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Trap Door Theatre
Le Bal Reviews
Chicago Reader - Recommended
"...The scenes depicted will all be familiar to anyone with even a cursory grasp of the country’s history but the cumulative effect is elegiac rather than critical or celebratory. The feeling I was left with was of something coming to an end, which is a feeling many are stuck on these days in this place. As a tribute to a moment in history, few words would have been as apt."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Typically, in shows at Trap Door Theatre, when the audience enters, there are already some actors onstage, silently performing in-character business until the house lights go down. But Le Bal, a newly devised play adapted and directed by Stephen Buescher, inspired by Ettore Scola’s film of the same name, broke new ground. Instead of a silent actor, we’re met by ensemble member Carl Wisniewski, a jovial fellow with a talent for clowning, working the crowd through out-of-character conversation."
Buzz Center Stage - Highly Recommended
"...Trap Door Theatre's "Le Bal" adapted and designed by Steven Buescher comes recommended; a unique theatre experience and an example of why Trap Door is a treasure."
Third Coast Review - Recommended
"...Not a word is spoken. The 90-minute performance by Trap Door Theatre is staged with music, recorded song and occasional dialog, but the seven actors say nothing. The production is Le Bal, not so much a play as a revue that explores the social, political and cultural turmoil of the last American century. Stephen Buescher adapted Le Bal and directs this performance, which is devised by the actors and crew, and inspired by the 1983 film Le Bal, by director Ettore Scola."
BroadwayWorld - Recommended
"...LE BAL's creative team brilliantly brings the same expressionist energy to the stage that Trap Door Theatre's performers embody so powerfully. Merje Veski's mesmerizing scenic design, enhanced by David Lovejoy's inventive props, transforms the space into a constantly evolving visual world, with each object woven seamlessly into the ensemble's movement and storytelling."