Theatre of Western Springs Presents Mark Twain's Long Lost Comedy - 'Is He Dead?'

Photos by Greg Kolack.
Photo 1: (Back Row L-R) Joe Savino of Chicago, Tim Feeney of Downers Grove, Jeffrey Siddall of Oak Park (Front) Gonzo Schexnayder of Riverside
Photo 2: (L-R) Jack Calvert of Western Springs, Gonzo Schexnayder of Riverside

The Theatre of Western Springs presents the 5th Mainstage play of its 86th season, “Is He Dead?” written by Mark Twain, adapted by David Ives and directed by TWS Artist-in-Residence Greg Kolack.

Performances take place from May 28 - June 7, 2015, at TWS, 4384 Hampton Ave., Western Springs. This delightful romp is suitable for all ages.

Schedule:

• 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays – May 28, 29, 30, June 4, 5 and 6
• 2:30 p.m. Sundays, May 31, June 7
• 2:30 p.m. Saturday, June 6
• 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 31

Audiences will have such fun laughing at this hilarious work from Mark Twain, the humorist-essayist-novelist born Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910).

“Is He Dead?” is a fast-paced comedy — a fictional, farcical, Paris-set story about a young painter, the real-life Jean-François Millet, who fakes his own death to drive up the price of his paintings. Since he’s “dead,” the painter disguises himself as his twin sister in order to negotiate sales.

As the riotous scheme unfolds, Twain dishes out a sly critique of the art world and pokes his signature, mischievous fun at everyone.

“Twain uses farce and elements of burlesque to mock the pomposity of and gullibility of the art world at the time much in the way he skewered all of his subjects in his writings,” said Director Greg Kolack. “It’s easy to see the influence of the classic farces of such playwrights as Aristophanes and Moliere, as well as ‘Charley’s Aunt,’ which was written only a few years earlier. It’s also interesting to note that ‘Is He Dead? was written when vaudeville was becoming popular. It predates the Marx Brothers, who had much in common with Twain’s irreverence and zaniness.”

Lost for a century

Written by Twain in 1898, it was first published in print 105 years later thanks to Shelley Fishkin, a professor of English and American Studies at Stanford University. She came across a drawer of forgotten Mark Twain plays in the Bancroft Library of the University of California at Berkeley. The play was known to scholars but never attracted much attention until 2003 when Fishkin arranged to have it published in book form.

“I started reading,” Fishkin said in an interview, “and suddenly, there in the library, I found myself giggling. Twain wrote it when he was spending the winter of 1898 in Vienna, which was a very dark time for him. He was healing from grief from his daughter’s death as well as emerging from bankruptcy - a compelling example of human resilience. He was back, not only back, but the old, wild Mark Twain.”

Mark Twain was fascinated by theater and made many attempts at playwriting, but critics agree that this play is his best. “Is He Dead?” may have been too “out there” for the Victorian 1890s, but today’s audiences will thoroughly enjoy Twain’s characteristic ebullient humor, well-crafted dialogue and captivating cast of characters.

Contemporary American playwright David Ives adapted the play for the modern stage before its inaugural performance in 2007. Among other tweaks, Ives has turned the three-act comedy into a two-act which is more suited to 21st century audiences. Ives was born in Chicago and educated at Yale School of Drama.

In Shelley Fisher Fishkin’s estimation, it is “a champagne cocktail of a play - not too dry, not too sweet - with just the right amount of bubbles and buzz.”

The playwright

Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born on Nov. 30, 1835, in Florida, Missouri, the sixth child of John Marshall and Jane Lampton Clemens. Little did his parents know, their son would one day be known as Mark Twain, America’s most famous literary icon.

Twain began to gain fame when his story, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calavaras County,” appeared in the New York Saturday Press on Nov. 18, 1865. Twain’s first book, “The Innocents Abroad,” was published in 1869, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” in 1876, and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” in 1885. He wrote 28 books and numerous short stories, letters and sketches.

The director

A resident of Elmhurst, Greg Kolack has been working professionally in Chicago for the past 38 years. He is the recipient of three Joseph Jefferson Citations and three After Dark Awards. He recently directed the TWS productions of “Time Stands Still” and Becky’s New Car.”

He directed the Midwest premiere of the critically acclaimed, “columbinus” at Raven Theatre for which he received a Jeff Award for Outstanding Direction. In fact, the play received a total of five Jeff nominations including Outstanding Production and Ensemble. “columbinus” was chosen by many critics as one of the best productions of 2008.

Kolack also directed, “The Exonerated,” and the world premiere of “Misamerica,” at Raven Theatre. Other notable productions include “The Odd Couple” at Drury Lane Oakbrook; “The Laramie Project” and “The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later” at Redtwist Theatre; the Chicago premiere of Tim Robbins’s “Embedded” for Prop Theatre; and the world premieres of the critically acclaimed “All Through the Night” at Chicago Jewish Theatre and “Hitman” at Bailiwick Repertory.

He was the co-artistic director of Circle Theatre in Forest Park for seven years, during which Circle received 20 Jeff Citations and 60 Jeff nominations. His most notable Circle directing credits include the world premiere of Rebecca Gilman’s, “The Crime of the Century,” which he also conceived, and “A Piece of my Heart.” Both received Jeff Citations for direction and outstanding production.

Cast:

Jack Calvert of Western Springs

Lori D’Asta of La Grange

Tim Feeney of Downers Grove

Abigail Madden of Brookfield

Jennifer Price of Burr Ridge

Ginny Richardson of Burr Ridge

Joe Savino of Chicago

Gonzo Schexnayder of Riverside

Jeffrey Siddall of Oak Park

Cal Turner of Naperville

Edward W. Wavak of Hinsdale

Crew:

Director - Greg Kolack of Elmhurst

Stage Manager - David Bremer of Western Springs

Asst. Stage Man. - Jon Mills of Elk Grove Village

Asst. Stage Man. - Carrie Cerri of La Grange

Box Office - Mary Ellen Schutt of Westmont

Costumes - Peg Carlson of La Grange

Costumes - Lori D’Asta of La Grange

Costumes - Martha Niles of Chicago

Dialect Coach - Sheila Landahl of Chicago

Dramaturg - Courtney Neal of LaGrange park

Hospitality - Nicole Leatherwood of Darien

House Managers - Mike Janke of Downers Grove

Lights - Ben Fallon of Western Springs

Make-up - Peg Carlson of La Grange

Make-up - Lori D’Asta of La Grange

Make-up - Martha Niles of Chicago

Production Coord. - Mary Ellen Schutt of Westmont

Program Editor - Ed Barrow of Hinsdale

Program Editor - Marion Reis of Wheaton

Props - Eileen Crow of Hinsdale

Props - Darla Goudeau of La Grange

Publicity - Ginny Richardson of Burr Ridge

Sandwich Sunday - Mary Kuhn of Hinsdale

Set Construction - Harry Hultgren of Indian Head Park

Set Design - Thad Hallstein of Chicago

Set Dresser - Karla Hudson of Western Springs

Set Dresser - Mary Ellen Schutt of Westmont

Set Painting - Janet Gassmann of Western Springs

Sound - Peggy Solick of LaGrange Park