STUFF AS DREAMS ARE MADE ON
Both wear trademark costumes, for example. Avner wears a round red nose, baggy pants, and a derby; Curchack wears a battered top hat, coveralls, and a latex mask free of details–sort of a full-faced Phantom of the Opera mask.
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
Curchack pretends to be a burned-out actor who’s tired of doing his shtick for tiny audiences in midwestern studio theaters, but his show proves that he’s still beguiled by the magic of stagecraft.
Curchack deliberately stops the show at times to shatter the illusion and remind the audience that they’re merely watching a mope named Fred at work. While wearing the grotesque Kabuki-like mask of Caliban, Curchack attempts to rape Miranda, sticking hs long, bulbous nose between her legs until the audience starts to titter. Then he stops and stares at the audience. “Why are you looking at me like that?” he asks, sounding wounded. “It’s a valid interpretation.”
Curchack could have worked his magic on any of Shakespeare’s plays, but The Tempest was no random choice. Prospero, like a playwright, creates illusions that move and transform those who behold them.
