Valerie Jean Johnson

Silent Theatre Company has a reputation for delivering sharp and chic visual treats year round, and they certainly do not disappoint with their clever holiday homage, "A Charlie Chaplin Christmas." Though there is minimal dialogue employed to set up this tale of the lovable Tramp and his ragtag, down-on-their-luck crew as they slog through another bleak Christmas, the company stays pretty much true to its name, relying on deft Vaudevillian performance style and a fantastic live band to tell the story. Chaplin is a tough act to mimic, and Marvin Eduardo Quijada as the Tramp is lucky to have such a strong supporting cast. Though Gillian Hastings is especially enamoring as the runaway turned protege, it's truly an ensemble effort. There are some missteps—at certain points an almost frantic pacing seems to sweep the actors off their feet—and a few gags run on too long, but the overall production is sweetly charming, an ambitious departure from the standard holiday theatre fare.

"A Charlie Chaplin Christmas" runs through January 6 at the Chicago Cultural Center’s Studio Theater, 77 East Randolph, (312)744-6630. (2007-12-18)

Also by Valerie Jean Johnson

Histrionic Perversity in Chicago
The plays of Austrian writer Thomas Bernhard (1931-1989) have been widely produced to great acclaim throughout Europe; and yet, his work has had minimal attention in North America. But that’s changing, in large part due to the efforts of Adam Seelig, artistic director of Toronto’s One Little Goat Theatre
(2007-12-04)

Tip of the Week
Cheers, Alan Ball, for providing women actors with characters they can sink their teeth into! Hubris Production’s "Five Women Wearing the Same Dress" is the Academy Award-winning ("American Beauty") writer’s 1993 play about five less-than-enthusiastic bridesmaids
(2007-11-06)

Ring Around the Rosen
It’s bright and early on a Friday morning, and Eric Rosen, artistic director of AboutFace Theatre, almost apologetically warns me that he is coming off of a long night of rewrites for "Wedding Play," his latest offering, in its world premiere at Steppenwolf’s Garage Theatre
(2007-10-30)

Tip of the Week
Infidelity, theft, deception and cold-blooded murder are very, very, wrong. They can also be a hell of a lot of fun, for the safe-from-harm theatergoer, at least. Mike Beyer’s new play, is a high-pitched, ninety-minute whirlwind of sex, greed, lies, violence
(2007-10-30)

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