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Suzanne ScanlonMichael Hollinger’s portrait of a string quartet’s conflicting personalities receives a vibrant Chicago premiere. Michael Hollinger’s 2006 play about a string quartet is a moving meditation on artistic vocation, collaboration and the ephemerality of art. Through the lens of a documentary being made about the Lazara Quartet, we gain insight into the four individuals who, as a teacher once instructed, “must play with one bow.” Achieving this cohesion is easier said than done; flashbacks reveal the conflicts that continue to threaten the group. The contrasting personalities of the musicians—from the controlling Elliot (Michael Sherwin) to the emotionally volatile Dorian (Paul Dunckel)—fuel the play’s drama. After Dorian is fired, his absence is strongly felt by the remaining members, including Grace (Emily Tate), hired to replace him. Though the script at times veers toward bathos, it’s mostly held in check by its humor and movement. The explosive climax feels organic: both surprising and devastating. Simple, effective lighting and set design in Redtwist’s vibrant production, the play’s Chicago premiere, allow for swift transitions from monologue to scene to silence; Jason W. Gerace’s tight direction highlights the play’s composition. As Dorian, Dunckel is especially good; it’s impossible to take your eyes off him in a role that could be clichéd. It’s no secret artistic giftedness and emotional instability often go hand in hand. Yet there’s something deeply human in Dunckel’s portrayal of a charismatic and stubborn artist driven toward perfection—but “never perfect, just closer.” Back to top  ★★★ By Kerry Reid,
Special to the TribuneOnstage, a quartet's tangled life on a string Memory and competition also haunt Michael Hollinger's "Opus," now in its local premiere with Redtwist under Jason W. Gerace's direction. A string quartet hires a new violist — and the lone woman of the four — to replace Dorian (Paul Dunckel), a mentally ill colleague and former lover of first violinist Elliot (Michael Sherwin). Dorian's disappearance seems, disturbingly, not to affect the driven Elliot, who is obsessed with having the quartet perform Beethoven's challenging Opus 131 for an appearance at the White House. Hollinger's script reveals the tangled histories and artistic battles of the group through rehearsal scenes and brief monologues in which the quartet's original members share their insights on life as one-among-four with a documentary filmmaker. "It's like a marriage, only with more fidelity," observes second violinist Alan (John Ferrick) early on — and unsurprisingly, he ends up divorced. Carl (Brian Parry), the seemingly centered cellist, has his own struggles with a cancer diagnosis. And Grace (Emily Tate) feels conflicted about the man she has replaced, even as his rare 17th-century instrument now comes to life under her nimble fingers. Hollinger's examination of technique versus passion in the creation of great music feels a bit self-conscious, but the performances have an easy, lived-in quality. They may not, as the group's mentor once told them, sound like "four instruments played with one bow," but they create a sufficiently engaging portrait of artistic collaboration and competition, and the peripatetic Christopher Kriz's sound design adds layers of aural pleasure. Back to top  Review by Lawrence
BommerDually significant, a string quartet is both a musical work and an ensemble. That ambiguity is brilliantly exploited in this fascinating one-act. For all the harmony and fidelity in the music they create, the opposite can complicate and convulse the lives they lead. In “Opus” playwright Michael Hollinger shows us just how much he knows a lot about chamber music and classical musicians. He dismisses Pachelbel’s boring but popular Canon in D as “dinner music.” “Opus” delivers a powerful, 82-minute inside look at the internal dynamics, polarizing politics, temperamental fireworks, and personality clashes of the imaginary Lazara Quartet, an internationally famed classical combo who are about to perform Beethoven’s opus 131 string quartet at the White House before a TV audience of 15 million. As they address the audience in terse and taut confessions, the musicians describe their mutual musical moments as “lovemaking,” their goal to seem to be “making it up,” with a solid sound like “four instruments played by the same bow,” and fueled by the independence of conducting themselves rather than being “enthralled to a baton.” Offstage and off-microphone, “Opus” depicts five very flawed humans whose personalities, as highly strung as their authentic 18th century instruments, shape their need for and love of music—and sometimes impede them. Jason W. Gerace’s staging for Redtwist Theatre perfectly orchestrates the dissonance behind these supposedly smooth strings. Carl (Brian Parry), the cellist, is a perfectionist who’s battling cancer and the burden of frequent absences from his family as he concertizes all over the world. Despite the medical challenges he minimizes, he tries