REVIEW: Yael Rasooly's Edith and Me at 7th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

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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. 

REVIEW: Beautifully Macabre Puppet Dracula: Lucy's Dream Now Playing Through January 19, 2025

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Dracula: Lucy's Dream

By Plexus Polaire 

Now Playing Chicago's Studabaker Theater as part of the 

7th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Dracula: Lucy's Dream, Plexus Polaire, France/Norway Credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage

Suggested for ages 14+ 

Running Time 65 minutes

REVIEW

By Bonnie Kenaz-Mara

Last night was a wonderful kickoff for the 7th annual Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival with the beautifully macabre production of Dracula: Lucy's Dream. This unique, female-centric take on Bram Stoker’s age-old Dracula tale, brings new life to the story from Lucy’s point of view. We're elated to welcome back festival favorite, Plexus Polaire - Yngvild Aspeli - From France/Norway.

Credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage

We loved this evocative storytelling with master level puppetry. Puppeteers seamlessly transformed from invisible forms clad head to toe in black, to characters interacting on stage with life sized puppet versions of Dracula and Lucy. 

Credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage

The puppets also make stunning transformations from human forms to bats, spiders and even a dog, eliciting audible gasps and exclamations from the audience. We're still astonished at the range of motion involved in manipulating so many creatures and their differing tempos and ways of moving. There are horrifying Exorcist-like elements amid bone chilling beauty. And I'll never innocently befriend a stray dog again!

Credit: Jerzy Doroszkiewicz 

There is no dialogue and few lyrics, so language is no barrier to the universal appeal of this dark, dramatic piece from France/Norway. The mirror mazes, and multiple Lucy characters were a joy to see. The incredible score is full of haunting minor chords and dissonant noises. And the visual interplay of light and shadows meld with the etherial beauty of the puppet design, costumes, projection work, and set pieces, to create an unforgettable production. Plexus Polaire's work is truly world class and we are incredibly lucky in Chicago to have yet another of their unforgettable productions mounted here at the gorgeous, art deco Studebaker Theater.

Credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage

This production is definitely created for adults, and not for the faint of heart. Please take the 14+ age suggestion seriously. We adored this piece, but it's the stuff of nightmares. Dracula: Lucy's Dream is epic storytelling and a must see. If you love the macabre, don't miss this! 

Credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage

“Chevalier dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres”

It was exciting to be part of the sold-out crowd at the Studebaker Theater on Opening Night of the 7th Chicago Puppet Festival. Aside from catching the brilliant French production of Dracula: Lucy's Dream, that evening, France also gave a medal and title to Blair Thomas, Founder and Artistic Director of the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. He is now “Chevalier dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres”.

The title “Chevalier dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres” is given by France to people who have distinguished themselves through their creativity in arts, culture and literature. Past recipients include Cate Blanchett, Tim Burton and Rudolf Nureyev.

As Founder and Artistic Director of the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, Blair Thomas’s support of French culture over many years is undeniable. In addition to his early work as a puppet artist, Thomas had a highly-celebrated presentation of his version of Moby Dick at FMTM (the World Festival of Puppet Theaters) in Charleville-Mézières in 2018. Thomas conceived the 2019 Festival Exchange that brought the French companies Tria Fata, Plexus Polaire and Compagnie Non Nova to Chicago in 2019. He also co-produced with France’s Théâtre de L’Entrouvert Anywhere, a play with a puppet made with ice, playing January 16-19 at this year’s festival. 

Axelle Moleur, Cultural Attaché for Villa Albertine in Chicago, spoke and pinned Thomas with his ceremonial medal at the festival’s Prelude Reception.

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).

Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but from Lucy’s point of view, from festival favorite Plexus Polaire (France/Norway). Credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage

Dracula: Lucy's Dream, Plexus Polaire, France/Norway Credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage

Dracula: Lucy's Dream

Plexus Polaire

France/Norway

Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan Ave., downtown Chicago

Wednesday, January 15 at 7 p.m.; Friday, January 17 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, January 18 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Sunday, January 19 at 2 p.m.

