What has audiences and critics alike falling in love in theaters around the world? Kneehigh's Tristan & Yseult is a theatrical force of nature that combines vibrant storytelling with breathtaking spectacle, set to a rich musical tapestry of original songs and familiar scores performed by a roving ensemble of musicians. Lauded internationally for its trademark vitality, the artistic collective Kneehigh makes its long-awaited Chicago debut at Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) with the iconic work that first catapulted the company to international fame. Tristan & Yseult will delight audiences for a limited run March 30 through April 13 in CST's Courtyard Theater.
Marrying gorgeous music and ingenious staging with cheeky humor and Wagnerian intensity, Kneehigh re-imagines an age-old tale of forbidden love and betrayal: Tristan & Yseult. Cornish King Mark attempts to maintain order, even in the midst of a war, by ruling with his head, not his heart. But he does not expect to fall head over heels for his enemy's sister, Yseult, and cannot anticipate the love that blooms between the beautiful Yseult and enigmatic Tristan. Director and adapter Emma Rice reflects, "As the story unfolds, I realize there is not one person in that audience who doesn't profoundly recognize something in the situation: to love someone that you shouldn't, to betray someone you love, to be betrayed, to be left and, most painful, to be unloved. This suddenly is not an epic tale of grand romantic love, held at arm's length from our own experience, but a tender unraveling of love in all its beautiful and painful forms...These are at the heart of this production, because, if we have all known love, we have also known the opposite."Photo Credit: Steve Tanner
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