Theatre
& Stage
reviews by SalsaChicago.com critic Al Bresloff
"Lost
Land" (thru June 5th)
The
Steppenwolf Theatre Company is offering up
yet another World Premiere on it's Downstairs
Stage. "Lost Land" by Stephen Jeffreys takes
place in Northern Hungary in a period at the
end of World War I, when the nation was on
the edge of collapse. We are at the estate
(castle) in the wine growing region, the home
of retired politician, Kristof (John Malkovich)
and his sister,Ilona( Martha Lavey) who tends
The vineyards to produce the wines. Along
comes Miklos (Yasen Peyankov) who persuades
Kristov to leave and reclaim the reins of
power. This is a trying period in Hungary.
The peace treaty worked against them as most
of their land was lost. While the historical
part of the play has importance, the tale
is truly one of personal obligation and self
understanding; dealing with Peasants, Communism
and loss.
Jeffreys
has developed deep characters and under the
direction of Terry Johnson, helped tremendously
by three of Steppenwolf's best,the always
perfect Malkovich,the dynamic Peyankoff and
the wonderful Lavey, this play allows us into
the inner feelings of these war-swept people.
In addition to the above, there are fine performances
by Ian Barford and Katrina Lenk, peasants/servants
of the masters of the house. While the story
is deep, there are many humorous moments and
the flow is paced quite nicely. The set by
James Schutte and lighting by Scott Zielinski
add just the right touch as does the sound
by Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen. Mr. Malkovich
along with Ana Kuzmanic handle the period
costumes to perfection. This is a production
that will make you proud to be a Chicagoan
and have a theater like Steppenwolf.
"Lost
Land" will run through June 5th with performances
as follows:
Tuesday-Sunday
evenings at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
afternoons at 3:30 p.m.
Tickets
range in price from $20-$60 and are available
at the theater box office located at 1650
N. Halsted Street, by phone at 312-335-1650
or online at www.steppenwolf.org.
