Bertolt Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circle is being performed by Chicago's Mary-Arrchie Theatre through Nov. 27.
The 1954 drama -- about a poor servant girl who is forced to fight for the child she loves -- has long been regarded as one of Brecht's most important works (along with Mother Courage, Galileo and The Good Woman of Setzuan).
For this production, the entire theatre has been transformed into a '50s style coffeehouse "to give a sense that a spontaneous performance could happen at any moment from the people who are just hanging out at the cafe," said Richard Cotovsky, Mary-Arrchie's artistic director and the director of this production, in a recent interview published in The Chicago Tribune.
The Mary-Arrchie Theatre is now in its 12th season; in 1992 the troupe served up a production of Brecht's Arturo Ui.
Performances are at the Mary-Arrchie Theatre, 731 W. Sheridan Rd. For tickets, call (773) 871-0442. -- By Rebecca Paller
