D
The Greatest Illusion
by Jessica Chapman, Jayplay staff writer
Obsession. Fidelity. Estrangement. Are these emotions simply an illusion or is there a greater illusion, of love? No subject is more enduring than love, which is at the forefront of the 1639 domestic comedy L'Illusion Comique by Pierre Corneille.
Which is why more than three and a half centuries later this theatrical production still has life. The adaptation of this play by Tony Kushner, the Pulitzer Prize-winner and author of the knockout Broadway hit Angels in America, comes to Kansas City starting Feb. 12 at the H&R Block City Stage Theatre inside Union Station, 30 West Pershing Road in Kansas City, MO.
The Illusion is a story that, at its heart, reveals the trials of a father attempting to find his estranged son. The father visits a magician to help in his search, and the magician reveals to him scenes from the son's life.
Director Risa Brainin says keeping a delicate balance between the comedic nature of the play and the weighty issues that exist in the story is the most challenging part of the production. "We're striving to keep the air of the piece light, yet still get through all of the layers of the language," she says. Brainin is the artistic director of Shakespeare Santa Cruz and director of this production, which features the UMKC Department of Theatre Master of Fine Arts program.
Brainin says Kushner's version is set in the 17th century, as is the original work, but the language has a contemporary flavor while remaining poetic. "The look at love has a contemporary sensibility," she adds.
Brainin finds more joy in directing while working with a training program such as the UMKC Department of Theatre. Brainin says she enjoys working with training programs because the goal is simply doing the play well. "It's not about pressure of making a living at theatre," she says. "The ambition is to hone skills and become better actors and stage managers."
- Jessica Chapman can be reached at jchapman@kansan.com
The Illusion runs Feb. 12-29 at the H&R Block City Stage Theatre in Union Station, 30 W. Pershing Rd. in Kansas City. For more information, visit www.umkc.edu/theatre or call the Union Station box office at (816)460-2020 for tickets.
contributed art