The Chosen One

A Shadow Bright & Burning

Henrietta knows that she’s special. She possesses the magical power of fire. At the beginning of this complicated fantasy tale, Henrietta is invited to leave Yorkshire’s Brimthorn School for Girls and travel to London with the Royal Sorcerer, Master Agrippa. There she’ll be trained, along with other students, to also become one of Her Majesty’s Royal Sorcerers. Believed to be The Chosen One, the first female sorcerer in years, Henrietta trains with Agrippa to further develop and finesse her magic powers. This has to be accomplished quickly so that Henrietta can help the others defeat the bloodthirsty Ancients. Having been accidentally released from the Other World, the Seven Ancients are plotting to wage war and conquer all of Victorian England. But not if Henrietta and her magical friends have anything to say about it.

Based upon the first book of Jessica Cluess’ new young adult fantasy series, A SHADOW BRIGHT & BURNING is an intricately detailed story about girl power and the power of a supernatural world. This two-act adventure drama was cleverly adapted and Directed by Black Button Eyes Productions’ Artistic Director, Ed Rutherford. In its world premiere, Chicago theatergoers get a promising new theatrical offering for fans of the Harry Potter series. It’s aimed at readers of Cluess’ novel, as well as audiences who simply enjoy exciting tales of magic and mayhem. Because A SHADOW BRIGHT & BURNING is a tale of the iconic battle waged between good and evil, the play offers theatre companies (especially those with big budgets) an opportunity for presenting a female-centric action adventure with lots of eye-popping special effects.

Annemarie Andaleon makes her Black Button Eyes debut as Henrietta. Enjoyed in PrideArts’ recent production of SHAKESPEARE’S R&J, Ms. Andaleon creates a gregarious and affable young woman who’s ready to accept her role as The Chosen Conjurer. She knows she’ll be joining forces to help rid London of all its demons and monsters. Henrietta often steps outside the story to narrate events and comment upon characters. But then the spunky teenager jumps back into the action, without missing a beat. Annemarie is lovely and likable in this role, but, since she has the bulk of the dialogue, the actress must remember to enunciate clearly at all times. The character has a lot of information to disseminate and she mustn’t forget that the audience is trying learn about this new world of magic in a short amount of time.

At the performance I attended, Jason LaCombe replaced Timothy Griffin in the role of Agrippa. The actor did a fine job with this leading character, offering the appropriate amount of empathy, grandeur and magic to the Master Conjurer. Other excellent performances in this production include Alex George, as Rook, Henrietta’s scarred friend, who accompanies her to London. Treated as an outcast by everyone, Henrietta remains kind and faithful to her companion. North Homewood is excellent as haughty Lord George Blackwood, a rude fellow student of the conjuring academy. But the character has an air of mystery about him, and the audience and Henrietta eventually come to learn Blackwood’s secret.  Sierra Buffum gives a solid performance as another conjuring student, Cellini. David Lipschutz, as the fashion conscious conjuring pupil, Magnus, brings some welcome humor and fun to the play. And Peter Ruger plays Clarence Lambe, nicely portraying an amiable and somewhat awkward conjuring scholar, who’s also a soothsayer. The actor brings an air of wonder and whimsy to the story. 

The delightful Jamie Dillon Grossman, who charmed audiences as Olive in MTW’s 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, plays three roles in this tale of magic. She is very good as Sarah, a young street urchin named Charlie, but is exceptional and hilarious as The Queen. Kat Evans is very good as Lily, the servant who attends Henrietta in London. They also do a fine job as a Familiar, another character with a secret. And Jessica Goforth shows off her stuff playing two authoritarians, both Colegrind and Palehook. And Darren Jones is a mysterious master magician, who also has a few secrets of his own to spill.

In addition to its gripping plot and quirky characters, the highlights of this production are Tech Director Jeremiah Barr’s wonderful Set and Prop Designs. The stunning Scenic beauty of this production represents some of the best artistry I’ve ever seen at The Edge Theater. And the special effects creating demons, monsters and the magical movement of fire, water and air, while modest, are especially clever and fun. Prolific Costume Designer Rachel M. Sypniewski adds yet another credit to her resume with her array of Victorian fashions, especially Henrietta’s interesting outfit. And Brendan Hutt’s Violence Design is on display in the battle scenes.

Ed Rutherford’s adaptation of Jessica Cluess’ first fantasy novel for young adults is very good. It’s peopled with interesting characters and filled with fun, magic and excitement. This age old story about the continual battle between good and evil will delight audiences of all ages, from middle school to adult. Certainly this play, when it’s published and available, should provide educational and regional theaters with a great new, female-dominated family drama about a young girl with special magical talents, who’ll eventually be The Chosen One.              

Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented August 23-September 28 by Black Button Eyes Productions at The Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway St., Chicago.

Tickets are available in person at the box office or by going to the website, www.blackbuttoneyes.com

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.