to mediate between the prickly, control-freak, first violinist Elliot (Michael Sherwin), a sardonic, high maintenance diva (and very allergic to cats), and the kindly but irascible Alan (John Ferrick). The newest member, Grace (Emily Tate) is caught between choosing a safe career as first violinist for the Pittsburgh Symphony and committing to the Lazara Quartet with all their willful intensity. Finally, there’s former member Dorian (Paul Dunckel), Elliot’s former lover and the quartet’s most pragmatic force. Dorian’s practical stewardship of the ensemble, balancing the purity of their sound against the demands of the music market, alienated Elliot who in effect had him “voted off the island.” The events that lead up to the pivotal White House performance are chronicled with crackling swiftness and forensic detail, like the reenactment of a crime. Surprising but satisfactory, the ending also explodes in a shocking example of life destroying art. We feel the physical price these players pay for creating such sublime, seemingly effortless artistry. Perfectly pitched (and supported by Christopher Kriz’ musical backdrop), Gerace’s quintet are consummately cast, with Ferrick’s easy-going affability in sharp contrast to Sherwin’s bi-polar mood swings, Dunckel’s feverish pursuit of excellence, Parry’s secret courage before cancer, and Tate’s open-hearted amazement at all she’s encounters. They make beautiful theater together. For more information on this show, please visit the Theatre In Chicago Opus page. Back to top  Recommended a "Must See" ShowChamber theater meets chamber music with Redtwist's newest Chicago premiere. The Edgewater mainstay's notoriously intimate space is perfect for this critically acclaimed four-hander about the members of a string quartet. Expect a beautifully composed script, brought to life by a tight, harmonious ensemble. Reviewed by Lisa Findley Four actors in perfect harmony. The Chicago premiere of Michael Hollinger's "Opus" takes place in Redtwist Theatre's tiny performance space, which is just right for an intimate play about a tight-knit group of people shaken up by a change in the group's dynamics. The risk in staging a play with lines like "a string quartet is four people playing with one bow" is that the actors have to be absolutely in tune with one another. Happily, that's the case here. The repartee among the members of the quartet is immediately established, and it's easy to see how they've been friends and colleagues for over ten years, and how intimidating that rapport would be for the young woman auditioning to replace the unstable violist. The play cuts back and forth between the present storyline -- the reconstituted group practices for a performance at the White House -- and flashbacks showing the disintegration of the original quartet. This structure teases out the subtleties of the relationship between Dorian (Paul Dunckel) and Elliot (Michael Sherwin), and their power struggle within both the bedroom and the rehearsal space. It's partially a metaphor of which should ultimately reign in music-making, the head or the heart, but the metaphor never supersedes the humanity of these flawed, talented artists. Meanwhile, Carl (Brian Parry) drives the group ever forward after a recent cancer scare, and Alan (John Ferrick) clumsily flirts with Grace (Emily Tate). Next to the group of older, more experienced musicians, Grace is woefully naïve and timid, and it's hard to see how she'll ever fit in, much less augment, the group. Of course, that's the point, and over the course of the play we see how she might do just that. These four once made great music together, but with some major adjustments and sacrifices, they might approach the sublime -- or as Dorian puts it, "not perfect, just closer." Back to top  Highly RecommendedRiveting look into the dynamics of artistic collaboration soars reviewed by Tom Williams, chicagocritic.com “I know what ma non troppo means,” Elliot snaps, when Alan questions his playing. “Well that was clearly troppo,” Alan retorts. “It sounds like we’re smothering a baby.” – from Opus Who would think that mellow string chamber music would produce a dynamic drama? But playwright Michael Hollinger, himself a musician, has just done that. Kudos to Redtwist Theatre for bringing Opus to their intimate stage. We are immersed into the fluid world of a world-class string quartet as that group is struggling to resolve a bitter clash of wills between the two leaders of the group. Dorian (Paul Dunckel) – the group’s artistic genius is fighting with the group’s business gurus – Elliot (Michael Sherwin) over both artistic issues and business practices. Elliot engineers Dorian’s departure as the group adds Grace (Emily Tate) – a prodigy right out of college. Utilizing flashbacks for the back story, Opus is a compelling ‘family’ story of how personal dynamics, professional jealousy, sexual relationships, and drugs contribute to the vibrant culture of the four expert musicians. Opus deftly offers a glimpse into the artistic world of musicians striving for perfection in their art. We see