Theatre News Wire

Lookingglass Theatre Company will open its 25th Anniversary Season with Metamorphoses, based on the Myths of Ovid, written and directed by Lookingglass Ensemble member Mary Zimmerman. The return of Lookingglass' seminal production, coinciding with the 10th Anniversary of the Broadway run, will open at Lookingglass in the fall of 2012 and will then move to Washington D.C.'s Arena Stage.

In 1998, Lookingglass debuted Metamorphoses, a play of such grace and power that the memory of it still lingers in the minds of audiences today. The critically-acclaimed, record-breaking Chicago engagement led to a Broadway production that garnered Mary Zimmerman the 2002 Tony Award for Best Director and catapulted Lookingglass onto the national stage.

From a simple, rippling pool of water, Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman conjured the force of Ovid's ancient myths into gorgeous imagery and breathtaking storytelling. Metamorphoses' long-anticipated Chicago revival will feature a number of Lookingglass Ensemble Members and original cast members.

"Metamorphoses is one of those rare productions that truly has it all: beauty, mystery, humor, pathos. The brilliance of Mary's work is that these ancient myths feel at once very contemporary and totally timeless, simultaneously rooted in the very specific individuals onstage and completely universal," says Artistic Director Andy White. "These are some of the reasons it was our longest-running hit in Chicago, then toured the country, and finally ran for a year on Broadway. This show had a profound impact on all of us - Lookingglass, Chicago, and even the country - when we first produced it, and we've had an ache to revisit it for a long time. We are so proud to bring it back to Chicago now, and to have it kick off our 25th Anniversary Season."

The magical and enchanting anniversary production returns to Lookingglass this fall as part of the 2012-13 subscription season. Subscriptions for Lookingglass Theatre's 25th Anniversary Season will go on sale on March 20, 2012. The remainder of the season will be announced soon.

In February 2013, Lookingglass Theatre's production of Metamorphoses, will transfer to The Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. Last season, The Arena Stage brought Lookingglass' hit production of The Arabian Nights to its stage.