I saw the morning performance of The Hobbit by Young People’s Theatre Saturday, expecting the house to be full of squealy kids with parents. I was only slightly surprised to find myself in a house that was mostly adult—or at least teen and adult—because The Hobbit trilogy and its sequel series, Lord of the Rings, are beloved by young and old. (The play has some moments that might be scary for younger kids.) One of my sons read all the books when he was a boy and is still a fan; if he lived in Chicago, I’m sure he would have been my plus-one.
Young People’s Theatre is staging an exciting production of this classic, using the Greg Banks adaptation of the J.R. Tolkien novel The Hobbit: There and Back Again. The script, designed for five actors, works well on the Greenhouse Theater’s upstairs stage, where director Randy White takes advantage of the wide stage area to depict the sprawling adventures of Bilbo Baggins (Teddy Gales) and the four dwarves/elves/goblins and of course, Gandalf the Wizard (Dakota Hughes). Bilbo, who loves to stay at home in his cozy hobbit hole, finds success as a burglar in his adventure to help the dwarves and dwarf king Thorin Oakenshield (Travis Ascione) reclaim their family treasure from the scary dragon Smaug (Genevieve Corkery).
Bilbo is resistant at first to Thorin’s request that he help them in their quest. “I think there’s been some mistake,” Bilbo says. But he’s informed that there’s a sign on his door that says “Burglar wants good job, plenty of excitement, and reasonable Reward” and he gives in, although he’s still unsure of his ability to burgle. The dwarves are Thorin, Dwalin (Ascione), Balin (Alex Benito Rodriguez),and Kili (Corkery); the rest of the 13 dwarves are in the audience where the stage dwarves greet them cheerily. The dwarves complain that Bilbo doesn’t look like a burglar, but Gandalf reassures them: “If I say he’s a burglar, a burglar he is.”
Gandalf produces a map of Lonely Mountain and shows the team how to find the secret entrance to the Lower Halls where the treasure is held by the dragon. The wizard gives Bilbo the key to the secret door and reminds them that the task must be completed by Durin’s day, the first day of the dwarves’ new year, just a month away. They have to move quickly to open the door in time.
During the quest to find the secret door to Lonely Mountain, the crew encounters a series of dangerous characters such as trolls, goblins, elves and giant spiders, the creature Gollum (Hughes) and Bard the Bowman (Rodriguez), all of whom try to keep Bilbo and the dwarvish team away from their goal. Bilbo gains confidence in his role with each success until he’s ready to open the secret door. At one point he’s lost in tunnels away from his mates and finds a mysterious ring, which he pockets; later he learns that it makes him invisible (always a handy trick). The crew faces one more obstacle; they must defeat their foes again in the Battle of Five Armies, made up of creatures from earlier skirmishes.
Finally, you will be glad to know, the dwarves succeed, Bilbo receives a small part of the treasure and gets to return to his cozy hobbit home.
The Hobbit adventures are accompanied by a score by Thomas Johnson, played by two live musicians. Music director Sam Shankman, who composed additional music, plays keys and percussion with Adam Nigh on woodwinds.
The four actors who play many characters use simple changes in headgear to identify their roles; this costuming device designed by Cindy Moon is clear and efficient. I was delighted to see Genevieve Cordery play dwarf Kili and fierce Smaug the dragon with a gnarly voice. The last time I saw her on stage, she was playing quite a different role as a hustler in a slinky black dress in Amir Baraka’s Dutchman at Trap Door Theatre.
Scenic design is by Jacqueline Penrod with lighting by Bridget Williams and sound design by Zach Stinnett. Mack Finklea is stage manager.
The Hobbit by Young People’s Theatre of Chicago continues through March 1 at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. The play is recommended for age 6 and up; I think younger children might be scared by some of the darkness and action in The Hobbit. Running time is 90 minutes without intermission. Tickets and more information available here.
For more information on this and other productions, see theatreinchicago.com.
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