PicksInSix Gold Review: An Enemy of the People - TimeLine Theatre Company
What Is The Price Of Truth?
PicksInSix® Gold Review | Ed Tracy
Precisely timed at an inflection point for the long-term stability of the performing arts in Chicago, TimeLine Theatre Company has accomplished the nearly impossible dream of planning, funding and opening a state-of-the-art black box theater that has all the makings of providing not only a sparkling, much-needed new venue for creative artists, but also a shimmering anchor for the Uptown neighborhood. It is an unqualified, stellar, multi-faceted achievement!
The opening production—the Chicago premiere of Amy Herzog’s new version of Henrik Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People” superbly directed by TimeLine Company Member Ron OJ Parson—teams veteran TimeLine talent with exciting new actors to present a riveting drama that feels fresh, edgy and of-the-moment. And as much as the play is the thing, the aura throughout the building at last Thursday’s opening can only be described as electric long before the lights came up on John Culbert’s impressive set design—a versatile, bi-level interior that towers over the thrust stage configuration. Indeed, the black box itself, seating 250 and rising nearly three floors, provides an unmatched view for the audience of the action transpiring only feet away.
The Ibsen classic is high moral drama, raising the stakes for a small community in the late 1800s Norway trying to survive in the face of a health crisis that threatens the lives and livelihood of everyone involved, including the present and future generations of one family at the center of the story. Will Allan plays Herzog’s Dr. Thomas Stockmann whose research has concluded that the town’s baths, the lifeline of the tourist economy, have been dangerously contaminated. When word of his findings begin to emerge within a close-knit group that includes his daughter Petra (Campbell Krausen), a family friend, Captain Horster (Charles Andrew Gardner), and those responsible for the local paper, Billing (Kenneth Hamilton), Aslaksen (Anish Jethmalani) and Hovstad (Grayson Kennedy), a wave of righteous indignation initially sets in supporting Stockmann’s plan to present his findings. But when Stockmann’s brother and town mayor Peter (Behzard Dabu) gets wind of the story and raises doubts, support quickly evaporates and the tenor shifts radically away from full disclosure to hysteria and resentment. Stockmann’s case is further complicated by his father-in-law Morten Kill (David Parkes) who tips the scales on another level altogether.
Allan’s raw, passionate and finely nuanced portrayal of Stockmann brims with confidence and turns with powerful conviction, especially in his point-blank confrontations with Peter that Dabu effortlessly unravels as Herzog’s sinister, calculating opportunist who sacrifices all decency to undermine any point of view that he does not share. That familiar toppling of opinion rapidly washes over everyone except Krausen’s endearing and captivating turn as Petra and Gardner’s poised Horster, whose stalwartly loyal support holds the key to what may come next. It is a story for our time and in Parson’s expert hands, carves a wide path of fire and fury.
The creative team delivers a visually stunning palette of the period merging Christine Pascual’s exquisite costumes, evocative lighting by Brandon Wardell, a signature sound design by André Pluess and a flurry of ingenious properties of all sorts and sizes by Nicolas Bartleson.
As TimeLine meets this moment, all that has transpired before is merely the foundation—and excitement—for what is to come. The pride in accomplishment for a permanent home is richly deserved and can be seen and felt around every corner. What lies ahead is a new era for TimeLine and their unique interpretation of works, the next chapter of a theater company that has never compromised itself, pushing forward and executing at the highest level again and again. And we will have the enduring pleasure of watching, learning and enjoying that work for years to come.
PHOTO | Brett Beiner Photography
TimeLine Theatre Company
presents
Chicago Premiere
An Enemy of the People
5035 North Broadway
EXTENDED through June 27, 2026
WEBSITE
PROGRAM
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