Tucked into a small upstairs theater at the Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture, Laughing Stock Theatre's Over My Dead Body; Or, How to Distribute Generational Wealth employs a genre born hundreds of years ago in the village squares of Italy — commedia dell’arte — to tell its story. The nimble ensemble of eight actors devised the piece through a creative process with director Antonio Fava.
Fava, who has his own international comedy school in Italy, watched the results from the front row at the performance attended by this viewer. The maestro appeared to enjoy himself as much as his cast, younger by many decades but exuding an appreciation for this structured but unapologetically silly form of entertainment. Over My Dead Body hews closely to tradition with stock characters, outsized emotions and physical schtick as its plot hews closely to the title’s tagline How to Distribute Generational Wealth. In any era, a rich oldster can generate mischief just by holding a copy of his will.
Laughing Stock Theatre Merges Form and Content
In this case, elderly and miserly Pantalone – performed by youthful actress Claire Proepper – thinks his family and staff are trying to bump him off on the day before his daughter’s wedding. Actually, they’re planning his surprise birthday party. But no matter, his efforts to thwart them and their consuming interest in his assets keep the action going with nothing more onstage than a coffin-shaped chest and a family portrait. The chest doesn’t even have much in it; it’s mostly an empty space for shenanigans to happen.
Physical form and farcical content merge seamlessly in many scenes, starting with fiancé Fulgenzio (Martin Downs) and fiancée Flaminia (Helena Scholz-Carlson) blindly searching for each other like heat-seeking missiles. Later, Jeffrey Rubin, as servant Pedrolino, imitates his spoiled mistress Signora Rosaura (Jordan Scherer) having a meltdown with impressive elasticity. Though not all moments strike this writer as equally fluid, the disciplined gait in each footstep and lilting cadences in each line convey a very specific world of outrageous behavior.
Farfetched but Close to Home in Over My Dead Body
When it comes to character development and storyline, nuance is nowhere to be found. Instead, Laughing Stock Theatre’s use of seldom-seen commedia elements such as masks, together with contemporary dialogue, lets a new generation learn the rules of an old performance style that underpins many Chicago improv companies. Fans of this type of comedy are likely to click with Over My Dead Body; Or, How to Distribute Generational Wealth. Those who are not familiar with it may discover that its farfetched message is actually closer to home than expected.
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Cast:
Andy Huttel, Helena Scholz-Carlson, Martin Downs, Shea Lee, Jordan Scherer, Jeffrey Rubin, Jennifer Mohr, Claire Proepper
Creative Team:
Antony Fava (Director), Claire Proepper (Artistic Director & Scenic Design), Aaron Quick (Producer, Sound & Lighting Designer), Jennifer Mohr (Costume Designer), Ryan Wiechmann (Graphic Design), Shea Lee (Props Master)
WHEN:
November 3 - December 4, 2022
WHERE:
The Athenaeum Center
2936 N Southport Ave
Chicago, IL
Photos: Steven Townshend, Distant Era
Note: Picture This Post reviews are excerpted by Theatre in Chicago.
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About the Author: Susan Lieberman
Susan Lieberman is a Jeff-winning playwright, journalist, teacher and script consultant who commits most of her waking hours to Chicago theatre. Her radio drama In the Shadows aired on BBC Radio 4 last season.
Editor's Note: Click here to find more Picture This Post reviews by Susan Lieberman
