Melancholy Play: a chamber musical at Piven Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...If, like me, you frequently find yourself afflicted by melancholy - which we'll define here as a mild but persistent form of sadness of vague or indeterminate cause - then I think you will very much like the current show at the Piven Theatre in Evanston, Sarah Ruhl and Todd Almond's "Melancholy Play: A Chamber Musical." For at least a couple of reasons."

Chicago Reader - Recommended

"...When Tilly comes home floating on air with a goofy, American-style smile on her face, reality becomes even more farcical as those who remain afflicted with melancholy are suddenly turned into almonds. (And believe it or not, the show's composer is named Todd Almond.) There’s little here in the way of plot development or deeper themes, but it's a fun hour and a half with relatable caricatures."

ChicagoCritic - Recommended

"...As absurd as this play is, it is not a high-energy farce, and I do not know why it was advertised as such. Ruhl's style is to regularly make references to images and ideas from classical films and novels that conjure certain emotional responses, such as when Tilly describes somebody as beautiful, "like Europe before the war," or declares in her blissful state that she feels like she could go on a sailing ship for three years, disguised as a boy. It's the sort of symbolism that's hard to connect to anything in particular, but you get what she means."

Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...The chamber music, of-course, makes the piece, and the nostalgia. It is beautiful and sad in the way that only live chamber music can be, and the actor's are very adept at singing the score in a conservative, traditional, and old-world way. Each actor gives a very credible performance, but I thought that Ballou and Stockstill stood out as cultivating more authentically bygone personas than the other actors in the ensemble: I was in love with their melancholic characters by the end of the play although it should be noted that I am particularly prone to that type of nostalgia. Others might find Ryan Lanning's performance the most noteworthy."

The Fourth Walsh - Somewhat Recommended

"...This premise is sweet. And it unfolds with whimsy. A 5 piece orchestra (3 violins, a cello and a piano) is skillfully directed by Aaron Benham. Although the strings are center, Benham is on the side of the stage. His direction is filmed and viewed by the musicians from a monitor. The music is beautiful. And the talented ensemble sing with heartfelt harmonies. I went into the intermission with a light-heartedness. Since Stockstill has an Amy Adams' "Enchanted" quality, I was sure she could get her friends to embrace joy. I was looking for the simplistic solution of a feel good rom-com musical."

Splash Magazine - Recommended

"...Director Polly Noonan (who starred in the original production) shows a keen sense of timing here with the laughs coming natural from the material. She also does a fine job of weaving many talents into one cohesive and well thought out whole. Melancholy Play: a chamber musical works well as a post-modern fable of sorts where the ending does not exactly answer our questions regarding the pursuit of happiness. Rather it leaves us with the understanding that for some people it is OK to listlessly want what they can never have."