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Chicago Tribune
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
La Grange's LATTE Theater updates Jane Austen's ‘Sense and Sensibility'
For its summer show, La Grange-based LATTE Theater will bring Jane Austen's first novel to life in a stage adaptation of 'Sense and Sensibility.' The production will run July 24 to July 26 at the ensemble's usual venue, Plymouth Place Senior Living. 'It's as if Monty Python and Jane Austen had a baby,' LATTE founder and artistic director Felicia Pfluger said. The plot in this version of the story revolves around the dying Henry Dashwood making his son John promise to provide for his stepmother Elinor and half sisters Marianne and Margaret from his inheritance. But his wife talks him into cutting them off and leaving them significantly less affluent. John's wife's family and other friends become involved in romantic schemes and counter-schemes familiar to any Jane Austen fan. Weaving through the narrative are themes involving the patriarchal nature of the period's inheritance laws, the unfair marginalization of women, and the value of female prudence represented by mother Elinor and Marianne's impetuosity or 'sensibility.' While Pfluger normally adapts LATTE's productions herself, drawing from various sources, this time she paid royalties for the published version created by actor and writer Kate Hamill. Hamill adapted the book for the stage and played the younger sister, Marianne, in a 2014-2016 production of the play at New York's City's Bedlam Theater Company. 'I was actually planning on writing a version, but when I read this I just felt like I stepped outside in a renaissance fair where it was just so vibrant and so fun,' Pfluger said. 'You knew that something was coming and you didn't know what it was, but you just wanted to have fun and watch it happen … it's just so life-like that it balances the mirth and I think that really helps you feel the story more.' Another new approach by LATTE for this production is bringing more college students into the cast. One is Tomas Kowalchuk, 23, a Willowbrook resident and student at the College of DuPage, who plays the son, John, and two other characters. He talked about acting in this show and how different it was from other parts he had performed. 'I would say mostly the dialogue,' he said. 'It's just a different way of speaking compared to modern language, so there can be some strange tongue twisters, but that helps me learn, too.' Offsetting that was the enjoyment of playing the bad guy. 'It was pretty fun playing my role, since I get to be a bit of a cad and villain,' Kowalchuk said. Another college student, 19-year-old Brookfield resident Cassidy Monti, a student at Western Michigan University, plays the younger daughter, Marianne. 'This show is different to perform, with a lot of scene changes, and quick thinking,' she said. 'My character is always moving, always speaking, always on stage, even when she's down and out for the count, so it's a lot of remembering what I have to do next.' Monti said her character felt familiar. 'Marianne is a character who I really connect with,' she said. 'She reminds me of myself and it's new and exciting to play a character that has so much of me in it. As soon as I read for Marianne the first time, I felt at home.' While college students are an increasing presence in LATTE productions, the group still has plenty of parts for teens of all ages. Isla Baker, 14, of Downers Grove, plays Mrs. Dashwood, the kindly mother of the girls, and two other characters. 'I have multiple roles in this play and this is the first time I've had that experience,' the veteran of other LATTE productions, said. 'This is the first romantic show I've performed in and it has taught me a lot about balancing reason and emotion in romantic and platonic relationships.' Felicia Pfluger talked about her approach to directing. 'We started by watching the beautiful version of the movie that Emma Thompson wrote, and discussing the book and the character. We talk about what makes each character tick, every action and reaction, and what makes each character real,' she said. The La Grange LATTE Theater's production of Jane Austen's 'Sense and Sensibility' runs from July 24 to 26, with evening performances Thursday and Friday, and a matinee and evening show on Saturday. The performance will be in the Plymouth Place for Senior Living's auditorium, 315 N. La Grange Road, La Grange Park. Information is at
Chicago Tribune
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
La Grange Area Teen Theatre presents quirky family drama ‘Lost in Yonkers'
The La Grange Area Teen Theatre spring play will be 'Lost in Yonkers,' the Pulitzer Prize winning stage play by Neil Simon. The coming of age story of two young Bronx brothers being sent to live with their stern, formidable grandmother and their eccentric aunts in Yonkers first premiered on New Year's Eve 1990. The production from the teen theater group, aka LATTE, will be the weekend of May 2-4 at the Plymouth Place Auditorium, 315 N. La Grange Road. 'I think people are going to be surprised by how much life is written into every scene,' said Jodie Velez, who plays the oldest son Jay. 'Neil Simon is famous for jokes hidden in heavy scenes, but he has also written very complex and real characters. Each character has their own story and while some are more focused on than others, they each have their own character arc.' Set in New York in 1942 amid the pressures of World War II, Eddie Kurnitz loses his wife Evelyn after a lengthy battle with cancer. To cover his wife's medical expenses, Eddie borrows from loan sharks and takes a job as a traveling salesman to pay off his debt. This means sending his sons Jay and Arty to live with his mother, who was reluctant to agree, but finally took them in. The two sons aren't happy about living in their grandmother's apartment above her candy store and, like everyone else in town, are a little afraid of her. They also have trouble relating to their aunts Bella and Gert. Further complicating matters is the arrival of Eddie's brother Louie, himself on the run from gangsters, just trying to survive. Jay and Arty's mission becomes how to raise money so they can again live with their father, and this may involve absconding with some of their grandmother's hidden cash. At the same time, their Aunt Bella struggles to tell the family she wants to marry her movie usher boyfriend and gain independence from her stern mother. Jodie Velez plays the part of the oldest son, Jay, a male character. 'It's definitely a challenge,' she said. 'Playing a young male character as a young woman comes with its fair share of difficulties. Jay is also a character that has pretty deep feelings, which can make for a lot of emotional or humorous moments.' Velez said 'Lost in Yonkers' was a story that could appeal to a wide variety of age groups. 'A lot of demographics can find something impactful about this show,' she said. 'Teenagers and young adults may find it entertaining and relatable, while older adults may view it as a healing experience. As intergenerational trauma reactions are a large facet of the play, the characters can easily be related to.' Isla Baker, of Downers Grove, plays Grandma Kurnitz, and she strives to portray the family matriarch as the immigrant with the tough childhood that she was. 'She is traditional and tries to hide any emotion besides anger,' Baker said. 'Independence and strength are highly valued in her home. She's a fun character to play because everyone is a little bit scared of her, which gives me power in most of my scenes over the other characters.' Tomas Kowalchuk, of Willowbrook, a music student at the College of DuPage, plays the father, Eddie. 'I think family is a timeless issue,' he said. 'Familial bonds, and the lack thereof, is a tale as old as time, and people ultimately want to be close to a family — even if it's bad.' Kowalchuk admitted that some of the dialogue was challenging. 'Absolutely, the first dialogue where Eddie talks about his wife dying of cancer to his boys,' he said. 'I needed it to be painful, to be raw.' LATTE was formed in 2009 by Felicia Pfluger, the ensemble's artistic director, producer, and the person who adapts plays for the teen theater. She spoke about deciding on 'Lost In Yonkers' for the spring play. 'The Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play is heralded as Neil Simon's best work and has long been on my directing 'bucket list,' she said. 'Our LATTE cast fell in love with the emotional rawness and vulnerability … and the realness of family that we can all relate to.' 'Lost In Yonkers,' a stage play in three acts, will run May 2-4 at the Plymouth Place Auditorium, 315 N. La Grange Road. Information is at
