By Rikki Lee Travolta
Taking a well-known story and presenting it from an alternative point of view can result in great entertainment.
For its current production, Idle Muse Theatre Company is presenting the original play What the Weird Sisters Saw, an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”- as told from the perspective of the story’s witches.
On a new episode of my namesake entertainment news podcast It’s Showtime with Rikki Lee, artistic director Evan Jackson and I sit down to discuss the Idle Muse “graphic novel on stage” approach to theatre. We also discuss the core talents that make up the company’s gifted ensemble, and the current production of “What the Weird Sisters Saw” playing through April 14, 2024 at The Edge Off-Broadway.
Evan explains that the “graphic novel on stage” approach to theater evolved at Idle Muse over time, but truly reflects the core values the company was founded on. Vivid shows that jump off the page is exactly the kind of theatre the ensemble was formed to create. It merely took emerging from a pandemic for the core members to realize it.
In terms of the current production of “What the Weird Sisters Saw”, it is an entirely home-grown success story. Fifteen years ago, Idle Muse first staged a different variation of the script. That version exclusively used Shakespeare’s text in reordered fashion. The new version that is wowing audiences uses some of Shakespeare’s text interspersed with original dialogue to better tell the tale.
The new production’s mix of classic text, original words, and lively action is a recipe that works. The show is a bonafide success. It has been recommended by Chicago Stage and Screen, Around the Town Chicago, and Chicago Theatre Review.
To listen to current and past episodes of It’s Showtime with Rikki Lee visit:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/rikkileetravolta
If you are a fan of Shakespeare or if you enjoy entertainment that reimagines existing stories in new and exciting ways, this is an episode you won’t want to miss. It’s a very fun and informative half-hour getting to know one of Chicago’s premier theatre troupes and the process of reimagining the classics.
For tickets to “What the Weird Sisters Saw” visit www.IdleMuse.org or call the box office at (773) 340-9438.
As I like to say at the close of each episode, “We’ll see you in the spotlight.”
Photo Credit: Steven Townshend/Distant Era
