Steadstyle Chicago
	February 2008 Theatre Review by Alan Bresloff
	Looking for a Ticket Broker? Check out the hottest broadway tickets from Gotickets.com Muse of Fire Critical Evaluation: **** out of **** Almost everyone of us has had that one special person, from which we learned the direction that our lives would take.  To some it was a teacher, to others an employer and to others it was a family member.  In David Katz's one man show "Muse of Fire" it was his "Muse" Maestro Charles Bruck who taught him that being a musical conductor is not something you can be just because you like, or even love music, but rather "feel".  In this dynamic look behind the scenes, we see that this "Muse" was the sorcerer to Mr. Katz as the apprentice and through his fury he was able to take his apprentice to new heights.  It is not the waving of a "magical wand" that makes the music what it is, but rather the magic of feeling the music that has been composed. This is a story filled with love and hate, comedic moments mixed with moments of great sadness as it takes us from David's youth to just a few years ago when his Muse passed away.  There are many characters handled by Mr. Katz, who is indeed a conductor, but of great note is the wonderful portrayal of his muse, Maestro Bruck.  If indeed, his mentor was all that he tells us in this story, he was a marvelous human being, a man who taught his students how to feel and to take the marvelous compositions that the master had written and make not only the audience feel the music, but the entire orchestra.  If the musicians feel it as the conductor does, then it is not individuals playing their notes, but one unit producing what the composer wanted to say, in a wordless way. This is truly a love story between these men and how each learned from the other and how no matter the turns their lives took, they were connected by their feel of the music they loved.  It doesn't matter if you are into classical music or not, this story is one of beauty and the performance by Mr. Katz is a theatrical experience that I am happy I was able to share with the audience with me at tonight's performance.  There are several very dramatic scenes in Act II, one dealing with the Holocaust and another when Mr. Bruck passes on.  Even though we knew from the onset that this was a story and that he had passed away, as the play progresses, we forget and feel as if we know him.  In fact, we want to know him! The sound design by Gregory Davis and the set design by Lucien van Davies and Partners with lots of great props are very special.  The lighting effects and design by Richard Norwood and the "Fireworks Music" by Mr. Katz are very special to the beauty of this production.  If you can find the time, see this, not just with your eyes and ears, but with your heart. "Muse of Fire" will run at The Theatre Building located at 1225 W. Belmont through March 23, 2008.  Performances are Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. (no matinee on March 22), Sunday, March 23 only at 2:30 p.m.  There is also a Wednesday matinee on March 5th at 2:30 p.m.  Tickets range in price from $20-$25 (a true bargain for theater of this quality).  Read Joe Stead's feature interview with David Katz, the author and star of "Muse of Fire" at Theatre in Chicago.  For tickets stop by the box office, call  773-327-5252 or visit www.theatrebuildingchicago.org.   About Alan Bresloff Alan Bresloff, once an actor himself, has been covering the Chicago Theater Scene since 1993, first as the Theater and Arts critic for LaRaza newspaper, then with Salsachicago.com and then onto Extra Newspaper and The EpochTimes.  He also writes for ElImparcial and TeleGuia.  His reviews can also be seen on www.theatreinchicago.com.  Alan does not call himself a "critic" but a "reviewer" as he tries to educate the reader about theater itself, what is a good value, what to look for in a play or musical and more.  "Exposure to theater is a very important part of a young person's life" he says. "Learning about the arts and culture is in fact learning about life" and he tries to explain more in his reviews than just if it is good or bad.  Even some of the poor productions have some value, he often says and he would love your feedback on shows that you have seen.  You can write him here or at albresloff@sbcglobal.net.