Compressing a 450-page classic novel into a two-act play is a tall order, and turning that text into engaging and dynamic theater is an even greater hurdle. Brendan Pelsue’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’s 1859 epic A Tale of Two Cities, presented by Shattered Globe at Theater Wit, succeeds in this endeavor thanks to Mikael Burke’s production. Following the interconnected fates of the Manette family, Charles Darnay (Diego Vazquez Gomez), a Frenchman living in England, and the lawyer Sydney Carton (Glenn Obrero), Pelsue’s adaptation chronicles the turbulence of the French Revolution, oscillating between England and France as the characters’ proximity to the warring factions affect their places in society.
A Tale of Two Cities
Through 5/31: Thu–Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 3 PM; also Sat 5/31 3 PM; audio description and touch tour Fri 5/23 (touch tour 6:15 PM), open captions Sun 5/23; Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont, 773-975-8150, sgtheatre.org, $15-$52
While Pelsue’s text occasionally equivocates in attempting to elicit sympathy for both revolutionaries and aristocrats, Burke’s character-driven direction and the stellar ensemble warrant even-handedness. Played on a sparse stage with a spectacular mirrored backdrop designed by Eleanor Kahn and Milo Bue, all eight cast members play several roles, spearheaded by Shattered Globe ensemble member Daria Harper as an Our Town-esque narrator.
But it’s Penelope Walker’s deeply felt performance as the traumatized political prisoner Doctor Alexandre Manette that is the play’s emotional center, and Walker’s performance breathes new life into the character and Dickens’ text itself. Demetra Dee, as his daughter Lucie, is a luminous embodiment of a literary heroine, torn between two suitors while also asserting her own humanity. Shattered Globe’s A Tale of Two Cities, by centering the people at the text’s core, vividly brings Dickens’s 166-year-old work to today’s Chicago.
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2025-04-30 16:01:14