their obsession with creating music that transcends their individual efforts. To this group, the music is paramount as every action of the group must lead to excellence. Filled with wonderful music from Bach, Beethoven and Bartok that was marvelously timed to make us believe that the actors were playing (sound by Christopher Kriz), Opus plays like part music lesson, part relationship drama (on several levels) and part collective dynamic on creating art. This 85 minute one-act is riveting and the ending is shocking as tensions build toward the triumph of art over personality. Brian Parry plays the physical challenged while John Ferrick is Alan, a mensch and easy-going baseball fan. Elliot, played with a wound-too-tight imperial manner by Michael Sherwin is the temper-mental first violin and business manager of the quartet. Grace, played by Emily Tate is the young prodigy trying to blend in to make great music. Dorian, played by Paul Dunckel is the genius bipolar heart of the group who gets removed by his ex-lover Elliott. In the 85 minute drama, we witness the unique personalities as they struggle to reach new heights with their art – their music. We see how the quartet’s sound is dominant to any squabble or any piece of equipment. There is a gripping ending that will make you gasp! Don’t miss this well-acted and nicely produced drama. Back to top  ★★★★★reviewed by Al Bresloff Redtwist Theatre, that little “black box” that brings “white hot drama” with their little “red twist” has done it again! Their current production, “Opus” by Michael Hollinger, is 83 minutes of brilliance in theater. This is a story of a world famous string quartet and the personalities of its members. Despite their remarkable music, the four members, each a solid musician, have distinct personalities and in many cases, differ from the others. In this story, one of the musicians, Dorian (deftly handled by Paul Dunckel), probably the best musician, is ousetd from the group by his lover, Elliot ( a powerful performance by Michael Sherwin) and is replaced by a young female, Grace (Emily Tate), fresh out of school, but loaded with talent. The other members of this quartet, Alan (boldly played by John Ferrick) and Carl (the always solid Brian Parry) are happy with the new arrangement- or are they? This production is beautifully orchestrated by director Jason W. Gerace, who utilizes the very small stage so that each audience member feels as if they are the proverbial “fly on the wall” watching the personalities of these characters come alive and fall apart before their very eyes. Unlike most productions where the sound engineer adds to the totality of the production, Christopher Kriz is an integral part of making this production lifelike as it appears that each of the actors is making the music that we hear a very realistic part of the entire production. The evolution of the characters, their lives and their choices is what makes the characters real and the story-line one that keeps you interested and involved for the entire 82 minutes. Zhanna Bullock, the music coach, taught these actors how to make the playing of their instruments very realistic and I would have to call this show one of the best “choreographed” non-musical, non-dance shows of the season. In this very small theater, with only about 40 seats, we the audience get to see magic on stage with a score that is riveting and a story that takes us on a journey into the lives of these five characters that deals with love, sex, talent, cancer, success, triumph and failure. Although not billed as such, there are many very comical moments in this production and a very gripping climax that will shcock you while also making you feel that justice was served. While this production is scheduled to run through January 15th, I can see a potential for an extension as they only do four performances per week and with the holidays (no performance on Christmas Eve/day and New Year’s Day). If they can add some more it would be great for the great Chicago theater audiences who would be greatly inspired and entertained by this theatrical masterpiece at Redtwist Theatre. Back to top  ‘Opus’ is a mesmerizing
masterpieceReview by Katy Walsh I played the clarinet in grade school. I loved music and wanted to be part of creating it. When a bass clarinet was discovered in the school basement, I was asked to play it. Since it was old, I was told if I didn’t think I’d get the note to not try for it. This pretend playing advanced me into the city’s honor band. They needed a bass clarinet. I wasn’t gifted. I wasn’t good. But I loved being in a concerted effort to produce music. So, I faked my part to stay in the orchestra. Every once in awhile, I would get caught up in the surround sound and try for a note. A loud squeak would always remind me that I didn’t really belong in the group. Redtwist Theatre presents the Chicago premiere of Opus. A well-established string quartet has hit a bad note. The musical genius of the group has gone off his medication. He is a little buggy. The group has fired him and is interviewing for his replacement. They