To Master the Art
Written by William Brown and Doug Frew
Directed by William Brown
at Broadway Playhouse, 175 E. Chestnut (map)
thru Oct 20 | tickets: $25-$75 | more info
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A tasty time trip to Julia Child’s culinary beginnings
Chicago Commercial Collective i/a/w TimeLine Theatre presents
To Master the Art
Review by Lawrence Bommer
A welcome return engagement (which is now part of the prestigious Broadway in Chicago subscription lineup), TimeLine Theatre Company’s revival of its 2010 original work To Master the Art remains, even in a much less intimate space and with a higher ticket price, a delicious passion play. As delightfully developed by authors William Brown and Doug Frew, the ardor here, of course, begins and ends with Julia Child’s devotion to all things French, especially the cuisine she literally uncovers in a post-war Paris and will inevitably export to a grateful America.
It’s a cook’s tour full of wonder and revelation as Brown and Frew show us gangly, insecure Julia’s coming of chef as she studies, with a trio of bumptious G.I.s intent on improving their hometown grub, at the Cordon Bleu, impressing perfectionist M. Bugnard, master of the kitchen. This seeming snob is the keeper of the keys to gustatory heaven, but he’s nonetheless open to surprise when an American matches him in literal good taste. Unstoppably, a deeply driven Julia connects with two French women who share her dream and their recipes: The result is her culture-melding classic, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” – the rest is history and “Bon Appetit!”
The script, a gem of graceful, natural and witty dialogue, effortlessly moves from the more light-hearted confectionary clues about scrambled eggs and crème brulee to the darker currents of political pogroms and brainless nationalism.
Both sides of the same story are perfectly balanced by co-author Brown’s exquisite and spirited direction. Reassembling the superb 11-member cast of this Chicago original with a few Equity additions, Brown, who has equally mastered the art of ensemble perfection, spins this charmer with a love of the actors as much as the characters. Complete with a gawky grace and a piercing falsetto that fit Julia like a glove, Karen Janes Woditch brings unforced intensity to a woman whose every move looked awkward but every word was right. Craig Spidle, as her much-tested helpmate, opens up this tale of self-making Americans in Paris to challenge American “exceptionalism” in an equally meritorious cause.
Superb support comes from Terry Hamilton as Julia’s disapproving dad and Parisian mentor, Heidi Kettenring as an SAS agent falsely accused on treason, Janet Ulrich Brooks as a French snob and American spitfire, and Jeannie Affelder as Julia’s invaluable collaborator. Keith Pitts’ flexible kitchen and dining room sets could not be more appetizing or welcoming, Rachel Anne Healy’s costumes set the table perfectly, and Charles Cooper’s lighting is entirely worthy of “la ville des lumieres.”
The play’s ingredients may not always blend like Julia’s French onion soup or famed cassoulet, but this tasty time trip makes us “present at the creation” of a food icon and the loving husband who aided and abetted her savory saga.
Rating: ★★★½
To Master the Art continues through October 20th at Broadway Playhouse, 175 E. Chestnut (map), with performances Tuesdays 7:30pm, Wednesdays 2pm and 7:30pm, Thursdays/Fridays 7:30pm, Saturdays 2pm and 8pm, Sundays 2pm. Tickets are $25-$75, and are available by phone (800-775-2000) or online through Ticketmaster.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at ToMasterTheArt.com. (Running time: 2 hours 15 minutes, includes an intermission)
 
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Photos by Giorgio Ventola
artists
cast
Karen Janes Woditsch (Julia Child), Craig Spidle (Paul Child), Jeannie Affelder, Ian Paul Custer, Terry Hamilton, Juliet Hart, Samuel Ashdown, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Heidi Kettenring, Brian Plocharczyk (assorted roles).
behind the scenes
William Brown (director), Keith Pitts (set design), Rachel Anne Healy (costume design), Charles Cooper (lighting design), Giorgio Ventola (photos)
13-0930
