Marc Chagall had a more interesting life than most painters. For one thing, he lasted until the age of 97. For another, he was born Jewish and had to survive the antisemitic assaults and political repressions of the mid-20th century. And for a third, he was an early modernist who generally operated outside of conventional genres. He got plenty of grief. So it’s good he was lucky in love.
Chagall was the subject of James Sherman’s excellent play “Chagall in School,” which premiered in Chicago at Theater Wit in 2022 and looked at the artist’s struggles to maintain his pedagogical integrity and safety while teaching at the People’s Art School in Vitebsk in the years following the October Revolution of 1917.
Improbably, the Belarusian city is back on the marquee, this time at the Northlight Theatre in Skokie, which is staging “The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk,” a very small, 80-minute musical by Daniel Jamieson with music by Ian Ross.
Here, the focus is on the relationship between Chagall and his first wife, the Jewish Russian writer Bella Rosenfeld, a child of Vitebsk and one-half of what has been called the greatest love story in art history. Certainly, that’s the vibe from this theater piece, directed for Northlight by Elizabeth Margolius with musical direction by Michael Mahler. The show, which is a robust, movement-oriented experience, is basically limited to the titular couple, as played by Jack Cahill-Lemme and Emma Rosenthal, with Mahler and Elisa Carlson accompanying them on piano and violin (mostly) and offering up a few lines on the side. There’s a gentle framing, locating the work in an interview with Chagall.
All of these artists are very skilled and if you are interested in how you can render a romantic, sexualized mutual obsession through theatricalized movement, then you’ll be impressed with what Margolius has achieved here, making use of an exceptionally strong (physically and artistically) actress in Rosenthal, who is a competitive powerlifter when not on the stage. Cahill-Lemme’s main strength is his vocal interpretation of this British composer’s klezmer-inspired music, an attempt in some ways to musicalize Chagall’s art as well as his relationship with his wife.
This staging, all very intense, sure could use a touch more humor, although Rosenthal does her best to find some in this rather precious material. The other issue here is that neither character seems to change all that much with the traumatic times; their physical manipulations are both constant and front and center and while we certainly grasp the intensity of their passions, do we ever, that does not necessarily sustain us, even for a show this brief. I found myself wishing for more prosaic humanity, more jagged edges, although in fairness I also saw some other audience members lost in the sensually adoring flights of passion. It’s a tough show to stage and with due acknowledgement of its creativity, this production needed to take a few more human breaths. And find the moments when these perpetually entwined lovers relaxed their bodies so their minds could come to the fore.
Still, if you’re interested in Bella Rosenfeld, particularly, this is well worth a look, especially for Rosenthal’s performance.
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
cjones5@chicagotribune.com
Review: “The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk” (2.5 stars)
When: Through Oct. 6
Where: Northlight Theatre at the North Shore Center for the Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie
Running time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Tickets: $49-$91 at 847-673-6300 and www.northlight.org
