Sparks fly in Lookingglass' 'Hephaestus' remount

by Hedy Weiss Theater Critic
Chicago Sun-Times
January 19, 2008

Even old Thomas Bulfinch, that renowned scholar and popularizer of ancient mythology, could not have imagined a rendering of the story of Hephaestus -- Greek god of fire and craftsmanship, whom the Romans called Vulcan -- as wondrous, beautiful and fully terrifying as the one now at Lookingglass Theatre.

"Hephaestus: A Greek Mythology Circus Tale" -- the 85-minute show that had a brief, sold-out run here in 2005, has returned for a longer engagement. And, if anything, it is tighter, more polished and more fraught with white hot, sweat-inducing stunts -- all performed a hair's breath from your seat.

Part Cirque du Soleil and part "Stomp!" -- but with storytelling raised to a level that puts both those operations to shame -- "Hephaestus" takes Lookingglass' devotion to physical theater to the outer limits. The creation of Tony Hernandez -- who co-wrote and co-directed the work with Heidi Stillman and who plays the title role with a superb mix of dramatic tension and acrobatic risktaking -- the show is a glorious example of collaboration. Its design, music and performance are seamlessly stitched.

This tale of a beleaguered Greek god is conjured by a young girl (lovely Abigail Droeger, gifted with a beguiling singing voice), who tries to tune out her parents' shrill arguments. Ironically, Hephaestus, too, is from a dysfunctional family, with Zeus his father and Hera (who hurled her son off Mt. Olympus when he was just an infant) his mother.

Hephaestus, crippled from his fall, is nursed by seductive sea nymphs (female acrobats on silks). Soon he builds a forge and becomes a master craftsman, with the robotic Silver Guys (Jarrett Dapier, Nich Galzin, Rick Kubes, Richie McGuire and Almas Meirmanov -- steely strongmen all) as his assistants. His mother tries to woo him home, sending a messenger, Iris (Anna Vigeland, who wildly soars to the rafters on a rope swing); the god of war, Ares (Meirmanov, a small, wiry athlete of eye-popping muscular control), and, finally, Aphrodite, goddess of love (Anya Stankus, a phenomenal contortionist), whom he cannot resist. Reconciliation comes in a horrifyingly dangerous stunt as a pyramid traverses a tightrope (no safety net, no belts), with Hernandez, Meirmanov and, as Hera, Lijana Wallenda-Hernandez, of the fabled Wallenda circus family.

With spectacular sets and lights by Brian Sidney Bembridge, thunderous drumming by composers Joshua Horvath, Ray Nardelli, Kevin O'Donnell and their mighty musicians, and a brilliant use of Lookingglass' space, this "Hephaestus" burns red hot.