stumble on a young woman. She has limited experience but is naturally gifted. The trio employ her as their fourth. Her presence changes the dynamic. Is it because she’s inexperienced, a woman, more talented? Yes! Their next gig is to play at The White House. Can they find harmony in the discord? Opus is a masterpiece. Playwright Michael Hollinger has composed a musical deconstruction. From the first note, his piece mesmerizes. The quartet plays and talks in unison. Musical interludes are spliced with documentary interviews. As the quartet moves forward with a new viola, the documentary depicts the past disbanding. Under the lyrical direction of Jason W. Gerace, this quartet plus one plays perfectly together. Gerace keeps the tempo tight as the guys build a sentence or melody together. The cast is so authentic as musicians, I keep checking fingers to see if they are really playing. It’s fascinating! This is truly an ensemble piece. Brian Parry, John Ferrick, Michael Sherwin, and Paul Dunckel have solid camaraderie. They share a short-cut language. But they also just orchestrate a strong comfortability. It’s a I-know-your-faults-and-abilities-better-than you-do synergy. Even their body language reflects knowing how a crony will respond without a word spoken. Their simultaneous movement is amazing. These guys have rehearsed… for years together. Breaking the unity, Sherwin displays a range of intensity as a decisive, unemotional leader to an obsessed, emotional musician. Emily Tate provides a bright and shiny hesitation. Tate plays it innocent as a joiner while still putting her own interest ahead of the boys club. This cast is pure platinum! Sure, they are fake playing, but their musical production deserves an encore. Magnum Opus… Bravo! Back to top  posted December 20, 2011 by Chi IL MamaClick to read complete review and info Act Out-Adult Theatre: Jeff Recommended Opus at Redtwist Theatre We made our first foray into Redtwist Theatre's tiny black box on Saturday, to see their highly acclaimed production of Opus, which just received a Jeff recommendation. This marks their 10th show in a row, to be Jeff recommended! Just call them lettuce cause they're on a roll. From their 2009-2010 opener Lettice and Lovage, all of their Jeff-eligible shows have been Jeff recommended. Here at ChiIL Mama, we appreciate great theatre for kids and for adults. And we love a good twist...licorice wise and plot wise. We review loads of theatre, from all the elaborate Broadway in Chicago productions, to tiny, intriguing store front offerings. My guilty theatre pleasure, where possible, is a packet of Twizzlers and a Sapphire n tonic. So, when a member of The Saints (theatre ushers) and two educator friends wanted to see Opus, I was intrigued, and arranged to review the show. I love their colorful mission statement: To do white hot drama In a tiny black box With a little red twist ... Opus is a smashing success fraught with genius and insanity, sexual tension, hidden affairs, brilliance and banality. This quartet of musicians, at the top of their game in the chamber music world, still struggle with their own demons, mortality, tempers, and tempestuous relationships. Add two coveted, priceless, antique Lazara instruments from the 17th century into the mix, and you have a volatile, high stakes game. The characters manage to be simultaneously rarified and raunchy. They're accomplished enough to be invited to play the white house, yet their perfectionism and petty tirades threaten to tear apart the very fiber and substance of their quartet. Opus is a challenging piece because the actors need to convincingly play stringed instruments on stage, while backed by a soundtrack. Only one actor in Opus had ever played, and that was on the high school level. They didn't attempt accurate fingering, but after all, the focus of the plot is the multilayered relationships between the characters, not the proper placement of a pinkie. The production had a music coach come in and work with the actors on how to move their bodies and bows convincingly to, in effect, do the equivalent of lip syncing with violins and violas. They did a fabulous job of embodying the characters and making the audience believe world class quartet, without their playing being over the top or distracting. After the show, we spoke to an audience member who plays a stringed instrument professionally, and she was impressed. Emily Tate was a stand out in her gorgeous dress, her character shining through as a highly gifted, yet unassailably stable island among turbulent seas. This tiny storefront theatre is a force to reckon with and one to watch. We thoroughly enjoyed the show and highly recommend it. ... Their next offering March 4- April 17th sounds ambitious and amazing, too. They're taking on The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later, another Chicago premier. ... Extra kudos to Redtwist for going green. They're in the vanguard with innovative playbill recycling. A few theatres put out a box to collect programs, but many are crumpled or a bit worse for wear and can't be