Route 66’s CICADA Debuts As An Immaculately Acted Work Of Art

imageHIGHLY RECOMMENDED: THEATRE IN CHICAGO

It is a rare instance when theatre is so powerful it literally knocks the wind out of you.  Well, that is exactly what happened after witnessing the final scene in Erica Weiss’ impeccably directed World Premiere of Jerre Dye’s Cicada.

Route 66 Theatre Company’s immaculately acted piece, led by Aaron Kirby (Ace) and Amy Matheny (Lily) who play son and mother, are so viscerally connected to each other that their absolute reliance forbids them from accepting the truth of existence until it is too late.   Cicada’s action takes place on a close knit rural farm community in Mississippi where ghosts and spirits inhabit the minds of the living, keeping both in a pseudo-purgatory.

Any flaws in Cicada’s script are rendered unnoticeable by one the best casts to set foot on a Chicago stage, made all the more truthful by Brian Sidney Bembridge’s stunning set and lighting design which are as much a part of the success of this work as the actors themselves.

I defy anyone not be moved by the authentic pain felt by Mr. Kirby and Ms. Matheny, two of my favorite actors who have found and added another layer to their breathtaking craft of acting and proving that Route 66 is one of our finest theatre companies to emerge in the last ten years.

Route 66 Theatre Company’s production of CICADA plays through May 25, ,2014 at the Greenhouse Theatre Center, 2257 N. Lincoln St., Chicago.  For more information visit www.greenhousetheatre.org or call 773.404.7336.  For calendar information visit www.TheatreInChicago.com