| Michael Pacas, Chicago, IL | |
| This Season: Shakespeare and Albee! | |
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Appearing in Shakespeare's MACBETH and Edward Albee's THE PLAY ABOUT THE BABY Duncan in MACBETH Produced by City Lit Theater Directed by Susan Hart Location: City Lit Theater 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Chicago, IL 60660 Performances through February 21, 2010 The Reviews! "... The demons, visible and not, of this bloody show are on full display in City Lit’s faithful, lo-fi production. Using a light hand with the fake gore and unearthly effects, the company delivers a Macbeth that focuses squarely on the titular couple’s creeping insanity and pernicious ambition." - Melissa Albert, Time Out Chicago- Highly Recommended "...All this is in the nature of the play Shakespeare gave us. City Lit's current production taps into a vein of wry, black humor, which runs through the play and enriches its darker aspects. There is plenty of blood, but it's more sprinkled than soaked; there are shrieks, but their rarity makes them all the more startling." - Laura Kolb, Centerstage- Recommended "...You’d be hard pressed to witness better storefront Shakespeare. Kudos to director Susan Hart with directorial assistance from Jeffrey Carlson for aiding and teaching an amazing cast about the nuances and methods required to play Shakespeare effectively. Hart demonstrates that she is also a fine director besides her being one of the premiere classical acting teacher/coach. Her cast has learned much from her. This is terrific ensemble work that respects The Bard’s tragedy." - Tom Williams, ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended "In her Chicago directing debut, veteran local actor Susan Hart delivers a solidly performed, inventively designed rendition of Shakespeare's tragedy about a Scottish warlord whose royal ambitions are stirred by three witches." - Albert Williams, Chicago Reader - Recommended. "...Susan Hart, director of City Lit’s Macbeth and one of the city's top verse coaches, succeeds in creating a production that is both articulate and intelligible without sacrificing drama or suspense...The major pull of Macbeth is the actors’ amazing handle on Shakespearean verse, and despite some odd directorial choices, like a Japanese Bhutto to open and close the show, its familiar scenes—the witches, the slaughtering of Macduff’s family—are an intense staging of a classic tragedy." - Oliver Sava, The Onion, Highly Recommended Man in THE PLAY ABOUT THE BABY Produced by BackStage Theatre Directed by Matthew Reeder Location: Chopin Theatre 1543 W. Division Street Chicago, IL 60642 Performances: April 9 - May 8, 2010 |
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BARRYMORE! A Hollywood legend makes a staggering effort to reclaim his former glory as a Broadway star in William Luce’s tour-de-force BARRYMORE. “Bad Boy” John Barrymore, celebrated for his charisma and matinee idol looks, takes center stage in a theater empty of everything but his humor and hubris, reminiscence and regrets. He strives to revive one of his greatest achievements, Shakespeare’s RICHARD III, while grappling with memories from his riotous and scandalous past. Presented November 2008 “Pacas exercises unusual talent in his varied and vivacious performance: He grapples gamely with each discordant bit, slipping into Shakespeare with earnest pathos and into memories of childhood with light-footed tenderness. Barrymore himself may have shied from so ambitious a task.” – Christopher Shea, TIME OUT CHICAGO Critical Evaluation: *** (Three Stars) “…an opportunity for Mr. Pacas to show his talent, and he does so with great comic timing as he takes us through the man trying to stage a comeback and revive his greatest achievement, playing Shakespeare's RICHARD III…There are many laughs in this production and a marvelous ending... Open your mind and your heart and have a wonderful 70 minutes at The Raven Theatre…” – Alan Bresloff, STEADSTYLE CHICAGO Critical Evaluation: **** out of **** “… Michael Pacas superbly recreates the look and style of Barrymore. Onstage for the entire evening, Pacas plays well off both the audience and Scott Sumerak, as Barrymore's frustrated, tart-tongued Prompter.” -Jack Helbig, THE CHICAGO READER Critical Evaluation: Recommended Production Photo by Archetype Images |
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Michael Pacas has entertained audiences in the Chicago area for the last two decades in numerous productions ranging from slapstick to Shakespeare. Having played historically-based characters such as Anton Chekhov; Nikola Tesla and Larry Kramer, he is best known for his portrayal of Antarctic Explorer, Robert Falcon Scott in TERRA NOVA. He recently appeared as Musgrove in THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM (Griffin Theatre) and Mr. Peachum in THE THREEPENNY OPERA (The Hypocrites). He has also played leading roles in such productions as THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH; TARTUFFE and JOURNEYS. Other favorite roles include Bartholomew in Ulysses/Bailiwick's CORPUS CHRISTI (Joseph Jefferson Citation/AfterDark Award - Ensemble), "Blazes" Boylan in Irish Repertory's A DUBLIN BLOOM, and Charlemagne in Boxer Rebellion's PIPPIN. |
Postcard & Poster Design by Chris Patterson |
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