reused. And most patrons don't recycle. Redtwist encases their programs in vinyl and requires them to be returned, like a restaurant menu! If you're a collector who truly wants to save yours for posterity or refer back to it later, you can access the playbill on line and print our your own copy, or request a copy at the box office. Back to top  RECOMMENDED Brings High Drama to the Season BY HEDY WEISS Theater Critic Observe a string quartet play the works of Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorak, Schumann or others, and you will see one of the more amazing exercises in human communication — a synchrony of sound and spirit that is a rare and wondrous meeting of skill, negotiation and emotional fine-tuning. Of course not everything is as synchronous in the real life interplay of the two violinists, violist and cellist who comprise such a quartet. And that is the conceit at the heart of “Opus,” the 2006 play by violist-turned-playwright Michael Hollinger now receiving a tautly wired production by Redtwist Theatre under the direction of Jason W. Gerace. The highly regarded Lazara Quartet is in a state of chaos as the 90-minute drama begins. With a live television broadcast from the White House already scheduled, the group’s brilliant but erratic violinist (turned violist) Dorian (Paul Dunckel) has been ousted from the group and is about to be replaced by a very young and talented but inexperienced woman, Grace (Emily Tate). The autocratic first violinist, Elliot (Michael Sherwin), is at odds with Dorian, who happens to be his lover. Meanwhile, Carl (Brian Parry), the cellist, is dealing with serious health issues and Alan (John Ferrick), the ladies’ man, is under orders not to get “involved” with Grace. Some of the circumstances in the play stretch belief. And the tsunami of problems facing the group seems overly calculated. But the actors never waver. And each of them does a superb job of simulating the playing of their instrument (they clearly were well-coached by Zhanna Bullock), with uncannily meticulous cueing to a recorded soundtrack (applause for sound designer Christopher Kriz). The moral here? Out of dissonance can come the most exceptional harmony. Back to top  by Jonathan Abarbanel, Windy City Times In most classical string quartets, the first violin is the showiest part. Even though the melodic lead flows between all four players, the second violin, viola and cello often are far less bright and forward. So it is with Opus, in which playwright Michael Hollinger cleverly uses a string-quartet model to portray the fictional Lazara Quartet. The sometimes quick dialogue and more extended solo passages shift fluidly between the actors (aided significantly by Christopher Burpee's lighting design), but Elliot, the manipulative and dominating first violinist, is the showiest role. Familiar strains of Bach and Pachebel ease the way for those untutored in classical music, while snippets of Bartok and Beethoven's String Quartet #14 (central to the play) appeal to musical cognoscenti. Whichever you are, Hollinger's play unveils some of the mysteries of making music and the passions of music makers, once you get over a few lurid (but amusing) sexual metaphors. Using flashbacks to reveal what's happened before, Opus focuses on a week in which personal and professional intrigues threaten the future of the famous and successful Lazara Quartet. Seeding the story is the relationship between Elliot and the violist, Dorian, the quartet's co-founder and Elliot's longtime lover. When Dorian is forced out of the all-male group (and out of Elliot's life), a young female replacement is hired, although gender issues aren't the heart of the story. Opus is trenchant, highly theatrical and entertaining, although Hollinger's foreshadowing of events is heavy-handed, several plot twists are predictable and he short-hands the characters. Running 85 minutes—twice as long as String Quartet #14—the play doesn't reveal enough about Elliot and Dorian to suggest why they stayed together so long. Also, we are told that Dorian is the quartet's most instinctively and brilliantly musical member, but we never are shown this aspect of his character. Fortunately, under director Jason W. Gerace, the capable actors develop much of the missing character exposition through physical work and subtext. Michael Sherwin has Elliot's prissy, selfish routine down cold. John Ferrick is amiable as Alan, the second violinist drawn to the new violist, Grace, played by Emily Tate as a gifted young woman who grows up fast. Brian Parry is sympathetically rock-solid as Carl, the cellist, a slow-to-anger family man who is pivotal to the denouement. Finally, Paul Dunckel as Dorian is soulful, slightly tortured and not as innocent as he seems. They are a fine quintet, a true ensemble. They don't play their instruments (miming to recorded music), but it's clear they've studied the music well. Eric Broadwater's intimate 3/4-round set is a gem: a mural of Beethoven presiding over four pedestals and quiet geometric patterns painted in warm brown and beige hues. Back to top |
