A well-cast tale with its heart on its sleeve, My Brilliant Divorce marks the first play mounted by the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center Presenting Series in the Philbin Studio Theatre. At long last, the series has found a show—besides music—that fits comfortably within the black box venue. In doing so, they’ve also elected to partner with Irish Theatre of Chicago (ITC) who brings the critically acclaimed one-woman show to the Center this November 1–3 at 7:30 p.m.
ITC’s Barbara Figgins reprises her role in the hilarious and moving story of newly single Angela who, at midlife, must navigate a world full of sexist divorce lawyers, disappointing “Lonely Hearts” dates, and unhelpful help-line counselors to carve out a new life for herself and her trusty dog, Axl. Hailed by critics as “a tour de force” and “so dynamic that the stage feels populated by many rather than one,” Figgins received a prestigious Jeff Award nomination for Best Solo performance for her work creating the 22 characters that populate the crowd pleaser.
“I’m so thrilled to be able to share this funny, heartwarming story with the DeBartolo audience,” Figgins said. “Even though it’s centered around a divorce, the play is about so much more—how life throws challenges at all of us, what it means to learn to love yourself as you grow older and wiser, and why you should never, ever get a tattoo on your stomach.” Siiri Scott, Head of Acting and Directing for Notre Dame Film, Television, and Theatre directs this work by leading Irish playwright Geraldine Aron.
The production team for My Brilliant Divorce includes Merje Veski (scenic and props design), Cat Wilson (lighting design), Adam Smith (sound design), and Jen Bukovsky (stage manager). The production includes original music by Keira Byrne, Eric Hollander, and Noel Rice, recorded and performed by Keira Byrne and Eric Hollander.
The Windy City’s only professional theater company presenting plays reflecting Irish culture and history, ITC prepares to debut the first of three works by leading Irish playwrights on the 2018–2019 Presenting Series season in a new artist-presenter relationship co-sponsored by Notre Dame Film, Television, and Theatre and the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies. These events are also made possible by the Thomas M. Hagerty Family Performing Arts Endowment for Excellence.
The other two ITC presentations are Owen McCafferty’s Mojo Mickybo on February 15–16, 2019, and Conor McPherson’s The Weir on April 4–6, 2019.
