REVIEWS With John Mahoney, a late-in-life romance surprises ★★★½ CHICAGO TRIBUNE March 16, 2014 By CHRIS JONES When Dan, the traumatized Irish man at the center of Christian O'Reilly's Chapatti, pictures his beloved in the afterlife, he thinks of her as alone and lonely. "Incomplete without me," he says. We are not, of course, privy to the emotional states of the dearly departed, nor do we know how much company they have around them. But as that very fine actor John Mahoney makes abundantly clear in this simple but surprisingly intense new play from a young Galway, Ireland-based writer of great promise, Dan really is speaking of his own depressed state and his growing sense that life is not worth living without his lifelong love. Dan speaks for a lot of people on both sides of the Atlantic, of course, even if they are rarely heard. In recent interviews, Mahoney told a story about how O'Reilly had handed him this unproduced script while the actor, well known in Ireland for his television work, was working at the Galway Arts Festival in Ireland. Although he doesn't usually read such things, and famous actors get a lot of plays thrust at them, Mahoney was faced with a broken electronic device and a long trans-Atlantic flight. And that, apparently, is how Chapatti ended up being developed in Skokie and had its world premiere there this weekend, with Mahoney in the lead role. It's then on its way back to the Galway Arts Festival, where I suspect it will be very warmly received. It is not difficult to see what Mahoney must have seen on the page. Read the entire article online > REVIEWS Two lonely souls find new reasons to live in Chapatti RECOMMENDED CHICAGO SUN-TIMES March 16, 2014 By HEDY WEISS Christian O'Reilly's play, Chapatti, is easy to summarize. It's the story of two lonely Dubliners in late middle age whose only real emotional ties are with their memories, their disappointments and their pets. And then they meet each other. But that would be leaving out a natty suit and tie, and best of all, that fetching, curve-enveloping red dress. It also would be neglecting mention of the fact that the unlikely pair in this charming little two-hander, now in its world premiere at Northlight Theatre (and already booked for a visit to the Galway Arts Festival in July), is being brought to life by John Mahoney and Penny Slusher, two beguiling performers whose interplay (under the fleet direction of BJ Jones) serves as nothing less than a master class in acting. Unfolding in a deft mix of heartache, despair and gentle comedy, the story is a mix of zesty self-narration and beautifully limned scene work. And it leaves you cheering for these two characters' hard-won moments of happiness. Mahoney is in top form - agile, crisp, volatile and, as ever, a minimalist who can achieve maximal effects. And Slusher, a true actor's actor in this city, is so real, so full of barely suppressed fire and self-mocking indomitability, that she has you watching her every move. Best of all, they manage to sidestep sentimentality without sacrificing the special chemistry between them that is all but irresistible. Read the entire article online > REVIEWS Chapatti/Northlight Theatre RECOMMENDED NEWCITY March 18, 2014 By AARON HUNT That Mahoney is an international treasure is an understatement ... He has perfected the character of the elegant curmudgeon; his harumphs and noisy throat-clearings making ballet music, his twinkling eyes dancingly admitting the subterfuge. As Dan, Mahoney mixes the angrily tight-lipped edge of his performance with a melancholy kindness. A character actress possessed of coast-to-coast range, Slusher's ability to portray an anvil-spirit wrapped in emotional gossamer has endeared her to Chicago audiences ... Slusher leads an audience like a pied piper into an intimate friendship with her characters. We laugh and cry with her, and reach for the teapot when the cups need refilling. Slusher's work makes the fourth wall completely transparent, and her Betty is another jewel in her well-deserved crown. In a theatrical season full of character-driven offerings, where the audience's investment in the characters is paramount, Director BJ Jones' production never misfires. Take a hanky and a best friend, and get to Skokie straightaway, before Mahoney and Slusher get on that plane for Ireland. Read the entire article online > REVIEWS John Mahoney, Penny Slusher a well-matched duo in Chapatti ★★★ DAILY HERALD March 19, 2014 By BARBARA VITELLO Director BJ Jones wisely cast Mahoney and Slusher, about as well-matched a duo as you'll find on a Chicago-area stage. Both actors take on several minor characters in addition to their principal parts. But the showier role belongs to Mahoney. He's good. Slusher's better. Every note of Slusher's performance rings true. Her imminently likable Betty is self-aware, self-deprecating and entirely selfless. Recognizing a drowning man when she sees one, she offers him a lifeline. That she'll convert dog-loving Dan I have no doubt. She may even get him to like cats. Read the entire article online > Comments are closed.
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