\u00a0it interesting. There is action where there needs to be and the acting carries the play like it should. For more specific details, watch the video summary\u00a0and take a look at the\u00a0Field Guide to Remy Bumppo’s Henry the IV<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pirandello\u2019s Henry IV will be performed through November 13, 2016 at the Greenhouse Theater Center at 2257 North Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. Season subscriptions and tickets are available\u00a0at RemyBumppo<\/a> or by calling the Greenhouse at 773.404.7336.<\/p>\n

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