ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar
Edith and Me
Yael Rasooly
Israel
Highly recommended.
★★★★ Four out of four stars. Bonnie Kenaz-Mara, ChiIL Live Shows
We were blown away by Edith and Me. Yael Rasooly is an incredibly talented singer and puppeteer who mixes her own heart wrenching narrative with the songs and darkest moments of Edith Piaf's life. This account of assault and healing is such a powerful, personal, and entirely relatable journey.
Even in our current "Me Too" era, victim blaming is still rampant. Instead of holding perpetrators (mostly men) accountable for sexual assault, non-consensual acts, and rape, woman (and some men, too) are stigmatized, traumatized, and silenced in life and then again by police and the court system, if they dare to speak out. This is particularly true if the perp is rich, powerful, and/or famous. This show is sadly all too topical, as we have seen this dynamic playing out with our felon-in-chief and his cadre of rapist apointees.
The vast majority of women I know have been assaulted, most of them multiple times in ways small and large over the years. And the few who dared to press charges were mostly revictimized by the courts and recieved little to no justice or vindication. We deserve better for our daughters, sisters, friends, and selves! This behavior is a worldwide epidemic that thrives on silence and grows bold in the dark corners of our shame.
Edith and Me is an empowering tool for connection and commiseration. Isolation and blame are patriarchy's tools. But we are stronger together. Through art we can heal and reclaim our voices and power after a traumatic experience. This production is a vitally important, archtypal story, and a creative blueprint for healing. Yael Rasooly is a world class talent with the bravery and strength to speak truth to power. This show is one of the most inspiring productions I've ever seen. Stay for the talk-back at the end. It was nothing short of cathartic.
Don't miss this. Edith and Me is truly phenomenal and an absolute must see!
Bonnie is a Chicago based writer, theatre critic, photographer, artist, and Mama to 2 amazing adults. She owns two websites where she publishes frequently: ChiILLiveShows.com (adult) & ChiILMama.com (family friendly).
The Biograph's Začek-McVay Mainstage, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Lincoln Park
Thursday, January 23 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, January 24 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, January 25 at 8 p.m.
60 minutes
15 and up
Tickets: $35-$43
yael-rasooly.com
Based on a true story, Israeli vocalist, actress, puppeteer and director Yael Rasooly brings her virtuosic vocals and puppetry to share the struggle of a singer nearly silenced at the hands of political leaders, immobilized, and perhaps never to perform again. Yet she is not alone – the famous singer icon Edith Piaf is there to drag her out of bed and pull her back into life.
Edith and Me is a one woman show doubling the power of French cabaret. Revel in the virtuosic talents of two exceptional, classically-trained, wildly entertaining artists: the world-celebrated Rasooly, with the incomparable accordionist, Iliya Magalnyk, originally from Moldova.
Edith and Me is one of more than 120 shows and special events that are part of the 7th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, January 15-26, 2025. The 2025 Chicago Puppet Fest is the largest event of its kind in North America, spanning 12 days and dozens of Chicago venues, presenting an international pageant of puppet artists in all-ages spectacle shows in landmark theaters, intimate works on smaller stages, and late night puppet cabarets. Last year’s festival attracted nearly 20,000 fans of puppetry, a record, from Chicago and around the world. This year, see puppet artists from Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Norway, Puerto Rico, Poland, Scotland, South Africa, the U.S. and Chicago performing the full range of contemporary and traditional puppetry styles.
For tickets and information, visit chicagopuppetfest.org, sign up for the festival’s e-news, and follow the festival on Facebook, Instagram or Vimeo, hashtag #ChiPuppetFest.