65 minutes

14 and up

Tickets: $40-$48

plexuspolaire.com/dracula-en

Credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage

France’s internationally acclaimed Plexus Polaire wowed Chicago audiences in 2023 with their spectacular, sold out performances of Moby Dick, and in 2019 with Chambre Noire. Now they’re back at the Studebaker, opening this year’s festival with the Chicago premiere of their internationally acclaimed work, Dracula: Lucy’s Dream, ready to serve up large-scale spectacle, human size bunraku puppets, hypnotic video projection and their signature style of imbuing the puppet with storytelling power.

Credit: Jerzy Doroszkiewicz 

In her visual adaptation of the famous myth of Dracula, Yngvild Aspeli freely draws inspiration from Bram Stoker's hypnotic tale to tell the story of Lucy. As the character fights against her inner "Dracula-esque" demon she surfaces and reveals an inclination toward domination, dependence, addiction and destructive force. A metaphor of control, both forced and desired, seductive and deceptive. 

Credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage

Plexus Polaire is known for hauntingly beautiful productions that blend gothic themes with emotional depth. Director, actress, puppeteer, puppet-maker and Plexus Polaire Artistic director Yngvild Aspeli develops a visual world that brings audiences’  most buried feelings to life. The use of life-sized puppets is at the center of her work, but the actor’s performance, the presence of the music and the use of light and video are all equal elements in communicating the story. Aspeli studied at Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris and at ESNAM (Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts de la Marionnette) in Charleville-Mézières. Within her French-Norwegian company Plexus Polaire, she has directed six shows: Signals (2011), Opera Opaque (2013), Ashes (2014), Chambre noire (2017), Moby Dick (2020) and Dracula (2022). She is currently working on an adaptation of A Doll’s House that premiered in Autumn 2023. plexuspolaire.com/english.

Credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage

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FEST ALERT: 7th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival Returns January 15-26, 2025

7th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival 

January 15-26th, 2025

Marvel at incredible stories told through the lens of contemporary puppetry, performed by amazing puppet artists and companies from around the world!

It's time once again for one of our favorite annual fests -- The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. Here at ChiILMama.com and ChiILLiveShows.com, we've been covering Puppet Fest extensively since their inaugural year back in 2015 with dozens of features and hundreds of photos and social media posts. We've done video interviews multiple times with Puppet Fest Founder and Artistic Director, Blair Thomas, and we know quite a few of the Chicago Puppeteers. We're also always jazzed to welcome new puppeteers from around the world. Chicago is truly the multicultural puppet hub of the world, and we're so lucky to host again, this January 15-26, 2025. We're in for 12 straight days of spectacular shows, intimate works, and special events at dozens of venues all over the city. 

There are edgy, adult offerings, family friendly shows, free community productions, in venues across the city. One of our favorite elements of the fest is the community. Puppet people are the best. The performers and audiences are such a unique subset of the theatre scene and we're here for it. Don't miss this! We've got highlights and favorites below, and you can follow our social media for last minute performance additions, changes, and more. Paper schedules are available at the venues and full details including video clips and ticket links are available at the official fest site at chicagopuppetfest.org. Tickets are on sale now. and we suggest you don’t wait. Despite Chicago’s cold January winters, tickets are always a hot commodity and some of the smaller venues will sell out fast!

The 2025 Chicago Puppet Fest will span 12 days and dozens of Chicago venues, presenting an international pageant of puppet artists sharing more than 120 puppetry activities!!! Get set for all-ages spectacle shows in landmark theaters, intimate works on smaller stages, and the always popular, adults-only, late night puppet cabarets.

Warm up to a wildly diverse range of classic and contemporary puppetry styles from around the world, created by puppet artists from China, India and Scotland, the first time for these countries to play a part in the Chicago Puppet Festival, along with Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Norway, Puerto Rico, Poland, South Africa, the U.S. and Chicago.

These stories and more await fans of the 7th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, all told by puppet artists from around the world, showcasing different forms of traditional and contemporary puppet styles, from bunraku to shadow puppetry, marionettes to object-based works.

Full Schedule HERE

Free Productions HERE