Steadstyle Chicago
	March 2009 Theatre Review by Joe Stead
	Rose and the Rime The House Theatre may have needed a miracle, and if the over-capacity house at the Sunday night show of "Rose and the Rime" was any indication, they've gotten it.  It's the first time in ten years of Chicago theatre-going where the crowd at the Chopin Theatre was so dense I could barely squeeze through the door.  Would that The House had repaid this outpouring of support with an equally miraculous (or perhaps just coherent) show.  "Rose and the Rime" is filled with many of the ingredients that have made The House the hip, trendy "It" theatre company over the past few years.  It's long on spectacle, unbridled imagination and occasionally eye-popping invention.  It is also wildly erratic in its storytelling and even worse when spectacle meets spoken dialogue.  Judging from the response of the typically collegiate age House cult following, this is the kind of tripped-out party fantasy best savored after some heavy duty adult beverages have been consumed. It's set in the magical little town of Radio Falls, where a young girl named Rose begs her uncle to read her favorite "Tuesday Story".  It's the same story he always tells, but Uncle Roger dutifully obliges.  Rose learns that she was a miracle child and that her parents fell victim to the curse of a Witch's Rime.  Radio Falls and all its inhabitants live under the witch's spell, and Rose undergoes an adventure to find the enchanted coin that will restore happiness to herself and the town.  Once she has the coin in hand, everything certainly does change as the cast sheds their wintry parkas and snow suits for summer swimwear.  Rose has suddenly grown up and fallen in love with a charming beachcomber, after spurning the interests of his somewhat dorky brother.  Just as every season has its time, Rose and her Prince Charming conceive a child, which dies at birth.  The magical coin once again saves the day and the life of the child.  But as we find out, they have everything they want because of the coin.  Happiness is guaranteed only to those who possess the coin. Director Nathan Allen whips this convoluted scenario into a visual blizzard of confetti snow, gnarled tree limbs, ropes and beach balls.  But the story written by Chris Mathews, Jake Minton and Allen spins off in so many directions it often becomes inane. There is certainly an audience for this kind of thing.  College kids will probably have a blast.  Maybe it's a generational thing, but the show left me nearly as cold as a blustery Chicago winter.  It does go to prove that local audiences will support original and daring work.  I appreciated the effort if not the output.   "Rose and the Rime" plays through April 11, 2009 at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division Street in Chicago.  The play runs 80 minutes with no intermission.  Performances are Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 8:30 p.m., and Sundays at 7:00 p.m.  Tickets are $25-$29 and may be purchased by calling (773) 251-2195 or online at www.thehousetheatre.com.   About Joe Stead Joe Stead has enjoyed a lifelong passion for the theatre, which has involved acting, directing, producing, designing and reviewing for the past twenty-five years.  He served as founder, producer and Artistic Director of Curtain Up Productions in Baltimore, Maryland and Four Star Players in Tampa, Florida.  Favorite productions have included "Life With Father," "Deathtrap," "The Odd Couple," "The Miracle Worker," "Brighton Beach Memoirs," "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" and "Godspell".  He has also performed leading roles in "Fiddler on the Roof," "Pippin," "The Phantom of the Opera," "The Front Page," "You Can't Take it With You," and "La Cage aux Folles".  Joe holds a degree in Commercial Art from Tampa Technical Institute.  As a critic, he has reviewed major regional theatres throughout the United States ranging from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey, Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, and the Asolo Theatre in Sarasota, Florida.  Since 1998, he has been a proud resident of Chicago, the greatest theatre city in America.  He served for two years as Theatre Editor for College News and Central Newspapers.  He created the website Steadstyle Chicago in 2000 to showcase the city's outstanding and diverse theatre scene.  Joe was proud to serve alongside a distinguished panel of theatre professionals as a judge for two seasons of Speaking Ring Theatre's "Vitality" Festival of original short plays.  His most fulfilling role, in addition to reviewer and all-around theatre fanatic, was as director of the 2007 production of Peter Shaffer's "Equus" at Actors Workshop (now Redtwist) Theatre, which was nominated for five Joseph Jefferson Award Citations and won for Best Actor (Peter Oyloe).