By Stephen Massicotte
Directed by Melanie Keller
March 28 – April 29, 2018
Run Time: 90 minutes, no intermission
Featuring Artistic Associate Heather Chrisler and Debo Balogun
Love and War
In honor of the 100th Anniversary of the end of World War I, First Folio presents a tale of the price that must be paid when innocence and youth collide with war. A young woman and a young man discover a charming first love, but the year is 1914 and the world is collapsing into a brutal war. Together, they attempt to hide their love, galloping through the fields for a place and time where the tumultuous uncertainties of battle can’t find them. A play with a heart as big as the skies that serve as its stage, Mary’s Wedding is an epic, unforgettable story of love, hope, and survival.
“A complex, moving ride…This is one of the finest shows I have seen in 2018.”
★ ★ ★★ ChicagoOnstage.com“Keller’s staging moves with astonishing skill…and Chrisler and Balogun are simply terrific.
Mary’s Wedding isn’t designed as an epic disquisition on war and remembrance. But in its own quiet way, it reminds us of how much is lost when the charge to war begins — and how hard it can be for those left behind to make sense of it all and move on from the valley of death.”
★ ★ ★ 1/2 Chicago Tribune“Director Melanie Keller helms the production with skill, drawing great contributions from her design team (particularly lighting designer Michael McNamara for the gauzy and dreamy look of the evening). Mary’s Wedding serves as a potent reminder that the personal costs of war endure long after the final battle shots have been fired. That makes First Folio’s production a fitting way to recall ‘the war to end all wars.'”
★ ★ ★ Daily Herald“Mary’s Wedding is a play for people who want sentiment on a human scale. There are many other works that satirize and castigate the social forces that led to World War I. This one is about how people process loss and find meaning for themselves in forces beyond their control.”
★ ★ ★ Around the Town Chicago
Directed by Melanie Keller°
Scenic Design: Angela Weber Miller°, USA
Costume Design: Rachel Lambert°
Lighting Design: Michael McNamara°, USA
Sound Design: Christopher Kriz°, USA
Properties Design: Sophia Briones
Stage Manager: Colleen Layton*
Production Assistant: Sarah West°
Dramaturg: Joseph Pindelski
Featuring Heather Chrisler° and Debo Balogun
All photos by Tom McGrath
*Denotes a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage managers.
°Denotes First Folio Artistic Associate