MEDEA by Jeremy Menekseoglu
Thursdays - Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 7pm on July 24th through August 24th.
Dream Theatre: West 18th Street Chicago, IL 60616

From Chicagocritic.com:

"RECOMMENDED!"

"No one is more skilled than Menekseoglu at bringing Greek tragedy to life through innovative re-interpretation. This script is yet another example of his scholarly and artistic talent."

"In his version of the Medea story it is children in the middle of a divorce so nasty that it would nauseate tabloid readers who are center stage. Jason definitely done her wrong – and is ultimately blamed by Menekseoglu for Medea's bloody deeds – but this Medea is a calculating, bloodthirsty Mommie Dearest on crack."

"Anna Weiler's costumes and Menekseoglu's sound design suggest a late 40's Americana which attempts to connect the ancient tragedy to more contemporary experience. It's an interesting take that puts the myth in a different light."

"Martindale delivers a powerful portrayal in the title role and Menekseoglu is even and believable as the hero, soldier and coward."

"…a glimpse of what Gaines the actor can do."

"Menekseoglu's skill at balancing the cerebral and classic with the duty to entertain is singular and this show will do nothing but further his growing reputation."

-Randy Hardwick


Complete Review: http://chicagocritic.com/html/media.html


From Time Out Chicago


"Dream Theatre's first nightmare in its new Pilsen storefront…"

"…a stylized-horror update of Euripides that unreels like a Dario Argento divorce drama."

"…a shifting, sadomasochistic battle of the sexes."

"Menekseoglu's most inspired tweak is the chorus, which embodies Medea's fractured psychological trauma as six zombie-fied girls in blood-spattered party dresses (Anna Weiler's costumes are shoestring ingenuity at its finest). They're also used to great, unsettling effect as meandering cast-aside urchins in Weiler's immersive production design, which begins at the front door with a lobby dressed up as a creepy child's playroom."

-Craig Keller


For full review: http://www.timeout.com/chicago/articles/theater/44011/medea

From Chicago Reader

“Jeremy Menekseoglu’s version of Euripides’s tale is remarkable mostly for its unflinching focus on the sons slaughtered by vengeful Medea…”

“…Dream Theatre makes it abundantly clear that neither Rachel Martindale’s Medea nor Menekseoglu’s Great Santini-esque Jason gives a damn about the kids…”

“Only Glauce (Courtney Arnett)… shows any compassion… making her fate more sorrowful than one usually sees in this play.”

“The nihilism and narcissism of the grown-ups comes through with chilling intensity.”

-Kerry Read