This summer has been all about traveling around, experiencing new things and searching for a country home. It's a tough life but someone's got to do it! As part of our travels, The Mister and I headed three and a half hours northwest of Chicago to Spring Green, Wisconsin. You may recognize the name Spring Green as the home of Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesen and final resting place of Anne Baxter. It's also home to American Players Theatre, or, as the locals call it, APT.
On a cool evening last week, The Mister and I walked up a steep hill to take in a preview of Arthur Miller's All My Sons at the outdoor (and aptly named) Up-The-Hill Theatre. Coming from Chicago, and as friends of many an actor, we're used to seeing top notch performances in live theater so we didn't know what to expect from APT. Would it feel like a regional production a la Waiting for Guffman? Or would it be on par with the off-Loop shows we've seen in Chicago? I'm happy to report that it was the latter. Perhaps owing to the fact that they use mostly equity actors for their plays, the performances at APT were quite impressive. And the staging! Oh the staging!
The play was set in a World War II-era suburban back yard, which made the outdoor amphitheater seem completely natural. In fact, I can't imagine seeing All My Sons any other way now. As night fell, bats could be seen darting around above the stage, adding an extra dose of charm to the experience. It was also a frequent topic of conversation among the other theatergoers. At intermission, as we waited in line for drinks, we overheard more than one conversation that went something like, "Oh my goodness, did you notice the bats?!"
As good as the play was, it was even more exciting to see how much this small Wisconsin town has embraced the theater. There were plenty of locals who had packed the house (Can you call it a house when it's an outdoor theater?), but there were also folks like us who had come from miles away. The couple sitting next to us had driven up from Cedar Rapids, Iowa to see the play. "There's nothing like this anywhere near Cedar Rapids," they excitedly explained. They, along with a few friends, have been coming to APT for years.
Apparently, we're not the only Chicagoans who ventured north to take in the show. Check out Chicago Tribune's review of All My Sons.
More information: American Players Theatre
P.S. I just discovered that The Mister and I make an appearance in this audience reaction video on APT's website.
Images: Jason Loper
No comments:
Post a Comment