An Iliad at Court Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended

"...What matters most here, and what makes this show a candidate for the best solo show in Chicago theater history, is that the telling comes at great cost to the teller. In most single-character monologues, the actor merely tells the story. But the point of this inspired take on Homer's "The Iliad" (the Robert Fagles translation was the basis) is that the very act of recounting the story is so fraught, it competes with the drama of the war narrative itself. And the further point is that every telling gets harder, because it is a reminder of how humans refuse to learn. But The Poet sees it as a moral imperative. And a curse."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Court Theatre's production of An Iliad, based on Homer's epic, translated by Robert Fagles, and directed by Charles Newell, was originally written by Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare in response to the U.S.'s "shock and awe" bombing of Baghdad in 2003 during our invasion of Iraq. Now in its fourth and final run with Court, it is difficult to imagine a time when this play won't be bleakly contemporary."

Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended

"...There is a moment in Court Theatre's fourth (!) iteration of An Iliad where The Poet holds a flashlight below his chin-I immediately flashed back to memories of ghost stories told in a tent while lights were supposed to be out. The conceits of Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare's exhilarating adaptation of Robert Fagles' translation are to structure the timeless tale through the oral tradition of storytelling and to reconfigure the Poet as a storyteller doomed to be immortal; an elegant way to contemporize the ancient text."

Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...War is hell. Jealousy will eat you up. Violence begets violence. And only the dead will see the end of war. And Timothy Edward Kane as the Poet has the audacity to hope that there will be an end to the "singing of this song" dating back to the days of archaic human history. When human nature refuses to evolve from our past tragedies, An Iliad (notice it's not billed as "The Iliad") is an essential, recurring old song of Troy, bringing spellbinding continuity to today's battles both big and small with plenty of significance to our nation, culture and to the collective pain we hold as individuals and as a society shaped by these blistering events."

Buzz Center Stage - Highly Recommended

"...Court Theatre has brought back to its stage "An Iliad," a surpassingly wonderful riff on Homer's ancient Greek poem, "The Iliad." Starring Timothy Edward Kane in a reprise of his sensational one-man performance as The Poet, it is directed by Charles Newell."

Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended

"...It’s the top of the show. The Poet (Timothy Edward Kane) enters and the lights start to dim—but only just. With the house still lit, the Poet begins to introduce the story that is about to unfold. As he takes us through a summary of details—the bloodshed of the Trojan War, and all the unnecessary deaths, we are all still lit. In fact, you can see the audience surrounding you more clearly than the actor on stage. It may feel almost unsettling. You might start to wonder: Has the play started? Will this be the effect for the entire performance? Are the folks surrounding me noticing the others in the audience as much as I am noticing them?"

Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended

"...Athens, 534 BCE. The storyteller, Thespis, steps forward to sing his tale about the exploits of mythological gods and legendary figures who laid the foundations of Greek culture. He resurrects past shadows in story and-with breath and body-breathes life into characters who touch the emotions and imaginations of the assembled audience gathered alongside the hillside of the Acropolis. They are enthralled, applauding Thespis as he reaches fever pitch at the climactic moment. Despite the archaic setting, Thespis unspooled his tale to such effect that his performance remains forever embedded in cultural memory of Greek forebearers as the genesis of a new art form, theatre, and Thespis as the first actor."

PicksInSix - Highly Recommended

"... It's a solo play based on the legendary epic poem by the Greek poet Homer, who also wrote The Odyssey. Both these poems form the foundation of Greek literature, even as there are continuous attempts to deny authorship, not unlike what the reputation of William Shakespeare occasionally experiences. This version is co-authored by Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare in an endlessly eloquent fashion."

MaraTapp.org - Highly Recommended

"...There isn't a more ideal time to see An Iliad. Court Theatre's presentation of Homer's classic epic poem makes it contemporary, regardless of your views on what's happening in the Middle East. It doesn't matter that the legendary Trojan War is part of Greek mythology. What matters is what this Iliad tells us now."