sunday afternoon i had the pleasure of seeing the building stage's DAWN, QUIXOTE.
what: dawn, quixote adapted from the novel don quixote by miguel de cervantes
where: the building stage's space located in the west loop
accompaniment: my favorite date: dustin.
drinkability: cheap wine, beer, or soda for sale before show!
show length: 95 minutes, no intermission
out of four: three/four
unfortunately my first chance to see a production at the building stage will ultimately be my last. the building stage announced earlier this year that dawn, quixote would be their final show ever. this coupled with the production shots of six humans in beards and wigs with ukuleles and i knew i had to make it out or else.
the house opens about 10 minutes before the play begins. the lobby as well as the set house props and costume items that are all for sale as the building stage is closing down. the quixote's (all characters are known as this) wander around the stage, setting their props for the show, playing games, talking to audience members, etc. until showtime. this is the sort of preshow that makes me sigh and wish that they would hurry up and get to it already. if it doesn't add to the show: why do it??
once the show got underway my attitude perked up quite a bit. three females and three males play the role of don quixote and his adventures as well as his partner in crime sancho, various other characters, run the lights, run the sound, cue from scene to scene, and oh yeah, play ukuleles.
i think what i enjoyed most about this production is the ability to see that the cast was really having fun. none of them seemed to be calling it in at all. while the transitions, movement, scene shifts, etc. weren't always flawless, this ensemble required quite a bit of work and understanding of the script in order to pull it off. the dialogue clips along as they finish sentence by sentence together, at once establishing a group collective while all finding ways to display their own voice and talent in the production.
this was above and beyond the best lighting i have seen in quite a while. jared moore designed the lights for dawn, quixote and i applaud him. from hazy reds and yellows to the effective use of spotlights, it made a prop and set-light show so enhanced. and for a girl who rarely takes note of a lot of technical aspects: it says a lot.
i also thoroughly enjoyed the music bits in the show. they added an air of humor when needed and also a drone of sadness at times. all six actors with their ukuleles was a great visual as well as a unique way to tell this tale.
all in all, i'm sad to see the building stage go. their space is large and beautiful and as they showed in dawn, quixote, they have the capacity to create fabulous work. if you have the chance, catch this show, especially if you haven't seen work at the building stage previously. and then, take home a pair of shoes with you.
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upcoming april shows:
saturday april 27, 8pm: oracle theatre's the mother
tuesday april 30, 7pm: unrehearsed shakespeare company's much ado about nothing
join me, will you?
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